The Effects of Mediation in a Storytelling Virtual Environment

This paper presents a study that explores the use of mediation in virtual environments (VEs) used for cultural storytelling. A VE was created in which a traditional San story was told. Two forms of mediation were used: visual and audio. Four versions of the VE were implemented, differentiated by the types of mediation included. An experiment was conducted, during which measurements of presence, story involvement and enjoyment were taken. Audio mediation was found to have a positive effect on presence. Visual mediation was found to increase story involvement, which is valuable in conveying a narrative successfully. Both audio mediation and the interaction between the mediations increased enjoyment. Overall, the use of subtle mediations that appear natural in the VE setting was shown to be effective.