Quantum computing is considered a major technological breakthrough, or at least it will be in the future. But its impact on creative fields such as games and interactive storytelling has not been studied that much.
In her dissertation, Natasha Skult examines how emerging quantum technologies can change the design of interactive media and the player experience. It must be said, that practical implementation is currently limited by the difficulty of accessing quantum hardware and the fact that current tools are largely out of reach for game developers.
Quantum systems operate on different principles than traditional computers, and can, for example, process multiple possible options simultaneously. Utilising quantum technologies in game design could enable new types of game mechanics, especially in situations where complex options need to be processed simultaneously.
According to the doctoral thesis of Skult, games could create content in a more diverse way in the future and respond to player actions more flexibly than they do now. From a design perspective, quantum technologies are guiding game development to move from tightly controlled game experiences towards more open, player-driven systems.
"This could change the role of the game designer more into an enabler or so-called game director, who defines the framework and guides player experiences instead of defining the game flow precisely in advance," Skult says.
The results also highlight other challenges. It is difficult for designers to predict player experiences in quantum-influenced systems, and it is not easy to adapt current development workflows to quantum principles.
Current quantum-based games, the few that already exist, are mostly educational or research games that often emphasise technological or educational goals at the expense of the player experience. And also, player research shows that users rarely focus on the underlying technology.
Natasha Skult will present her dissertation "Interactive Storytelling with Quantum Computing - Exploring the New Design Practices in Interactive Storytelling Using the Emerging Quantum Technologies" for public review at the University of Turku on Friday, March 27, 2026 at 12:00 local time in Finland.
You can read more about the dissertation here.