Interactive narratives are increasingly technologically possible and are expected to become an everyday form of entertainment, but for now actual implementations are rare. This 2 × 2 experiment compared dyadic (co-viewing) vs solitary emotional reactions watching either a linear or an interactive version of a seven-minute digital video narrative, Modern Cinderella. Eighty subjects were randomly assigned to each of the four conditions. People who watched the interactive version of Modern Cinderella reported higher enjoyment than those who watched the linear version. Story involvement, arousal and connection were not different across conditions. Those who experienced the interactive version were enthusiastic about being able to make choices. Interactive narratives appear to fall in-between high and low involvement. Co-viewing of the interactive narrative was different to solitary viewing. Those watching with another person thought less carefully about the choices and paid less attention. Solitary viewers were the more curious.
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