Explore the world of open source narrative-driven interactive experiences in this 31-minute conference talk by Melissa Auclaire from Studio Triome. Delve into the democratization of game development and the expanding frontiers of interactive experiences, including virtual avatars and chatbots capable of processing user dialog. Learn what makes for compelling narratives, effective dialogue, and empathetic character design. Discover the driving factors behind creating engaging narrative-driven experiences, drawing from Auclaire's 30+ years of gaming experience and expertise as an Indie Game / XR developer. Gain insights into leveraging open source software to craft immersive interactive experiences, covering topics such as game design philosophy, empathy in storytelling, graphics, chatbots, and extended reality applications.