* SCOPE*

Interactive Digital Storytelling is a huge step forward in games and learning. This can be seen through its ability to enrich virtual characters with intelligent behaviour, to allow collaboration of humans and machines in the creative process, and to combine narrative knowledge and user activity in interactive artefacts. In order to create novel applications, in which users play a significant role together with digital characters and other autonomous elements, new concepts for Human-Computer Interaction have to be developed. Knowledge for interface design and technology has to be garnered and integrated.

Interactive Digital Storytelling involves concepts from many aspects of Computer Science, above all from Artificial Intelligence, with topics such as narrative intelligence, automatic dialogue- and drama management, robotics and smart graphics. In order to process stories in real time, traditional storytelling needs to be formalized into computable models, by drawing from narratological studies, and by taking into account the characteristics of programming. Consequently, due to its technological complexity, it is currently hardly accessible for creators and end-users. There is a need for new authoring concepts and tools supporting the creation of dynamic story models, allowing for rich and meaningful interaction with the content. Finally, there is a need for theoretical foundations considering the integration of so far disjunctive approaches and cultures.

Research papers, case studies and demonstrations are invited that present novel scientific results, new technology, best practice showcases, or improvements to existing techniques and approaches in the multidisciplinary research field of interactive digital storytelling and its related application areas, e.g. games, virtual- / online worlds, e-learning, edutainment, and entertainment.

Suggested research topics for contributions include, but are not limited to: € Interactive Digital Storytelling: theories, methods and concepts

€ Automated drama- / story engines and run-time systems

€ Virtual Storytelling – using Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality to tell and experience stories

€ Believable virtual characters in real-time narrative environments

€ Authoring tools and creation concepts for interactive narratives

€ Semantic technology and knowledge tools for Interactive Digital Storytelling

€ Mobile, Geographical Information Systems and location-based technologies for interactive storytelling

€ Novel and entertaining computer interfaces for interactive storytelling

€ Real-time direction, staging, lighting, camera work, special effects, audio

€ Collaborative environments for interactive storytelling

€ Novel narrative forms inspired by new technology

€ Evaluation and user experience reports of interactive storytelling applications

€ Interdisciplinary approaches to simulation and storytelling

€ Case studies and demonstrations of concrete examples and applications

Special invited key aspects for this year, motivated through the conference venue, are: € Children’s media

€ Interactive audio

* SUBMISSIONS *

All submissions should follow the Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) format (see “Authors Instructions” at http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html) . Papers must be in English. Only electronic submissions in PDF format will be considered for review. Papers that receive high ratings in the review process will be selected for publication by the program committee. They shall be published as Springer LNCS volume. For the final print-ready version, the submission of source files (WORD/LaTeX, TIF/EPS) and a signed copyright form are required.

Submission categories: Full papers (8-12 pages) Short Papers (4-6 pages) Demonstrations and Posters (2-4 pages, plus additional material)

Submission system: http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=interactivestorytelling08

* IMPORTANT DATES *

June 15th, 2008: Submission deadline July 31st, 2008: Author notification of the review result August 31st, 2008: Submission of the print-ready version November 26-29th, 2008: Conference Interactive Storytelling ‘08

* CONTACT *

Prof. Ulrike Spierling FH Erfurt, University of Applied Sciences http://www.ai.fh-erfurt.de/spierling spierling@fh-erfurt.de