“It Felt Like Solving a Mystery Together”: Exploring Virtual Reality Card-Based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System Design

Abstract

Virtual reality interaction design and story co-creation design for multiple users is an interdisciplinary research field that merges human–computer interaction, creative design, and virtual reality technologies. Story co-creation design enables multiple users to collectively generate and share narratives, allowing them to contribute to the storyline, modify plot trajectories, and craft characters, thereby facilitating a dynamic storytelling experience. Through advanced virtual reality interaction design, collaboration and social engagement can be further enriched to encourage active participation. This study investigates the facilitation of narrative creation and enhancement of storytelling skills in virtual reality by leveraging existing research on story co-creation design and virtual reality technology. Subsequently, we developed and evaluated the virtual reality card-based collaborative storytelling platform Co-Relay. By analyzing interaction data and user feedback obtained from user testing and experimental trials, we observed substantial enhancements in user engagement, immersion, creativity, and fulfillment of emotional and social needs compared to a conventional web-based storytelling platform. The primary contribution of this study lies in demonstrating how the incorporation of story co-creation can elevate storytelling proficiency, plot development, and social interaction within the virtual reality environment. Our novel methodology offers a fresh outlook on the design of collaborative narrative creation in virtual reality, particularly by integrating participatory multi-user storytelling platforms that blur the traditional boundaries between creators and audiences, as well as between fiction and reality.

1. Introduction

In recent years, multi-user collaborative cross-media narrative and collaboration platforms have gained popularity. These platforms allow multiple users to co-create and share stories. Thye et al. (2024) found that these platforms improve users’ narrative skills through collaborative efforts with interactive feedback [1]. They observed that engaging with social content, such as collaborative feedback in narratives, activates the ventral-lateral anterior temporal lobe of the brain, facilitating deep cognitive processing [1]. Tzuriel (2021) discussed Vygotsky’s (1962) sociocultural theory, highlighting the crucial role of interactive feedback in developing narrative skills [2]. Additionally, Cleland and Paulo’s study proposed that storytelling in collaborative settings, utilizing the Collaborative Story Craft intervention tool, enhances narrative skills by fostering communication, story production, and understanding to facilitate dialog among participants for sense-making and collective story construction [3]. Research by Cecilia Avila-Garzon et al. (2023) highlights the enhanced immersion, presence, agency, usability, and user experience (UX) when virtual reality is employed to convey migration stories [4]. Csikszentmihalyi (2014) demonstrated that collaborative story co-creation significantly boosts users’ emotional and cognitive engagement [5]. The “flow theory” suggests that deep engagement in a creative task leads to a focused and enjoyable state, improving creation quality and emotional involvement [5].

Despite advancements in cross-media narrative and collaboration platforms, significant research and practical gaps persist. These platforms initially engage users but struggle to sustain long-term interest and engagement due to limited continuity, user immersion interactions, and the failure to achieve a sustained ‘state of mind flow [5].’ The decline in user interest is attributed partly to inadequate interaction mechanisms and varying levels of immersion offered by platforms. Current design practices also fall short in maintaining user engagement by not dynamically responding to user preferences, resulting in standardized experiences and decreased satisfaction. Furthermore, personalization systems, crucial for enhancing user experiences, are underdeveloped, with a predominant focus on functional and technical aspects at the expense of emotional and social connections, potentially alienating users. This study examines the underexplored impact of collaborative storytelling, virtual reality, and interaction design on enhancing engagement, immersion, creativity, and fulfilling emotional and social needs. It challenges the existing framework of interactive story design, which primarily emphasizes narrative comprehension and empathy.

Therefore, this study proposes a new interactive immersive cross-media narrative and collaborative co-creation story design to increase users’ engagement, immersion, foster creativity and fulfill emotional and social needs. In addition, we aim to answer the following key research questions:

RQ1: 

How can this Virtual Reality Card-based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System be designed to enhance engagement and immersion in the user story creation experience?

RQ2: 

How can this Virtual Reality Card-based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System be designed to develop users’ narrative skills and creativity?

RQ 3: 

How can this Virtual Reality Card-based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System be designed to satisfy emotional and social interactions?

The study commences with a comprehensive review of current research on cross-media storytelling co-creation design, highlighting deficiencies in maintaining user engagement and emotional resonance, referred to as the ‘state of mind flow.’ Regarding platform design, this research advocates for the utilization of virtual reality narrative and collaboration platforms, as they offer a dynamic and cooperative setting where users can inspire one another to collectively develop intricate and profound storylines. By amalgamating multiple users to collaborate and leverage their individual strengths, the resulting narrative is enriched and diversified. From the user’s standpoint, engagement in co-creation and interaction not only facilitates the enjoyment of the creative process but also fosters emotional connections among users, thereby enhancing their comprehension of and dedication to the storyline. This dual involvement of emotion and cognition transforms users from passive spectators to active contributors in the creative endeavor, significantly augmenting their sense of dedication and involvement. Therefore, we have developed a Virtual Reality Card-based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System named Co-relay. This system introduces a unique framework that combines a multi-player cooperation mechanism, interactive card system, and dynamic story progression. Co-Relay is designed for both two-player and four-player modes, allowing users to engage in collaborative storytelling by selecting character cards, customizing avatars, and uncovering the narrative’s mystery through shared clue card collection and decision-making via social discussions. For instance, players can assume various roles in crafting a semi-open-ended crime mystery narrative, utilizing interactive decks to exchange information, integrating clue cards to deduce suspect motivations, and unveiling plot twists. The system incorporates a multi-ending design influenced by player choices and performance, maintaining narrative coherence through the assistance of Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC). This enhances replay value and emotional involvement, distinguishing it from conventional narrative collaboration platforms. By merging story co-creation with virtual reality environments and incorporating gamified interactions and AIGC compatibility, the system enhances story replayability and enables personalized branching. Emphasis was placed on ensuring sustained user engagement and personalization levels.

After this, we performed user testing and experimental investigations to analyze interaction data and user experience by comparing Co-relay with website-based platforms for collaborative story writing.

Our study makes the following contributions:

(1)

We enhance the theory of interactive storytelling design by empirically verifying the influence of card-based interactive storytelling authoring design and virtual collaboration on user engagement.

(2)

We introduce Co-relay, a virtual reality (VR) narrative and collaboration platform for collaborative story creation that enhances user engagement and immersion, fosters creativity, and addresses emotional and social needs.

(3)

Our investigation explores the use of interactive story co-creation design framework and VR technologies to create immersive settings in multiplayer narrative encounters, elevating user-driven narratives for enhanced social interaction, educational applications, and therapeutic interventions.

2. Background and Related Works

2.1. Application of Multiplayer Collaboration in Interaction Design/Games

Multiplayer collaboration is increasingly prominent in interactive design and gaming, enhancing user engagement and social experiences. Research indicates that social interaction plays a crucial role in the success of such designs, improving users’ social presence, immersion, and emotional perception [6]. He (2023) found that collaboration mechanisms, such as team tasks and resource sharing, can effectively promote communication and trust between users/players and enhance the sense of community [7]. However, current multiplayer interaction and social game designs face notable limitations. Gonçalves et al. highlight that many of these designs are overly simplistic, lacking mechanisms to foster deeper communication. They also note a disregard for user diversity and point out limitations like reduced ecological validity in fully mediated assessments and the absence of a standardized framework for social outcomes [8]. Klein’s (2021) study also found, however, that the interactions of existing social games/interaction designs often lacked the depth and continuity to lead to community-based collaborations and the formation of educational applications [9].

2.2. The Status and Challenges of Story Co-Creation Design

In recent years, story co-creation platforms have grown in popularity among users, providing them with opportunities to co-create and share stories. However, these story co-creation platforms still face challenges in terms of collaboration mechanisms and user engagement and immersion, fostering creativity, and fulfilling emotional and social experiences. Firstly, Rezwana and Maher’s (2022) study points out that many story co-creation tools do not adequately support synchronous collaboration, and co-creation platforms that lack synchronous collaboration features often do not allow for timely communication and coordination between users, leading to lagging creative progress and reduced efficiency [10]. In this case, users may feel frustrated by the inability to communicate and adjust story content in real time, which ultimately affects the continuity and overall quality of creation [10]. Nohutlu et al. concluded that traditional co-creation platforms are difficult to maintain long-term interest and engagement, and that often users are unable to enter into a sustained and in-depth ‘mind-flow state’ [11,12]. Second, studies such as Oh et al. attribute declining user interest partly to inadequate interaction mechanisms and different levels of immersion that platforms can give [13]. Thirdly, Heidenreich’s (2015) study indicates that current story co-creation platforms have underdeveloped personalization systems [14]. This shortcoming, while emphasizing functionality and technical aspects, often undermines emotional and social connections, potentially alienating users [14].

There is also some noteworthy work in recent research, with Ogden’s (2019) study discussing ‘narrative technologies’ that build immersive media by bringing audiences ‘into the story’ to make emotional connections, an approach seen as a new ecology of storytelling with an immersion esthetic and (hopefully) content engagement co-evolving [15]. Inducing a state of narrative transport, or ‘flow’, in which the user/participant is both immersed and actively involved in the storytelling [15]. In Pallot (2017) et al. investigated the establishment of a co-creation storytelling environment in which all project stakeholders, especially users, feel comfortable enough that multiple users are immersed in a context of co-creation, thus unlocking their valuable contributions [16]. Practical examples, such as the study by Roig (2018) et al., construct a broadly defined fictional universe to foster adaptive narrative strategies [17]. Through fictions and creativity, participants were stimulated to reflect on social issues [17]. Another practical example, Chen and Yeh’s (2024) study provides a case study of scripted collaborative learning strategies incorporated into digital storytelling (DST) on vocabulary acquisition, creativity, and writing skills of EFL college students [18]. The results indicated that the collaborative digital storytelling approach of writing scripts significantly improved students’ vocabulary acquisition, graphic creativity, and writing skills. All of these story co-creation studies enhanced users’ skills and creative expression through narrative design [18].

Based on the aforementioned analyses, this study asserts the significance of emotional engagement and user interaction design in fostering deeper environments for collaborative story co-creation. While previous research has delved into understanding and empathy within story co-creation platforms, limited attention has been given to investigating the impact of collaborative, gamified narrative interactions within virtual reality settings on enhancing engagement, immersion and creativity, and addressing emotional and social requirements.

2.3. Combining Social Games and Story Co-Creation Design in Virtual Reality Interaction

Combining multiplayer social games with story co-creation in virtual reality (VR) is a rapidly growing area of interaction design. A study by Feng et al. (2024) provides a case study in immersive virtual reality technology (IVR) [19]. The results of the study show that test students were generally satisfied with their collaborative experience in IVR, and that social presence and collaborative competence are important collective efficacy and social experience predictors [19]. A study by Greenwald et al. (2017) provides a case study called Coco Verse, a shared immersive virtual reality environment where users can interact with each other and whose flexible toolset favors constructivist and exploratory learning [20]. A study by Hennig-Thurau et al. (2023) discusses the importance of utilizing social interaction in metaverse game design [21]. The article describes key elements of social interaction in metaverse games, such as multiplayer, social spaces and hubs, guilds and gangs, events and tournaments, and social integration with real-world platforms. The report also explores future trends and possibilities, noting that social interactions in metaverse games will become more immersive and natural as technology evolves [21]. The integration of social gaming and collaborative narrative construction within virtual reality environments resonates with the application of virtual and augmented reality technologies in social learning contexts, as proposed by Scavarelli et al. (2021) [22].

Despite recent advancements, there are notable research gaps in integrating social game mechanics with VR story co-creation. While strides have been taken in grasping the collaborative capabilities of VR, this study contends that there is a dearth of research focusing on facilitating multi-user narrative co-creation in virtual reality settings. Furthermore, further empirical studies are warranted to authenticate design principles and enhance these interactions to heighten engagement, immersion, creativity, social and emotional satisfaction across diverse scenarios. In summary, although interactive collaboration, story co-creation platforms, and VR environments have been extensively examined in isolation, their amalgamation presents a compelling yet insufficiently explored avenue for innovation in interaction design.

3. Methods

3.1. Pre-Investigation

3.1.1. Interview Investigation Among the Target Users

To evaluate interest and acceptance of the Co-Relay interactive system and improve its design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 participants diverse in age, gender, and background. The interviews explored their interest in the system, prior experience with social games or story co-creation, and preferences for genres like inference, adventure, or co-op. Participants also gave feedback on low-fidelity prototypes, focusing on storyline, character design, and interaction mechanisms like collaboration, real-time feedback, and rewards. Each 30–45 min interview was recorded and analyzed using NVivo version 15 (https://www.nvivo.cn/). NVivo was employed to analyze semi-structured interviews with 12 diverse participants, addressing their interest in the Co-Relay interactive system, previous experiences with social games or story co-creation, genre preferences like reasoning and adventure, and feedback on low-fidelity prototypes, including storylines, character designs, and interaction mechanisms such as collaboration. Interviews, each lasting 30–45 min, were processed to extract key themes, aiming to understand user needs and expectations, guide the development of high-fidelity prototypes, and ensure the system design aligns with user requirements.

3.1.2. Demographics of Participants

The formative pre-study involved 12 participants from diverse ages, educational backgrounds, and occupations (

Table 1. Demographic Information Collected in the Interview Survey.

	Descriptive Information
Age	18–35
Gender	6 Males, 6 Females
Years of Education	9–25 years (M = 9.22, SD = 4.12)
Occupation	Students, Creative Professionals, IT/Technology Professionals, Educators/Academics, Freelancers/Consultants
Years of experience using virtual reality (VR)	4–30 years (M = 5.20, SD = 3.67)
Years of Interaction Platform Experience	1–5 years (M = 3.01, SD = 2.53)
Familiarity with Story Creation	4 (Novice, <2 years), 4 (Intermediate, 2–5 years), 4 (Advanced, >5 years)
Familiarity with Online Co-creation Platforms	4 (Novice, <2 years), 4 (Intermediate, 2–5 years), 4 (Advanced, >5 years)

). Their gaming experience ranged from 4 to 30 years (M = 5.20, SD = 3.67), with 1 to 5 years of interaction platform experience. Familiarity with story creation and online co-creation was categorized into novice, intermediate, and advanced, with 4 participants in each group. This diverse sample provided comprehensive feedback on the interactive system being tested.

3.1.3. Findings

• Attitudes towards Storytelling

In the interviews, 11 participants expressed interest in using the story co-creation platform, noting its potential to boost creativity and enhance the social and VR experience through collaboration. 10 participants favored genres like time travel, mystery, and adventure, citing their appeal due to visual stimulation, imaginative plots, and interactive elements.

• User Feedback

10 participants had limited experience with interactive systems combining social games and story co-creation but were open to future exploration. They believed these systems could enhance creative freedom and narrative possibilities. Participants also noted that social interaction and collaboration could improve communication, enrich the game’s atmosphere, and boost the creative experience. However, 11 participants valued the final quality of their work more than the creative process itself. While 8 participants saw co-creation as a way to generate more ideas, 5 participants worried that it might lead to divergent thinking and inefficient story creation.

• Satisfaction with This Type of Platform

8 participants expressed high satisfaction with the interactive platform, and 10 participants believed that Co-Relay meets their needs for interactive creation. The participants also indicated a willingness to invite friends and family to participate. Some respondents highlighted their anticipation for diverse contexts, engaging gameplay, real-time feedback, and collaborative mechanisms, noting that these features would enhance the overall creative flow and enjoyment.

• Intentions towards This Interaction

11 participants were eager to engage in user testing and anticipated enhanced creativity and collaboration with a sophisticated, immersive platform. 10 participants wanted greater flexibility in creative space, more engaging collaboration tools, and richer sensory experiences. Additionally, 10 users sought personalized features, such as “customizable character skills” and “self-defined story frameworks and scenes”, to better align with their preferences.

• Discussion of Pre-investigation

This pre-study provided key insights into users’ attitudes and expectations, shaping the design of the subsequent system to meet their needs and ensure a high-quality experience. Interviews revealed users’ interest in a Co-Relay system that supports interactive, immersive, and gamified story co-creation. Participants preferred an environment that facilitates seamless collaboration while allowing creative autonomy. They also sought dynamic feedback mechanisms for enhanced engagement, indicating a need for real-time interaction and adaptive story progression. Additionally, users valued personalization options, such as customizable characters and storylines, to better align with individual creative processes. This feedback highlights the need to balance game-like elements with effective storytelling tools for a satisfying and productive experience.

3.2. Decisions and Prototype

3.2.1. Co-Relay Prototype Development

Following formative research, an original detective narrative was selected as the inaugural prototype for the Co-Relay system, integrating previously deliberated design preferences. Nonetheless, Co-Relay transcends the detective genre, accommodating other genres favored by users, including time travel, suspense, and adventure. These genres hold particular allure owing to their visually stimulating, fantastical narratives and immersive interactions, thereby enriching the overall user engagement.

Figure 1 depicts the key features and interface design of Co-Relay. Initially, players select and customize character cards, defining appearance and personal traits through text input to represent their character in the virtual environment. They are then provided with initial quest and background cards, offering unique backstories and quests to enrich character immersion and development. Throughout the game, players engage in quests via quest cards, acquiring clue cards and reward cards. Clue Cards advance the storyline, while Reward Cards offer points, items, or ability enhancements to deepen strategic gameplay. Event Cards, triggered randomly, introduce challenges and impact the narrative, ensuring a distinctive experience with each playthrough. Clue cards are conveniently stored in the system library for easy retrieval and organization. In the analysis phase, players logically connect clues to uncover the truth. The system generates ending based on player decisions and the way various story elements are combined, summarizing key choices and providing a comprehensive story review. The output of the story is equivalent to the end of one round experience. Co-Relay integrates gamification, social interaction, and personalization to deliver a captivating storytelling experience across various story genres, fostering increased user engagement and satisfaction.

3.2.2. Player Mode of Co-Relay

The Co-relay system offers 2–4 player modes, each providing a distinct cooperative and interactive experience tailored to players of varying group sizes. Initially, participants select a character card and customize its appearance to heighten immersion and personalization. Subsequently, users receive a semi-open script outlining the relevant environment, such as the story’s setting. Within the virtual reality (VR) environment, users explore to uncover story fragment cards, including those containing passwords. By collecting a specified number of these cards (n > 5), users unlock subsequent key storylines resembling quests that offer clarity and deeper insight into the narrative. Throughout the VR interaction, users engage with story fragment cards to facilitate communication and collaboration. These interactive cards facilitate information exchange, resource sharing, and suggestions, thereby enhancing the frequency and depth of strategic discussions and team decisions. Participants collaborate to gather clue story fragment cards containing essential details for solving the mystery, including motives of suspects, specifics of the crime scene, and eyewitness accounts. Through the integration of their respective clues, participants engage in reasoning, discussion, and a step-by-step revelation of the truth. The Graphical Abstract (GA) illustrates the structure of the Collaborative Relay System.

This process challenges the user’s logical thinking and cooperative skills, heightens the complexity of integrating narrative fragments, and offers the enjoyment of puzzle-solving and the satisfaction of constructing a coherent storyline using story cards. As clues emerge, this interactive experience builds towards a climax culminating in the final card. Endings are determined by the user’s narrative reasoning, reflecting their storyline decisions and problem-solving approaches. Each ending illustrates the consequences of the user’s choices on the narrative progression, providing feedback. Upon game completion, the system presents the ultimate storyline (Show Section 4). Showcasing the results stimulates users’ desires to experience the story multiple times, to discover different outcomes or narrative paths, and to motivate players to improve their skills and formulate strategies, increasing the user’s creativity and sense of achievement in storytelling. In line with Bethany Rachel Dunfield’s (2018) exploration of narrative structures in games, particularly “multiple ending design and plot branching,” [23] this study further contributes to the theoretical foundation of game narrative structure. In essence, this interactive mode is crafted to deliver a diverse interactive journey, ensuring each mode is uniquely stimulating and captivating, enhancing entertainment and educational value. The inclusion of multiple endings and a dynamic event system guarantees a distinctive experience each time, heightening player engagement and satisfaction, and establishing an innovative and intellectually stimulating collaborative narrative interactive platform.

3.2.3. Main Functions and Interface Design of Initial Co-Relay

The main functions and interface design of the initial “Co-Relay” system include the main interface, story creation module, character management module, task challenge module, social interaction module, and user settings and help module. The main interface serves as the central hub of the system, providing navigation menus, user level, and point displays, a quick search bar, and notification icons for easy access to various functional modules. The story creation module enhances the user’s creative experience with graphical plot editing tools and multi-user real-time collaboration; The role management module allows users to customize roles and level up through tasks to increase the sense of achievement; The task challenge module provides a task board design to help users track task progress and rewards; The social interaction module enhances the interactivity and sense of community between users through real-time chat and group discussions. The user settings and help module provides customization options for system settings and detailed how-to guides to help users get started quickly and optimize the experience. The overall design is designed to enhance user engagement and interaction through rich features and an intuitive interface.

3.2.4. Design Concept and Interactive Game Flow of Co-Relay

This research argues that Co-Relay is a novel interactive platform merging multiplayer social gaming dynamics with collaborative storytelling to deliver a personalized and engaging user experience (Figure 2). The platform immerses users in a narrative environment where they co-create stories, solve puzzles, and shape storylines through social interactions. Central to Co-Relay is the utilization of dynamic story element cards (e.g., clues, plots, moods, etc., story element cards) provided by the designer. Rather than constraining story logic, this open-ended approach offers users diverse creative opportunities. By combining these story elements, the platform aims to sustain user interest and motivation, fostering high levels of engagement and innovation in storytelling. Additionally, Co-Relay includes shared story element card boards with real-time collaboration features, enabling users to interact and cooperate within a virtual reality setting. This design promotes a sense of community and shared purpose among users collaborating to uncover clues, gather story fragments, piece together storylines (solve puzzles), and contribute to story development. Personalized interaction features enable users to tailor their characters, select story paths, and influence the story’s progression, resulting in a unique experience aligned with individual choices (Figure 3). The design prioritizes emotional engagement, enabling users to express and delve into emotions through interactive components. Leveraging the immersive capabilities of VR technology, Co-Relay establishes an environment where users establish a profound emotional bond with the narrative and fellow participants, enriching the narrative’s depth and resonance. Beyond entertainment, Co-Relay aims to enhance users’ storytelling, critical thinking, and collaborative skills, presenting a novel approach to interactive storytelling that integrates social card gaming and narrative co-creation to deliver a meaningful and transformative experience.

3.3. VR Workshop

To gather users’ feedback about the initial prototype, observe users’ integration with the Co-Relay system, learn more details of users’ needs for Co-Relay, and obtain insights from users’ imagination of VR prototype presentation, we conducted a VR workshop with a 30 min follow-up semi-structured interview.

3.3.1. Demographics of Participants (VR Workshop)

We randomly recruited 20 users (U1–U20; none of them participated in the pre-study in Jiangnan University and divided them into 5 groups to participate in workshops. There were 10 males and 10 females; 12 were between 21 and 26, 4 were between 27 and 45, and 4 were above 45. Among them, all have experience in VR or story co-creation.

The ethics of this study’s recruitment was approved by Jiangnan University in China and the University of Plymouth in the UK (see Appendix A consent form).

3.3.2. Procedure

We first provided three VR scenarios experience to observe the user’s interactive behavior, collaboration, and interaction in these scenarios. The scenarios included the library (where the crime occurred), the suspect’s home and office (for an in-depth investigation), and the courtroom (to confirm the suspect). To enhance user experience, each scenario was designed with intuitive interaction features displayed on the interface. After experiencing this, we conducted a 30 min follow-up interview based on the test results of the workshop and their experience interacting with the prototypes. Figure 4 showed the three scenarios and introduction information.

3.3.3. Design Insights

The VR workshop provided several key design insights that are crucial for refining the interactive co-creation platform:

1. Immersive Environments Enhance Engagement: All participants responded positively to the realistic and immersive environments of the VR scenarios (library, office, auction hall), which made the investigation tasks feel more engaging. This indicates that “visual detail” and “environmental depth” are critical to keeping users absorbed in the storytelling experience.

2. Seamless Interaction is Key: The workshop revealed that users highly valued “intuitive interaction design”. Actions like investigating, interviewing, and observing were straightforward and easy to perform, ensuring that the interface did not interfere with the flow of the story. This shows the need for “user-friendly controls” that allow for “fluid task switching” without interrupting immersion.

3. “Collaborative Storytelling Requires Structured Communication”: Participants appreciated the ability to share their deductions and findings through the integrated “deduction panel”. However, they also emphasized the need for more structured “collaborative tools” to help coordinate efforts when multiple users are co-creating. This insight highlights the importance of “real-time collaboration features”, such as shared notes or interactive discussion spaces, to facilitate teamwork in storytelling.

4. Real-Time Feedback Increases Cognitive Involvement: The ability to document findings and reflect on them in real time through the “Write Your Deduction” feature was appreciated by participants. This suggests that “real-time feedback loops” are essential for deepening cognitive engagement and helping users process information as they navigate the story.

5. Customization and Flexibility Enhance User Experience: Some participants expressed a desire for more “customizable elements”, such as the ability to tailor the interface or personalize their investigative approach. This indicates that “offering flexible design options” that can be adapted to individual user preferences will likely improve overall satisfaction and creative freedom.

6. Balancing Narrative Complexity with User Control: While users enjoyed the multi-layered narratives, they also highlighted the importance of balancing “narrative complexity” with “clear user guidance”. Overcomplicating the interface or providing too many options at once could overwhelm users, so it is essential to maintain a balance between rich storytelling and easy-to-follow pathways.

7. Gamification Increases Motivation: Features such as ‘collecting different story element cards’ to unlock new story fragment cards, swapping or sharing story cards with others, the card collecting feature of these social games adds an element of ‘gamification’ that participants find motivating. These elements help to sustain user interest and can be leveraged further to increase long-term engagement with the platform.

These design insights highlight the need for a careful balance between immersion, intuitive interaction, real-time collaboration, play mechanism, and customization to create a truly engaging and user-friendly co-creation story platform.

3.3.4. The 2nd Iteration of Co-Relay Prototype

Based on the above design insights, we iterated on the VR prototype in many aspects, and here are the specific improvements and the design decisions behind them:

1. Enhanced emotional resonance: We have added the character’s backstory and emotional expression to make the character more three-dimensional, and users can understand and empathize more easily. In addition, we have added more emotional cues and guidance to key plots to help users better engage with the situation. As Amir Dirin et al. (2023) proposed, the impact of virtual character design on emotional engagement [24].

2. Immersion Optimization: We have optimized the loading speed and visual transition effect of scene transitions, reduced stuttering, and added a fade-in and fade-out effect when switching scenes to ensure natural and smooth transitions. At the same time, the sound design has been tweaked to make it more contextual and enhance the user’s immersive experience.

3. Interaction Design Improvements: In complex tasks, we have simplified the operation steps and added visual operation guidance to help users collect story element cards more easily. In addition, we have adjusted the interface layout to make it more intuitive and easier to use, reducing the learning cost for users. As the view proposed by the research of Upasna Bhandari et al. (2017), the impact of interface design on emotional response and quality evaluation [25].

4. Narrative Pacing: We redistributed the number of plot cards in the storyline, establishing a key plot card (1) and sub-critical plot cards (3), increasing the stability of the plot and the controllability of the branching plots. At the same time, we adjusted the complexity of some of the storylines consisting of plot cards (3 card combinations) to make the overall narrative more balanced.

3.4. System Design

Co-Relay is a novel interactive platform created to foster collaborative storytelling and immersive co-creation experiences. By incorporating gamification features, real-time interactions, and user-friendly narrative tools, the overview was shown on Figure 4.

This system was developed utilizing Unreal Engine 5.4.1, renowned for its capacity to craft immersive VR experiences of high quality. Unreal Engine was selected for its advanced rendering capabilities and robust support for interactive narratives. The system’s scripts are executed through Blueprints, Unreal Engine’s visual scripting language, facilitating swift prototyping and integration of intricate interaction mechanisms. Currently, many VR design tasks are suitable for developing VR experiences using Unreal Engine. For example, the holographic technology for virtual reality near-eye displays [26]. Adobe Creative Suite was employed for the creation of 2D assets and environments. To tailor content generation to user input, the system leverages AIGC assistance and integrates meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B as a backend storytelling content articulation supplement (Figure 5). This integration, connected to Unreal Engine via an API key, dynamically produces storyline outcomes based on user choices. In semi-open-ended storylines, the system employs the strategy of ‘core node anchoring + branch probability regulation.’ This approach enables Llama-3.3-70B to introduce dynamic narrative elements into branch development by leveraging users’ past choices, real-time interactions, and multimodal scene attributes, while adhering to predetermined key storyline milestones. For instance, if a user opts to ‘strike the broken pendulum’ within the ‘Abandoned Clock Tower’ setting, the model integrates prior data on the ‘Gear Drawing’ item to construct a branching narrative with pertinent details. Subsequently, the system delivers textual storyline continuations via the Unreal Engine’s user interface, ensuring that each branching decision is intricately woven into the primary storyline framework while offering personalized storytelling based on user actions. As the study such as Barrett Ens et al. (2022) demonstrate how spatial and embodied perception in immersive analysis leverages spatial attributes to create dynamic narrative elements, thereby enhancing narrative analysis and user comprehension [27].

During user engagement in the metaverse, the process involves collecting story cards, discussing and merging story decks for narrative construction through story deduction. Subsequently, the narrative progression is enhanced and customized using a tool known as the story element creator for backend story generation. This entire process is seamlessly integrated into a unified co-relay experience within the overarching framework.

Functional Modules

The Co-Relay system has six functional modules including the story builder module, character designer module, collaboration hub module, card combination module, immersive experience module, and AIGC module (Figure 4 and Figure 5). These functional modules were developed for the realization of the above key features.

3.5. System User Study

3.5.1. Test Indicators

Quantitative indicators encompass user engagement (active duration, interaction frequency, content output), creativity (diversity of story elements, number of creative solutions), and emotional/social metrics (collaborative network nodes, emotional vocabulary proportion), assessed through system logs, NLP tools, and task records.

Qualitative indicators involve subjective perceptions (flow, presence, originality) and open feedback, obtained from interview transcripts. These metrics are employed to compare experimental and control groups, evaluating “Co-Relay’s” effectiveness in enhancing engagement, immersion, creativity, and emotional/social satisfaction, thereby addressing the research questions.

3.5.2. Experiment Setup

Two experimental conditions were established: a control condition utilizing Story fork (https://www.storyfork.app, accessed on 3 February 2025), an online platform featuring a semi-open script, and an experimental condition employing a Virtual Reality Card-based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System Design named Co-Relay. Participants were guided through character creation, task execution, clue collection, evidence analysis, and decision-making using a sequential narrative supported by researchers’ guidance. This setup enabled the evaluation of performance within a guided linear process and facilitated a comparison between the PC web version of the co-creation narrative platform and the VR card-based interactive and collaborative story co-creation system design experience.

Participants were randomly assigned to different conditions. In the control group, they received task instructions, character background, and objectives through a semi-structured narrative guide provided by Story fork. Subsequently, participants constructed a collaborative story based on this information, documenting their ideas either on A4 paper or digitally on the platform (refer to Figure 6).

In contrast, participants in the experimental groups utilized virtual reality (VR) technology, specifically 2 OCULUS QUEST 3 and 2 PICO devices, to engage in a collaborative story co-creation activity termed Co-relay. Each session accommodates up to four participants, utilizing a total of four devices (2 OCULUS QUEST 3 and 2 PICO). This configuration enables a single collaboration group to simultaneously use these mixed devices, facilitating four-person collaboration. Within this setting, participants selected characters and interacted with them using handheld controllers. Participants were able to undertake various actions, including exploring details within the virtual environment, examining clue cards on a virtual whiteboard, combining story fragments from cards, and presenting their rationale on a virtual display screen. The VR environments, featuring a castle and an abandoned room (refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8), offered participants a realistic and immersive experience. Noteworthy is the comprehensive audio and video recording of the entire experiment for subsequent analysis. (The entire process is implemented through a pre-signed confidentiality agreement and ethical approval, which serve to protect the privacy of participants).

3.5.3. Demographics of the Participants

48 undergraduate students (24 male and 24 female) were randomly selected from a campus forum at Jiangnan University (incentives offered at the end of the experiment). All participants had prior experience in game or story co-creation (M = 2.53, SD = 0.95) and were divided into two groups: control and experimental. None of the participants had previously read the scripts used in the study or taken part in any prior research. Due to constraints on the VR device and platform limiting participation to a maximum of 4 individuals, the participants were evenly distributed into 6 control groups and 6 experimental groups [4 × (6 + 6)].

3.5.4. Script Selection, Plot Divided, and Task

We opted for a semi-open scenario in our user research, centering on the demise of Samuel Winchester, the patriarch of the Winchester family, within the 1930s English countryside. The narrative involves four characters intricately connected to the estate, tasked with uncovering the truth within a 24 h window during a severe rainstorm that isolates the estate. Each participant assumes a distinct role, possessing unique perspectives and clues, utilizing interaction and clue cards to progress the storyline. The challenges entail gathering evidence and unveiling the culprit.

From a research perspective, upon completion of the study, the researcher will possess 12 diverse story drafts: six generated using Story fork (https://www.storyfork.app), a web-based tool (control group), and six through Co-relay creation (experimental group). The researcher can then conduct quantitative analyses on the outcomes of these varied tools, comparing content volume, diversity of narrative elements, collaborative network nodes versus message count, and frequency of sentiment labels against the proportion of positive language used.

The semi-open script was selected for the user study due to its balanced approach to ‘rule controllability’ and ‘user creativity’, aligning with the research objectives and capturing authentic user behavior data. Participants, unfamiliar with the narrative, were presented with story elements of mystery and challenge to foster observation, reasoning, and teamwork, enhancing engagement and satisfaction. To translate the semi-open script into a VR format, the story was segmented into distinct plot stages to sustain engagement and encourage interactive problem-solving. The VR experience comprised several episodes: ‘Introduction’ (Plot 1), setting the story’s context and introducing characters; ‘Discovering the Crime’ (Plot 2), unveiling the murder and initiating the investigation; ‘Interview Phase’ (Episode 3), allowing participants to interrogate suspects and collect evidence through interactive scenarios; ‘Reasoning Phase’ (Episode 4), facilitating collaborative deduction of clues and motives; and ‘Interrogation Phase’ (Episode 5), where participants collectively piece together clues and motives. The final plot stage, ‘Resolution’, concludes with the revelation of the culprits and participants presenting their theories. This structured progression mirrors the intricacy and suspense of the narrative, delivering a fully immersive detective experience.

3.5.5. Study Procedures

Prior to commencement of the study, participants underwent a pretest questionnaire with informed consent to evaluate their familiarity with web-based and VR story co-creation experiences. Subsequently, participants were briefed on the experimental task and background. All participants, including those in the control and experimental groups, underwent a 10 min training session to acquaint themselves with the VR experimental procedures. Throughout the experiment, participants were encouraged to verbalize and document their thoughts.

The formal study will involve 6 control groups and 6 experimental groups, evenly distributed due to the VR devices and platforms accommodating a maximum of four users per session. Six groups engaged with the web-based application Story fork, while another six groups interacted with the Co-Relay system, each session lasting 35 min. Following the completion of tasks, participants were required to complete a post-study questionnaire assessing user engagement, immersion, creativity, emotion, and socialization (refer to

Table 2. Quantifiable indicators (quantitative).

Classification of Indicators	Specific Indicators	Measurement Method
User Engagement (Rick Busselle et al. (2009) the measurement methods of narrative engagement provided inspiration [28].)	User Active Hours (Single/Cumulative)	System log statistics in the backend, comparing the difference in hours of use between VR and Web
	Frequency of interaction (editing/commenting/collaborative operation)	Record the frequency of user operation per time (e.g., text editing, scene dragging and dropping, real-time comment response rate).
	Content output (number of words/scenes/characters)	Quantify the output of story elements per time for a single person/team and compare the output efficiency of different platforms.
Creativity	Diversity of story elements (characters/plot branches/media)	NLP tools to analyze text uniqueness, count the number of plot branches
	Number of creative solutions	Design collaborative challenge tasks and record the number of innovative solutions produced by the team within the time limit.
Emotional and social	Number of nodes in the collaborative network and number of messages	delivered Mapping user interactions, counting the number of core participant connections and the speed of team consensus building
	Frequency of Sentiment Tagging and Positive Vocabulary Percentage	Counting the number of annotations through ‘emotion tags’, by analyzing the emotion vocabulary in the story content.
Standardized questionnaire tool (Likert scale rating)	Engagement: flow state perception Score	Score on a scale of 1–7, e.g., ‘the system keeps me focused’), combined with user interview recordings of ‘motivation to keep creating’
	Immersion: virtual environment presence Score	Score on a scale of 1–7, e.g., ‘being in the story scene’), combined with user interview transcripts ‘auditory/visual’
	Creativity: Plot Originality and Cross-Media Integration Score	Score on a scale of 1–7, e.g., ‘I think the combination of the VR scene and the text inspired my idea’ Combine this with the transcripts of the user interviews.
	Emotional: Emotional Resonance Score	Score on a scale of 1–7, e.g., ‘“new connections made” “sense of being recognized”’ Combined with transcripts of user interviews
	Social: Team Creation Experience Narrative Scoring	Rated on a scale of 1–7, ‘combined with user interview transcripts
Objective statistical indicators	Demographic attributes	Percentage of age/gender/education (registration information or questionnaire collection)

and

Table 3. Non-quantifiable indicators (qualitative).

Classification of Indicators	Specific Indicators	Measurement Method
user engagement	Subjective Perception Interviews of Flow States	User Interview Transcript ‘Motivation for Continuous Creation’
immersion	Virtual Environment Presence Interview	Analyzing sensory details (visual/auditory associations) in user descriptions from interviews
Creativity	Plot originality	Analysis of the interviews included ‘Breaking out of trope-based narratives’ and ‘The subtlety of combining VR scenes with text’
Emotional and Social	Teamwork identity and emotional resonance	Analyzing ‘new connection making’ and ‘sense of recognition’ in interviews, and collecting cases of emotional resonance of the episode in interviews
	Open Feedback and Creative Experience Narratives	Analyze interviews describing ‘most impressive collaboration scenarios’ and analyze responses for social interaction keywords (e.g., ‘collaboration’ ‘empathy’)

). Subsequently, individual interviews were conducted with participants from both groups to elicit their reflections and feedback on the experience.

3.5.6. Data Collection and Analysis

We gathered quantitative and qualitative data using self-reported questionnaires, interview feedback, and participant-generated content from the Story Fork tool and Co-Relay system. Initially, observational notes were taken on user behavior (e.g., active hours, interaction frequency) and system outputs (e.g., content volume, story element diversity). Subsequently, questionnaires were administered, incorporating 7-point Likert scales to assess engagement, immersion, creativity, and social needs. In detail, adopting the methodologies of Busselle and Bilandzic [28] and Zhu et al. [29], we employed a 7-point Likert scale to measure participants’ engagement and comprehension during story creation. Additionally, we applied the System Usability Scale (SUS) [30] and the NASA-TLX scale [31] to evaluate system usability and task workload, encompassing six dimensions: mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as well. Analysis was performed on 12 story drafts (6 from each group) to compare content outputs, collaborative network metrics, and sentiment analysis. Furthermore, group cooperation was evaluated by two raters using the Consensus Assessment Technique (CAT) [32] via video segmentation, with confirmed inter-rater reliability (ICC: 0.82 for Story Fork, 0.80 for Co-Relay). Qualitative insights from interviews delved into participants’ subjective experiences during the storytelling process.

4. Results

The following results compare the VR-based “Co-Relay” system with the web-based Story Fork platform, evaluating the former’s effectiveness in enhancing user engagement, immersion, creativity, and fulfilling emotional and social needs, in line with the research questions posed.

4.1. Data on Quantifiable Indicators

Data format: All indicators are presented as mean (M) and standard error (SE). The degrees of freedom for the t-test are all 48 (both the control group and the experimental group have 24 samples). Significance indication: p < 0.001 indicates a highly significant difference, p < 0.05 indicates a significant difference, and p > 0.05 indicates no significant difference.

1.

User Engagement Indicator

User Engagement visualization and data are shown in Figure 9 and

Table 4. User Engagement Metrics.

Specific Indicators	Control Group (M ± SD)	Experimental Group (M ± SD)	t-Value	p-Value	Significance
Single active minutes	19.3 ± 4.1	35.7 ± 6.8	9.23	<0.001	Highly significant difference
Cumulative active duration (min)	102.3 ± 18.5	135.6 ± 22.4	5.13	<0.001	Highly significant difference
Frequency of interactions (times)	12.6 ± 3.1 (editing)/8.7 ± 2.5 (commenting)	18.2 ± 4.3 (editing)/11.5 ± 3.2 (commenting)	4.73	<0.001	Highly significant difference
			3.08	0.004	Significant difference
Amount of content output (story elements)	23.5 ± 5.7 (words)/4.2 ± 1.1 (scenes)	31.8 ± 6.9 (words)/5.8 ± 1.4 (scenes)	4.15	<0.001	Highly significant difference
			4.02	<0.001

.

2.

Creativity Indicator

Creativity visualization and data are shown in Figure 10 and

Table 5. Creativity Metrics.

Specific Indicators	Control Group (M ± SD)	Experimental Group (M ± SD)	t-Value	p-Value	Significance
Diversity of story elements	3.8 ± 1.5 (characters)/2.5 ± 0.7 (plot branches)	4.2 ± 1.6 (characters)/2.8 ± 1.1 (plot branches)	0.89 (characters)	>0.05	No significant difference
			0.31 (plot branch)	>0.05	No significant difference
Number of creative solutions	4.7 ± 1.3	5.8 ± 1.7	2.17	<0.05	Significant difference

.

3.

Emotional and Social Indicator

Emotional and Social visualization and data are shown in Figure 11 and

Table 6. Emotional and Social Metrics.

Specific Indicators	Control Group (M ± SD)	Experimental Group (M ± SD)	t-Value	p-Value	Significance
Number of collaborative network nodes	5.6 ± 1.5	7.8 ± 1.9	4.45	<0.001	Highly significant difference
Percentage of emotional vocabulary (%)	35.0 ± 7.5	40.0 ± 8.0	2.24	<0.05	Significantly higher

.

The research by Mariana Magalhães et al. (2024) provides support for the classification of indicators of “how multisensory stimulation affects emotional measurement” [33].

Standard questionnaire, SUS, and NASA-TLX scoring visualization and data are shown in Figure 12 and Figure 13 and

Table 7. Standard questionnaire scoring (1–7).

Classification of Indicators	Specific Indicators	Control Group (M ± SD)	Experimental Group (M ± SD)	t-Value	p-Value	Significance
Story writes	Mean Score	5.45 ± 0.31	6.08 ± 0.14	1.85	≈0.07	No significant difference
Attentional Focus	Narrative Engagement	2.17 ± 0.23	4.51 ± 0.29	6.32	<0.001	Highly significant difference
Narrative Presence	Environment Presence	3.39 ± 0.22	6.10 ± 0.21	8.92	<0.001	Highly significant difference
Empathy	Emotional resonance	2.9 ± 0.8	5.3 ± 1.0	1.87	≈0.07	No significant difference
Flow	Flow State Perception	2.3 ± 1.2	5.8 ± 1.1	2.15	<0.05	Significant difference
Innovation	Plot Originality Score	3.1 ± 1.0	5.7 ± 1.2	1.66	≈0.10	No significant difference
SUS Score	System Availability	57.82 ± 1.80	81.74 ± 5.42	4.19	<0.001	Highly significant difference
NASA-TLX	Cognitive load	77.43 ± 1.85	50.97 ± 2.44	8.64	<0.001	Highly significant difference
Teamwork	Collaboration level	3.50 ± 0.32	5.67 ± 0.68	2.89	<0.01	Significantly higher

.

4.2. Cohen’s d Effect Size and Multiple Comparison Correction

4.2.1. Cohen’s d Effect Size

Calculate Cohen’s d to quantify the differences between the VR-based “Co-Relay” system (experimental group) and the web-based Story Fork platform (control group) using the following formula:

$$Cohe{n}^{’}s(d):(d={\displaystyle \frac{M_1-M_2}{S{D}_{\mathrm{pooled}}}}),(S{D}_{\mathrm{pooled}}=\sqrt{{\displaystyle \frac{\left(n_1-1\right)S{D}_1^2+\left(n_2-1\right)S{D}_2^2}{n_1+n_2-2}}}).$$

The effect size is evaluated based on the following criteria: if d < 0.2, it is classified as a “tiny effect”; if 0.2 ≤ d < 0.5, it is considered a “small effect”; for values between 0.5 and 0.8, it is termed a “medium effect”; and if d ≥ 0.8, it is characterized as a “large effect.”

A.

User Engagement Metrics:

Single Active Duration: The large effect size of d = 2.95 demonstrates a significant extension in the duration of individual user engagement due to the VR system. Cumulative Active Duration: With a substantial effect size of d = 1.62, the VR group exhibits a significantly longer total engagement time. Regarding interaction frequency, the effect size for editing behavior is d = 1.50, and for commenting behavior, it is d = 0.97, both indicating a large effect and showing significantly higher interaction frequencies among VR users. In terms of content output, the effect size for text elements is d = 1.31, and for scene elements, it is d = 1.27, underscoring that VR users produce significantly more narrative content.

B.

Creativity Metrics

Among the various components of narrative diversity, character diversity exhibits a small effect size (d = 0.26), while plot branch diversity demonstrates a similar small effect size (d = 0.33). The disparity in diversity of elements between the two cohorts is marginal and lacks statistical significance. Conversely, the magnitude of effect for the quantity of novel solutions is moderate (d = 0.73), suggesting that the virtual reality (VR) system offers a moderate edge in fostering inventive problem-solving.

C.

Emotional and Social Indicators

The effect size for the number of nodes in the collaboration network is d = 1.28, indicating a significant expansion in the scale of users’ collaboration networks through VR. The effect size for the proportion of emotional words is d = 0.64, suggesting that VR users express more emotional content with a medium effect.

D.

Standard Questionnaire Scores (1–7 points)

The effect size for attention focus (narrative engagement) was d = 8.96, indicating a large effect, with VR users showing significantly higher engagement. Narrative presence (environmental immersion) had an effect size of d = 12.32, also a large effect, with VR environments providing significantly stronger presence. Flow state perception had an effect size of d = 3.02, revealing a large effect, with VR users experiencing significantly higher flow states. The SUS system usability score effect size was d = 6.52, a large effect, with the VR system showing significantly higher usability. The NASA-TLX cognitive load score had an effect size of d = -12.25, a large effect, signifying that VR significantly reduced cognitive load. Lastly, the team collaboration level had an effect size of d = 4.25, indicating a large effect, with significantly better collaboration in the VR environment.

4.2.2. Multiple Comparison Correction (FDR Method)

A.

Calibration Results of User Engagement

Among user engagement metrics, those with FDR correction are ranked by original p-values: The experimental group significantly exceeds the control group in single-session active duration (+16.4 min, p < 0.001), cumulative active duration (+33.3 min, p < 0.001), editing interaction frequency (+5.6 times, p < 0.001), commenting interaction frequency (+2.8 times, p = 0.004), content output in words (+8.3 words, p < 0.001), and number of scenarios (+1.6, p < 0.001) (all p < 0.05 after FDR correction).

B.

FDR Correction Results of Creativity

After applying FDR correction, the initial analysis indicated that the experimental group showed a significant increase in the number of creative solutions (p = 0.05). However, post-correction, none of the creativity indicators, including character diversity, plot branch diversity, and the number of creative solutions, exhibited significant differences (corrected p > 0.05). Therefore, the initial significance (p = 0.05) in the number of creative solutions may be a random occurrence. This significance disappears after corrections for multiple testing. Thus, verifying potential differences necessitates a larger sample size or more sensitive indicators for further investigation.

C.

FDR Correction Results of Emotional and Social Indicators

Incorporating emotional and social indicators with FDR correction reveals that the experimental group significantly outperforms the control group in collaborative network nodes (t = 4.45, p = 0.002) and emotional word percentage (t = 2.24, p = 0.04). These results, remaining significant post-FDR correction, suggest the intervention notably enhances users’ social connectivity and emotional expression intensity.

D.

FDR Correction Results of Standard Questionnaire Score

The FDR-corrected standard questionnaire indicators reveal that the experimental group significantly outperformed in narrative immersion (t = 6.32, p = 0.002), environmental presence (t = 8.92, p = 0.002), system usability (t = 4.19, p = 0.004), cognitive load (t = 8.64, p = 0.002), and team collaboration (t = 2.89, p = 0.027). Conversely, no significant differences were observed in story writing, emotional resonance, flow state, and plot originality (p > 0.05 after FDR correction).

4.3. Core Quantifiable Results Analysis

This study systematically compared the VR-based Co-Relay system with a traditional web platform using Cohen’s d effect-size analysis and FDR multiple-test correction. Key findings include: The VR system significantly enhances user engagement, with large effect sizes in single-active duration, cumulative duration, and editing frequency, alongside a marked increase in user-generated content. Social and emotional metrics reveal a substantial expansion in collaborative network nodes and a moderate rise in emotional vocabulary usage, both remaining significant post-FDR correction. Standardized questionnaire results highlight the prominence of presence-related indicators, with environmental presence and narrative immersion achieving extremely large effect sizes. System usability and cognitive load show significant improvements, and team collaboration reaches a large effect level.

Regarding creativity indicators, while the number of creative solutions exhibits a medium effect size, it does not survive multiple-test correction. Differences in subjective scoring indicators, such as story writing and emotional resonance, are not significant. Although the flow state shows a large effect size, it lacks statistical significance.

A comprehensive analysis reveals that the VR system significantly enhances user participation depth and sustainability, fosters a sense of presence and immersion, optimizes social collaboration frameworks, and reduces cognitive load. These results offer an empirical foundation for designing VR collaborative narrative systems, particularly in enhancing user engagement, presence, and social interaction. However, in areas like creativity cultivation and emotional resonance, the current system does not yet show a statistically significant advantage over traditional platforms. This issue may require further investigation through in-depth qualitative interviews.

4.4. Results of Interview (Qualitative Indicators)

The user study yielded valuable design insights, revealing that participants highly praised VR technology for its substantial improvements in immersion and interactivity, particularly highlighting the engaging role-playing and personalization features that enriched their gaming experience. Participants reported experiencing significant states of flow when utilizing clue cards and responding to random event cards. Some participants described breakthrough moments in narrative logic that fueled their exploration, while others noted that strategic adjustments spurred by randomness maintained their focus throughout the game and lingered in their thoughts even after its conclusion. These findings underscore the considerable enhancement of quest progression facilitated by VR technology. The combination of multimodal stimulation within the virtual reality (VR) environment and intricate character customization significantly heightens the sense of immersion for users, fostering a deep connection to the narrative. This immersive experience encourages users to explore creatively by breaking away from conventional narrative structures. Through dynamic changes in VR scenes and the transformation of story elements into textual clues and other cross-media formats, users are prompted to engage with the storyline in innovative ways. Real-time interaction and collaboration play pivotal roles in emotional engagement and socialization, facilitating critical thinking, decision-making, teamwork, and effective communication.

In experimental groups, team members are acknowledged for uncovering story clue cards, leading them to proactively undertake the central analytical role. There are situations where the conclusion elicits a shared silence among players, illustrating the profound link between collective identity and the emotional impact of the narrative. Moreover, in the unstructured feedback phase, team members express jubilation upon successfully uncovering the clue sequence in virtual reality or demonstrate tacit collaboration by effectively blending storylines based on their assigned roles. These interview answers underscore the significance of non-verbal cooperation and social interaction in collaborative settings. This underscores the enjoyable and emotionally engaging aspect of non-verbal cooperation, which remains a memorable aspect for participants. While players expressed overall satisfaction with the game’s design and engagement, they recommended incorporating additional interactive elements and more demanding challenges. These qualitative findings indicate that enhancing the user experience of the Co-Relay system could be achieved through augmenting achievement feedback, refining sensory coordination, creating a media integration platform, illustrating the team’s progression, and diversifying modes of creative collaboration.

In contrast, 75% of control group participants found the web-based story co-creation tool to be bland, lacking immersion and interactivity. Despite conveying essential messages, its monotonous presentation failed to captivate participants’ attention effectively.

5. Discussions

This section aims to discuss the findings of this study in conjunction with existing research, answer research questions, and explore prospects.

By integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses, the findings demonstrate that the VR collaborative narrative system markedly surpasses the traditional web platform in key experiential dimensions. Quantitative data reveal substantial effects in user engagement, sense of presence, and social collaboration, all significant under FDR correction. These findings align with qualitative feedback, highlighting “deep immersion” and “pleasure of non-verbal collaboration.” Although quantitative metrics for creativity cultivation are not significant, interviews suggest VR can induce “narrative logic breakthroughs,” indicating current evaluation tools may not fully capture VR’s unique innovative potential. User feedback suggests refining system design by enhancing achievement feedback, while maintaining low cognitive load and developing cross-media collaboration tools to mitigate the “monotony” issue noted by 75% of web users. These results confirm VR’s advantages in fundamental experience dimensions and uncover its potential to inspire higher-order creativity, offering empirical support and methodological insights for designing immersive narrative systems.

Overall, Co-relay serves as a pivotal platform for multi-user story co-creation scenarios, offering an immersive experience centered on participation, social interaction, and creative storytelling.

Responds to Research Questions

RQ1: 

How can this Virtual Reality Card-based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System be designed to enhance engagement and immersion in the user story creation experience?

The system employs a multi-dimensional immersive design and a dynamic card-based story combination mechanism to enhance user engagement. Users have the ability to personalize their character’s appearance, transforming into an identity agent within the virtual environment. This customization is complemented by mission card-driven plot clues, such as hints to the murder weapon for a detective or symbolic puzzles for time travel scenarios, creating a closed loop of personalized character development, mission objectives, and narrative exploration. Within the virtual reality (VR) environment, users are exposed to multimodal stimuli, such as sound effects that respond to the character’s movements, the visual effects of the arrangement of story cards, and visual feedback triggered by clue cards. Dynamic challenges, like unexpected plot twists presented through random event cards, sustain user attention. The integration of clue cards and the promotion of logical reasoning aim to deepen user engagement.

The design incorporates a process of integrating clue cards and logical reasoning, facilitating immediate communication among multiple users. This includes combining story fragment cards, deliberating on combination methods and sequences, and receiving feedback on various endings from artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC). These interactions allow users to experience a sense of accomplishment in puzzle-solving and creation, thereby enhancing their ongoing participation. Furthermore, the team collaboration mode encourages information sharing through interactive cards and assembling story fragments collectively. This mode enhances the immersive experience of collaborative exploration, enabling players to immerse themselves deeply in the narrative process.

RQ2: 

How can this Virtual Reality Card-based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System be designed to develop users’ narrative skills and creativity?

The system enhances narrative capabilities using ‘cross-media authoring tools’ and an ‘open narrative framework.’ The story authoring module offers tools for editing storyboard plots, supports real-time collaborative plotting among multiple users, and enables the fusion of story fragments from the VR scene with textual clues to transcend the constraints of conventional textual narratives. Users can merge story fragment cards from the VR scene with textual clues to surpass traditional narrative limitations. The interconnection between clue cards resembles the amalgamation of storylines (character, plot, reasoning), guiding users to utilize existing story card combinations and ambiguities to finalize the narrative. The dynamic event cards and ending cards employ a multi-path logic (e.g., diverse clue combinations triggering distinct endings), prompting users to experiment with various narrative structures. Furthermore, users can personalize character skills, convert interaction actions from story card combinations into conditional storyline combinations, and in conjunction with AIGC, offer multiple user choices and the opportunity to observe the outcomes of those choices. Successful interactive narratives exhibit intricate cause-and-effect networks and integrating text generation through AIGC proves beneficial for story development. Simultaneously, the semi-open narrative framework allows for diverse storylines, various combinations of story elements, and user choices that lead to different outcomes and narrative trajectories within an AI-generated content (AIGC) system. This showcases the intricate and immersive narrative experience that emerges from collaborative user engagement, facilitating the creation of novel storylines through real-time interaction and feedback loops. Such dynamic story card interactions not only enhance the depth and complexity of the narrative experience for multiple users but also streamline cross-media storytelling, nurturing users’ creativity and narrative construction skills.

RQ 3: 

How can this Virtual Reality Card-based Interaction and Story Co-Creation Collaborative System be designed to satisfy emotional and social interactions?

The system facilitates social bonding through the mechanisms of ‘collaborative identity construction’ and ‘emotional narrative design’ in multiplayer mode. Interactive cards enable real-time strategy discussions, requiring teamwork to integrate clues and complete reasoning. Positive social reinforcement is achieved through the acknowledgment of competence, such as praising teammates for discovering hidden story element cards, and through task delegation, like analyzing clues and interpreting the plot. This recognition of skills and division of labor fosters a sense of achievement within the team. The visualization of collaboration progress through the ‘Storyline map,’ along with features like branch storyline exploration and Key plot node returns, further bolsters collective accomplishments.

Emotionally, the 50% design of the concluding card incorporates choices reflecting human nature, such as villain redemption or character sacrifice. Coupled with immersive narratives in the virtual reality environment, including background music and ambiance, these elements evoke emotional responses from users, who may relate the experience to their own lives. This aligns with Rebecca Pera et al. (2016), who discuss the construction of relational experiences via digital video narratives, the mechanism of “digital narratives and emotional connections,” and the enhancement of social interaction design [34]. Moreover, an open feedback mechanism encourages users to share memorable collaborative moments, while non-verbal interactions, like the sequence of clues in VR and mutual assistance between characters, deepen the sense of unspoken understanding. This transformation elevates social interactions from mere information exchange to emotional bonding, fostering a narrative community characterized by both collaboration and emotional depth.

6. Prospects

6.1. Expanding User Diversity

A limitation of this study pertains to its modest sample size comprising 48 participants. Despite encompassing individuals with diverse backgrounds in virtual reality and storytelling, the sample inadequately captures the wide spectrum of potential users, including variations in age, cultural heritage, and technological adeptness. Subsequent investigations should aim to broaden the demographic inclusivity of participants to enhance comprehension of the impacts of various demographic variables on user engagement, narrative interaction, and the general usability of the platform.

6.2. Needs for Personalized Experience

An additional constraint pertains to the extent of personalization within the current system. Despite the availability of certain customization features in the Co-Relay system, these options are constrained in scope. The system lacks the capacity to comprehensively adjust to evolving user preferences or promptly react to their emotional fluctuations. Subsequent advancements should prioritize augmenting the system’s capacity to tailor experiences in accordance with up-to-date user data, thereby delivering more precise and engaging interactions that cater to the distinct requirements of individual users.

6.3. Extending Longitudinal Research

This study predominantly examined the immediate user-system interactions, thereby constraining our comprehension of the longitudinal evolution of user engagement and satisfaction. A longitudinal investigation monitoring user interactions and feedback is essential to gain profound insights into the enduring nature of user engagement, the efficacy of narrative components, and the sustained influence of the system on users’ storytelling proficiency. This protracted research endeavor can establish the groundwork for subsequent system enhancements, guaranteeing sustained engagement and relevance for prolonged utilization.

6.4. Future Development

To enhance the “Co-Relay” system and explore additional research avenues, forthcoming studies should focus on several key areas. Firstly, expanding the user sample size to encompass individuals from diverse backgrounds and age brackets will bolster the generalizability of findings. Secondly, optimizing the comfort and interaction performance of VR devices, reducing technical barriers, enhancing user acceptance, and investigating cost-effective device solutions are crucial. Moreover, incorporating user feedback to refine interaction mechanisms, introduce more interactive content and challenging tasks, and enhance emotional depth and narrative complexity is essential. Strengthening user interaction and collaboration, exploring cooperative modes and gameplay, and supporting a broader range of VR platforms and devices will enhance cross-platform narrative system compatibility and accessibility. Future research should delve into cross-platform interaction and collaboration to enrich user experience diversity and flexibility. Long-term user research is essential to monitor and analyze user experience and feedback of the virtual reality narrative collaboration system over time, assess its sustainability and user engagement, and refine human–computer interaction design and user experience through ongoing data collection and analysis. Additionally, we aim to investigate the integration of emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and artificial intelligence (AI) in education, game, and therapy to enhance the interactivity and intelligence of the multiplayer narrative collaboration platform, offering a more diverse user experience. We believe the present study expands the practical application of personalized virtual reality educational interventions. Building upon the work of Marougkas et al. (2024) [35], it contributes additional case studies on the personalized design of virtual reality-based educational tools. Building on the work of Jaziar Radianti et al. (202) regarding virtual reality design in higher education [36], our study, “Optimizing VR Devices to Enhance Educational Applicability,” offers a systematic review of VR design in education and serves as a guide for future research directions. Furthermore, the findings extend the research of Chang et al. (2016) on the use of virtual reality in pediatric emergency medicine education [37], thereby enriching the discourse on the cross-disciplinary value of this technology.

This study underscores the significant potential of VR technology in interactive narrative collaboration systems through the development and evaluation of the Co-Relay virtual reality narrative collaboration system. The focus is on advancing VR technology in narrative co-creation environments and emotional computing story systems. While acknowledging existing limitations, continuous optimization, future research, and exploration are expected to drive further innovations and enhancements in design and user experience.

7. Conclusions

This study investigates the facilitation of storytelling and enhancement of narrative skills in virtual reality environments. A comprehensive review of literature on social gaming and collaborative storytelling informed the development and evaluation of a virtual reality card-based story co-creation platform called Co-Relay for interactive story co-creation. A comparative analysis between a web-based platform and the VR-based Co-Relay system revealed significant enhancements in user engagement, immersion, creativity, emotional investment, and social interaction among participants utilizing the Co-Relay system. The system’s design seamlessly integrates collaborative story creation mechanisms with virtual reality interactions, proving particularly appealing to users for fostering teamwork and narrative progression while reducing cognitive burden and enhancing task focus. This integration of virtual reality technology with narrative co-creation mechanisms establishes an immersive, interactive, and socially engaging creative environment. Through multi-sensory stimulation and gamified interactions such as card combinations, the Co-Relay system transcends the constraints of conventional web-based platforms, enabling users to deeply engage in character customization, clue integration, and plot development. Features like interactive card-based socialization, real-time strategy deliberations, and physical collaboration in VR team modes not only strengthen emotional bonds among creators but also boost logical reasoning and cross-media narrative skills through collaborative problem-solving in storytelling scenarios. The optimized system design for managing cognitive load underscores the necessity for virtual reality (VR) narrative tools to strike a delicate balance between immersion and user-friendliness. By minimizing the cognitive resources required for interface interactions, users can channel their creativity towards enhancing plot originality and emotional expression. This, in turn, serves as a catalyst for narrative advancements in various domains such as education and culture. Virtual reality transcends its role as a mere content delivery platform to become a facilitator that stimulates narrative potential and fosters collaborative thinking through interactive mechanism design. Future research directions may delve into broadening cross-disciplinary applications, integrating emotional computing inputs, and investigating AI-supported narrative generation technologies. This investigation affirms that the VR narrative co-creation system is propelling the shift in the creative paradigm from “individual expression” towards “immersive collaborative narrative.” Its unique blend of technological empowerment and humanistic expression paves the way for diverse practical avenues for narrative innovation in the digital era.