Wrapped in Story: The Affordances of Narrative for Citizen Science Games

Abstract

Citizen science games enable public participation in scientific research, yet these games often struggle to engage wide audiences. As a potential solution, some game developers look to narrative as an experience-enhancing feature. Yet the impacts and affordances of narrative in citizen science games remain understudied, especially for games that require significant onboarding. Therefore, we investigated the effects of wrapping a story around the tutorial puzzles of the citizen science game Foldit. We found that the narrative increased the time players spent engaging with the game’s tutorial and its scientific puzzles but did not substantially affect their progress through the tutorial. This article provides two major contributions: (1) empirical evidence detailing the impact of narrative on gameplay metrics in a citizen science game, including the relevant effects of genre preferences on engagement; and (2) recommendations on the use of narrative and its capacities in citizen science games. We conclude that the inclusion of a narrative can add valuable depth to the experience when designed thoughtfully and intentionally.