Aonar

The experience Aonar was developed to investigate the narrative engagement of storytelling in VR. This work is interactive, and although the story’s outcome is not affected by the player’s actions, the manner in which the player experiences the plot changes based on what they choose to interact with. This story is based on Scottish folklore, featuring two main characters: a lighthouse keeper, and a selkie (a shapeshifting seal). The VR user in the story represents the main character’s sense of loneliness as a physical, albeit translucent, embodiment. Throughout the story the lighthouse keeper is disconnected from this feeling and appears unaware of the player. This fisherman meets a selkie and falls in love, but eventually she has to return to the sea. At the end, the lighthouse keeper finally acknowledges his feelings, inviting the player to sit beside him. This represents a reconnection of the character’s ignored feelings to himself, as well as creating a connection from the character to the user. Finally, a third connection is made by the author to the art piece, as the content of the story allowed the author to reconnect with their ancestral origins through research and creation.