Science Fiction Prototyping Method Improves Readers’ Narrative Experiences

Abstract

Science fiction (Sci-Fi) is one of the most creative literary genres, and it is useful to identify ways to support the development of works in this genre. Science Fiction Prototyping (SFP) is one promising method for facilitating the collaborative creation of Sci-Fi works. However, as SFP is used to support innovation and technological progress rather than produce Sci-Fi itself, its effectiveness has not been evaluated in this regard. Therefore, this study explored whether SFP could produce higher-quality Sci-Fi texts, as evaluated by the narrative experience of readers. Five authors were recruited to produce 10 Sci-Fi texts; each author created two texts, one using SFP (SFP text) and one without SFP (non-SPF text). A total of 253 native Japanese speakers read two Sci-Fi works, each by the same author. The readers’ ratings were recorded using the Narrative Experience Scale of Science Fiction developed in our previous study. The results showed that SFP texts had higher narrative experience scores than non-SFP texts, although the effects differed by author and presentation order. Despite some limitations, we conclude that the SFP is an effective method to support the creation of Sci-Fi texts.