When discussing storytelling in Virtual Reality, game studies and its concepts are a great way to start. Fictional Universes, coined by the scholar Fanny Barnabé, describes how games deliver their stories with much more than moving pictures and texts.

First and foremost, the player takes an active role in the elaboration of the story which “no longer appear like a whole to receive, but like an area to explore”. In addition, numerous elements participate in the narrativization, such as interface, cameras, interactions, characters, etc.

Virtual Reality makers transitioning from movies or other forms of sequential storytelling might find the building of a universe and worlding a valuable step in creating interactive narratives.

Barnabé, F. Narration et jeu vidéo. Pour une exploration des univers fictionnels. Université de Liège, Liège, Belgique. 2012