1. Introduction Interactive narratives place players in a position where their actions, explorations, or decisions shape the story. Traditionally, game design has framed this as player “agency,” emphasizing branching paths, dialogue options, and quest structures. As Salen and Zimmerman (2004, p. 2) note, “games are systems in which players engage in artificial conflict,” with agency often framed around how those conflicts branch and resolve. This essay argues that interactiv