WEEK 5

XR Space choreography and Ethics

In Week 5, our focus expanded from narrative structure toward ethical considerations within XR experiences. The lectures and readings this week addressed why ethics matter in immersive media, the potential risks of heightened embodiment, and real-world examples where immersive design raised ethical concerns. While this week did not directly advance the project’s form, it significantly influenced how we began to evaluate our narrative decisions.

Through discussions around games as storytelling systems, we revisited the idea that interactive narratives do not simply present stories but construct systems in which participants act, identify, and sometimes assume responsibility for outcomes. In XR contexts, this involvement becomes more bodily and emotionally intense, which amplifies the designer’s responsibility. This prompted us to question how our project positions the participant and which emotional perspectives they are implicitly encouraged to adopt or reject.

The lecture on ethics in XR further highlighted issues such as emotional overload, psychological pressure, role confusion, and the blurring of boundaries between virtual experience and everyday life. These considerations challenged the assumption that stronger immersion is always beneficial. We began to recognise that immersive intensity, if not carefully framed, can place an unintended burden on the participant rather than deepen understanding.

When reflecting on our developing project, these discussions introduced new uncertainties. Our narrative centres on family relationships, growing up, and letting go, using symbolic figures and multiple perspectives to convey emotional tension. In light of the ethical discussions, we started to question whether this approach might impose excessive emotional weight on the participant or obscure the boundary between observation and identification—particularly given the themes of parental control, emotional responsibility, and identity.

Ethical considerations also led us to rethink the role of constraint within the experience. Limiting action, restricting choice, or forcing participation can be powerful narrative tools, but they also raise questions about consent, comfort, and clarity. This week encouraged us to treat such design decisions as ethical choices that require justification, rather than purely formal or aesthetic strategies.