From VR Worlds to Romantic Hearts: Adapting a VR Narrative Framework for AI-Augmented Otome Game Ideation
Player-character bonds are an important factor for building a successful Otome Game. However, a lack of specialized design tools often forces creators to repurpose frameworks from other genres, such as VR, whose design priorities (e.g., spatial exploration) may not fully align with otome games' focus on relational intimacy. This study investigates how a narrative framework originally designed for VR story-world creation can be adapted for otome game ideation. It explores the necessary modifications, how creators utilize the adapted framework, and what their design choices reveal about priorities for emotional attachment.
We conducted three 3-hour workshops with 12 participants. Using a modified version of the VR framework, we collected qualitative data through design artifacts, observations, video recordings, and a post-workshop survey, which was analyzed using a mixed-methods approach that triangulates quantitative data.
The study makes two key contributions: 1) It provides a concretely adapted framework and documents the rationale behind its modifications, offering a practical tool for otome game creators. 2) It maps the implicit design logic of creators, identifying core components for emotional attachment. These findings offer grounded, empirical insights for developing specialized design tools tailored to the genre.