Explore the Game
Mechanics, Making, and Interactive Design Behind Vital Stories
Vital Stories is a live, interactive performance that merges theatre, gaming, and digital storytelling, placing audiences at the heart of the investigation.
This archive documents the mechanics, creative process, and evolution of the hybrid format, from audience agency systems to evidence-based gameplay design.
How It Works
Each Vital Stories edition combines live theatre and digital tools such as Twitch polls, chat interactions, and evidence databases.
Audiences shape the outcome of each story in real time — blurring the lines between viewer and player.
This page highlights our design framework, tools, and experiments that continue to evolve with each performance.
🎭 Live Performance
🕹️ Game Mechanics
💻 Digital Integration
Character Case Files & digital Evidence
The key figures at the centre of the investigation. Click to view their full profiles or case notes.
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Jennifer Cloones (VICTIM)
Jennifer is the newly Appointed Senior Partner of Vitatech, married to Marcus Cloones
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Richard Benson
Richard is the Founder of Vitatech and was the lead shareholder until just recently
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Justin Pauls
Justin is a Junior Partner at Vitatech and is engaged to Poppy Benson-Hodge (the Boss’ daughter).
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Poppy Benson-Hodge
Poppy is the daughter and heir of Richard Benson.
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Marcus Cloones
Junior Partner at Vitatech, married to Jennifer Cloones.
EVIDENCE DATABASE
INTERNAL USE ONLY
EVIDENCE Clue 1 — Autopsy Cipher:
Based on the victim’s autopsy report, the audience had to determine the time of death to generate a numeric code. This code served as the first password in the investigation.
Mechanic: Logic-based deduction puzzle using timestamp data from the autopsy report.
Purpose: Unlock the first voicemail evidence and trigger the next sequence of clues.
EVIDENCE Clue 1B — Voicemail Retrieval
Players accessed a voicemail pad to hear a message between the victim and the suspect.
Mechanic: Audio unlock triggered by Clue 1 code.
Purpose: Reveal relationship and new suspect path.
EVIDENCE Clue 2 — Lab Test Tiles
Forensic tests from the suspect’s car revealed traces of allergen oil.
Mechanic: Interactive tile rearrangement (WebGL).
Purpose: Reinforce the narrative of food contamination as potential murder weapon.
EVIDENCE Clue 3 — The Letter Fragments
A set of 3D-rotatable letter fragments revealed the victim’s hidden secret — she was pregnant. The audience pieced the fragments together to uncover the emotional motive behind the case.
Mechanic: WebGL-based rotation puzzle.
Purpose: Expose the final narrative twist and confirm the suspect’s emotional link to the crime.
Creative Technology
Our production workflow integrates theatre and software tools to synchronise live performance with real-time digital interaction:
OBS Studio (multi-scene switching)
Twitch Extensions (polls, chat moderation, audience votes)
WebGL / Unity (for interactive evidence)
Airtable + QR system (hidden URL logic)
Real-time actor cues via Stream Deck
The original 2021 Vital Stories pilot was streamed live on Twitch in collaboration with XR Stories × Filmmakers25.
It served as a technical prototype — testing live polls, chat overlays, and audience decision logic that later shaped the hybrid NSMM edition.
Editions & Iterations
Vital Stories continues to evolve through R&D partnerships and live performance testing.
Filmmakers25 x XR Stories Pilot (2021) — Twitch-only live pilot.
NSMM Edition (2025) — Expanded into a hybrid stage show.
Future Editions (2025–) — Exploring adaptive AI story branching and live data-driven scenes.
GAMEPLAY VIDEO
Full Gameplay from Vital Stories 2021
Contact
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