The Genre Specificity of Interactive Cinema

Abstract

This article explores the genre specificity of interactive cinema by analyzing how traditional cinematic genre conventions transform under the influence of key characteristics of interactivity, such as purposeful activity and narrative non-linearity. The relevance of the study follows from the growing popularity of interactive media and the need for theoretical conceptualization of their hybrid nature, which complicates genre classification. The methodology combines theoretical analysis of genre concepts in film studies and interactive media theory, comparative analysis of interactive cinema, traditional cinema, and video games, and case studies of representative interactive works: Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Late Shift, and Detroit: Become Human. The results establish that interactive cinema functions not as a separate genre but as a spectrum of hybrid forms. Interactivity is shown to fundamentally reshape plot structure, character evolution, and stylistic elements. The nature of this transformation depends on the interplay between the technological platform — which seeks an accessible toolkit of interactivity — and the conventions of the source genre, which shape how those tools are applied. The scientific novelty lies in a systematic analysis of the concrete mechanisms of genre-condition transformation, deepening the understanding of genre formation in interactive cinema. The paper outlines prospects for further research in this dynamic field.