[pt] A presente pesquisa analisará a ascensão e a complexificação da Web 2.0, situando-a sobre a emergência da tecnologia algorítmica. Os chamados algoritmos nascem no século XIX, tornando-se no presente século um dos maiores dispositivos tecnológicos referente à coleta, hierarquização, acumulação e coordenação de dados. Assim, este trabalho busca compreender como os algoritmos, em seu desenvolvimento, adquiriram inúmeras funções nas mídias sociais, transcendendo a finalidade de aumento da competitividade econômica das empresas no Vale do Silício. A referida pesquisa fará uma análise conjunta entre as escolas dos Estudos Críticos sobre Algoritmos, Estudos Críticos sobre Fronteiras e de Sociologia Política Internacional, a fim de compreender o que é e como nasce essa Fronteira Algorítmica, quais seriam os seus efeitos sociopolíticos e por que ela é algo que atinge em distintos graus toda a humanidade no século XXI. Após a introdução, a análise, o desenvolvimento e a discussão nos três primeiros capítulos, o último capítulo se destinará a comparar o Caso Snowden e o Escândalo da Cambridge Analytica, evidenciando semelhanças e afastamentos sobre como os algoritmos podem ser usados com fins que não se limitam à escala econômica e política, mas também são entidades capazes de influenciar a níveis psicológicos e sociológicos a raça humana. / [en] This research will analyze the rise and complexity of Web 2.0, placing it on the emergence of algorithmic technology. The so-called algorithms were born in the 19th century, becoming in the present century one of the greatest technological devices regarding the gathering, hierarchy, accumulation and coordination of data. Thus, this work seeks to understand how the algorithms in their development were acquiring numerous functions in social media, transcending the purpose of increasing the economic competitiveness of companies in Silicon Valley. This research will make a joint analysis between the schools of Algorithms Critical Studies, Borders Critical Studies and International Political Sociology, to understand what this Algorithmic Frontier is and how it is born, what would be its socio-political effects and why it is something that affects all of humanity in the 21st century to varying degrees. After the introduction, analysis, development and discussion in the first three chapters, the last chapter will compare the Snowden case and the Cambridge Analytica scandal, highlighting similarities and differences on how algorithms can be used for purposes that are not limited to economic and political scale, but they are also entities capable of influencing humans at psychological and sociological levels.

Digital platforms and tools have already taken over a large part of human daily lives and with the latest pandemic of COVID-19 it is clear how these technological trends have just increased, in both intensity and complexity, across most of the different aspects that comprehend our everyday activities. For instance, people are staying more at home and people now socialize, consume and work with help of different digital tools, which in other words means that the homes’ original role is changing to a more multifaceted and integral function. Based on such reality, this master thesis aims to investigate how property owners of housing rentals in Stockholm could extract value from these mentioned trends and context by incorporating new alternative income streams in their current business models. Moreover, this academic inquiry also intends to investigate the financial effect that these streams incorporation could have on a property valuation in the housing rental sector of Stockholm.  This thesis project follows two different, yet subsequential, lines of research, where the first one is an interview with local industry experts that provided insights in which kind of potential new value streams that property owners could incorporate in their current business models. They also shared information regarding which kind of digital tools are needed nowadays to make the new offering to the tenants in the most effective way within the Stockholm Private Rental Sector context. The industry experts also gave estimations of the cash flows enhancements that these service incorporation could bring to the owner . This information created the foundation that was used to later interview property owners. The property owners gave information of which kind of digital tools they used today, and what their view was about incorporating the new services and contracts that the industry experts had pointed out as possible new income streams. Both sets of interviews were analyzed with help of finding themes and reviewed literature that allowed the authors of this project to move on to evaluate the financial effect on a housing rental property in Stockholm whenever the new cash flows of the filtered income streams were considered.  The thesis has reached the conclusion that an incorporation of provision of services can create value for both the tenant and the property owner, even though specific services that should be incorporated aren't pointed out. The market was, at the time this thesis was written, immature and fast moving, which makes it hard to say which services will be successful in the Swedish market. Despite this are the results pointing out that contracts as home-electricity and insurances are among the services that have the lowest barrier to implement, and have already been tried by some actors in the industry. For those actors that have started an incorporation of provision of services have already noticed new cash-flows streams, even if they today are minor. The second conclusion is that those cash-flows will in the future trigger higher property values as properties will be a more attractive asset to possess. To be able to identify the demand and extract value from it in a successful way is a user-centered approach a key aspect, as the transaction must create new value for all actors involved / Digitala plattformer och verktyg har redan tagit över en stor del av människors dagliga liv och med den senast Corona-pandemin är det tydligt hur teknologiska trender har ökat, i både intensitet och komplexitet, och påverkar de flesta människors vardagsaktiviteter. Under Corona-pandemin har människor spenderat mer tid hemma och människor har socialiserar, konsumerar och arbetar med hjälp av olika digitala verktyg, vilket innebär att hemmets originella funktion har förändrats till en mer mångfacetterad funktion i människors liv. Baserad på detta så undersöker denna masteruppsatsen hur fastighetsägare, av hyresrätter i Stockholm, kan extrahera värde från dessa nämnda trender genom att inkorporera nya intäktsströmmar i deras befintliga affärsmodell. Denna akademiska uppsats undersöker också vilken påverkan dessa nya intäktsströmmar har på fastighetsvärden i hyresrättssektorn i Stockholm.  Metoden för att nå en slutsats är uppdelad i två processer, där den första är att intervjua vad som benämns i uppsatsen som industri-experter inom ämnet proptech. Dessa bidrar med insikt kring vilka nya intäktsströmmar som möjliga att inkorporera i fastighetsägares nuvarande affärsmodell. Dom understödjer också med information kring vilka digitala verktyg som är nödvändiga för att kunna inkorporera tjänsteförmedling på ett effektivt sätt till hyresgäster i Stockholms privata hyressektor. Utöver detta så ger industri-experterna estimeringar kring vilka värden som kunde tillfalla fastighetsägarens för varje enskild tjänsteförmedling. Denna information används som ett underlag vid nästa skede av intervjuprocessen med fastighetsägarna. Fastighetsägarna bidrar med information kring vilka digitala verktyg dom använde, vid tidpunkten denna uppsats skrevs, och deras syn på att inkorporera förmedling av de tjänster och kontrakt som industri-experterna pekar ut under första intervjuprocessen. Intervjuerna analyseras med hjälp av tematisk analys och parallellt med detta analyseras litteratur, vilket skapade möjlighet att utvärdera vilka finansiella effekter som en inkorporering av tjänsteförmedling kan få på hyresrättssektorn i Stockholm.  Uppsatsen når slutsatsen att inkorporering av tjänsteförmedling kan skapa värde för både hyresgästen och fastighetsägaren, även om de specifika tjänsterna inte pekas ut. Marknaden var vid tidpunkten när denna uppsats skrevs omogen och utvecklades snabbt vilket gör det svårt att svara på vilka tjänster som kommer vara framgångsrika i en svensk marknad. Trots detta pekar resultat på att kontakt som hushållsel och hemförsäkring hade låga ingångsbarriärer i marknaden att implementera, och vissa fastighetsägare har redan påbörjat denna process. Denna inkorporering har för dessa aktörer inneburit vissa nya intäktsströmmar, som dock är väldigt begränsade. Den andra slutsatsen är att de nya intäktsströmmar i framtiden kommer utlösa högre fastighetsvärderingar då fastigheter kommer bli en attraktivare tillgång att inneha. För att kunna identifiera efterfrågan och extrahera värdet ur en tjänsteförmedlingen, på ett framgångsrikt sätt, är en användarcentrerad strategi en viktig aspekt då transaktionerna som sker mellan fastighetsägaren och hyresgästen måste vara värdeskapande för alla inblandade aktörer.

Over the recent decade the world has seen an increase in businesses launching new, or changing theirbusiness model to, digital platforms. New and established businesses are flocking to digital platformsin order to evolve their business model and keep up with advancements in technology, such as cloudcomputing, which enables commerce and communication on a much faster and more streamlinedlevel. Digital platforms with two-sided markets often face fierce competition from market incumbentswhich benefit from traditional supply-side economies of scale, as well as from other digital platforms.Therefore, the competitive strategy adopted at market launch and under operations will have a greatimpact on the platform performance in terms of firm financial performance.This study is divided into two parts and is performed with the objective to gain insight into thecompetitive strategies adopted by digital platform businesses with two-sided markets, and how suchstrategic decisions may be informed in favor of profitability. The first part investigates the influence ofinternal factors, such as debt ratio, quick ratio, sales growth, and capital turnover ratio, on the firmfinancial performance (measured by return on assets) of digital platforms with two-sided markets inthe Nordics. The second part investigates the relationship between the firm financial performance(measured by return on assets) of digital platform businesses with two-sided markets after launch andthe type of strategy adopted. Subsequently, two hypotheses are presented. Subsequently, twohypotheses are presented. A panel data regression model is developed to evaluate these relationships,allowing the authors to test the null hypotheses. The data set used in the panel data regression modelcomprise an unbalanced sample of 27 companies who have launched their platforms in Norway,Sweden, and Denmark. Financial data was gathered in the form of return on assets (dependentvariable), capital turnover ratio, quick ratio, debt ratio, and sales growth (explanatory variables).These companies were grouped depending on which strategy was adopted on market launch and underearly operations. These strategies are subsidy, seeding and marquee users, micro market launch andpiggybacking (categorical ‘dummy’ variables).Studying the firm financial performance of businesses which adopt digital platforms will help us tobetter understand the efficacy of strategies adopted and how these strategies impact financialperformance. Both null hypotheses tested may be partially rejected. The authors conclude that theinternal factors debt ratio, quick ratio, and sales growth have a significant influence on theprofitability (measured by return on assets) of digital platforms with two-sided markets in the Nordics.The influence of the internal factor capital turnover ratio on profitability is statistically insignificant.Quick ratio has a positive significant influence on profitability, whereas debt ratio and sales growthhave a negative influence. The authors also conclude that companies which have business modelsallowing them to adopt a subsidy strategy yields stronger profitability than those which adopt otherstrategies. Companies which entice seed & marquee users to their platform as a strategy yields thesecond strongest profitability. Companies which choose a micro market launch strategy yield theweakest profitability. The authors of this study will not draw conclusions on the efficacy of theadoption of a piggybacking strategy on profitability due to the limited number of observationsattributed to the piggybacking dataset.Future studies may expand upon this research with the inclusion of a wider catchment of businesses,as well as the inclusion of a wider data set to include other geographical locations and improvestatistical significance of the data set. An improvement to the study may also be to analyze thecorrelation between the strength of competitors upon market entry and the efficacy of the strategiesadopted.

The new EU regulation, revised payment services directive (PSD2), will change how the retail banking market works today. It will obligate banks, with the consumer’s consent, to provide access to account information and thus open up the market for new actors. This study aims to provide an understanding of the effects PSD2 will have on the retail banking market in Sweden and how the banks will act to cope with the changes it entails. There is a lack of academic articles on PSD2, and the reports that do exist are to the greater extent published by consultants. Hence, this report seeks to bridge that gap by exploring banks from a strategic point of view, taking a starting point in the theory of competitive advantage and open innovation, in order to analyse different banks’ strategies that they are considering when PSD2 is enforced. This will be a cornerstone for understanding the future development of the Swedish retail banking market. To gain in-depth knowledge about the banks’ strategies to cope with PSD2, a case study has been made where 10 semi-structured interviews have been conducted with 10 different banks operating in Sweden - this represents the greater majority of all banks in the Swedish retail banking market. From the empirical findings in this report, it is clear that very few banks consider that only complying to PSD2 is a good strategic alternative. Instead, most banks see greater business opportunities in PSD2 and from this study it is evident that the market is heading towards an open banking approach. However, the path towards open banking differs between banks. All banks will focus on becoming compliant but due to differences in size, capabilities and resources, the banks try to differentiate themselves through different approaches. Some banks will attempt an open banking approach immediately, while others will start by becoming a producer of services and from there decide whether or not to move into open banking. What has been made crystal clear from the analysis of the empirical findings, is that no banks will start off by becoming a distributor of more advanced customer data to third parties. / Den nya EU-regleringen, andra betaltjänstdirektivet (PSD2), kommer att förändra hur bankmarknade fungerar idag. Det kommer att förplikta banker, med konsumentens samtycke, att ge tillgång till kontoinformation och därmed öppna marknaden för nya aktörer. Denna studie syftar till att ge en förståelse för de effekter som PSD2 kommer att ha på bankmarknaden i Sverige och hur bankerna kommer att agera för att klara de förändringar som medförs. Det finns få akademiska artiklar om PSD2, och rapporterna som finns är i större utsträckning publicerad av konsulter. Därför syftar denna rapport till att bidra med en akademisk rapport som utforskar banker från en strategisk synvinkel, med utgångspunkt i teorin om konkurrensfördelar och öppen innovation, för att analysera bankernas strategier för att möta PSD2. Detta  kommer att vara grunden för att få en förståelse av den framtida utvecklingen av den svenska bankmarknaden.  För att få en djupare förståelse av bankernas strategier för att möta PSD2 har en fallstudie gjorts där 10 halvstrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med 10 olika banker som är verksamma i Sverige - det motsvarar större delen av marknadsandelen på den svenska bankmarknaden. Från de empiriska resultaten i denna rapport är det uppenbart att väldigt få banker anser att endast följa PSD2 är ett bra strategiskt alternativ. I stället ser de flesta banker större affärsmöjligheter i PSD2 och från denna studie är det uppenbart att marknaden är på väg mot “open banking”. Vägen mot “open banking” skiljer sig mellan bankerna. Alla banker kommer att fokusera på att bli kompatibla men på grund av skillnader i storlek, kapacitet och resurser försöker bankerna skilja sig genom olika metoder. Vissa banker kommer omedelbart att ta sig an “open banking”, medan andra börjar med att bli en producent av tjänster och därmed bestämma huruvida de ska gå in i “open banking” eller inte. Vad som har tydliggjorts från analysen av de empiriska resultaten är att inga banker kommer att börja med att bli distributör av mer avancerade APIer till tredje parter.

Background: In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the philosophical concept of Open Banking and its practical implementation, often associated with digital platforms. The term ‘Open Banking platforms' has been used to describe the complex intersection between the two concepts of Open Banking and digital platforms, and it sometimes embody a series of challenges and opportunities. Open Banking aims to increase competition, innovation, and interoperability in the financial sector, creating opportunities for new players while challenging established banks to rethink their business models and value propositions. However, few researchers have addressed the question of challenges and opportunities faced by the various stakeholders involved in Open Banking platforms. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate and deepen the understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by various stakeholders involved in Open Banking platforms. Methodology: In this study, a qualitative methodology with an abductive approach was used, and the study was designed as a case study. The empirical data consists of seven semi-structured interviews conducted in 2023, as well as supplementary data from relevant documents. Thematic analysis and triangulation were employed to analyze the collected data. Conclusion: The complexity of Open Banking platforms becomes apparent during their practical implementation within the financial sector, involving technical, functional, interactional, relational, economic, and regulatory dimensions, as well as various stakeholders. On the one hand, third-party providers see opportunities for innovation. On the other hand, banks face issues with outdated IT infrastructure and threats to their existing business models. Some of the challenges arise due to varying perspectives and technological frames. This study also found that interest organizations play an important role in the design of Open Banking platforms, and regulatory requirements are therefore indirectly influenced by interest organizations. It is however challenging for stakeholders with limited resources to actively participate in the discussions about Open Banking. Additionally, a clearer dialogue and balance between compliance, security, and innovation is needed. Despite the challenges, Open Banking is considered important for the future but requires time to mature.

This study explores the overlapping of platform technology and cooperative processes in logistics and how this can be of interest to make the industry more environmentally sustainable. It examines the literature regarding platform technology, horizontal collaboration, and environmental sustainability in logistics. Data was collected through interviews with experts in the logistics industry, representatives from logistics companies and a software solutions provider, to obtain a nuanced image from the industry. A framework was created to provide answers to how digital platforms can better be utilized for cooperation in logistics to improve environmental sustainability. In order to fulfill this, incentives and challenges for small- and medium-sized enterprises to cooperate through platform technology were identified. The incentives that were found were classified into driving and pushing. The driving incentives refer to evident benefits for small- and medium-sized enterprises of joining cooperative logistics platforms, while pushing incentives are based on external factors and current issues that potentially could be solved through a cooperative platform. The identified challenges to cooperating through digital platforms are related to cooperative processes, technology and digitalization, and environmental sustainability. These were analyzed from a systems perspective to understand how these affect the problem on several levels in the industry of logistics. Together, the incentives and challenges form the final framework and illustrate how platforms for cooperation can be realized in the logistics industry. / Denna studie undersöker överlappningen av digitala plattformar och samarbetsprocesser inom  logistik och hur detta kan vara av intresse för att göra industrin mer miljömässigt hållbar. Studien utforskar forskningslitteraturen om digitala plattformar, horisontellt samarbete och miljömässig hållbarhet inom logistik. Data samlades in genom intervjuer utförda med experter inom logistikindustrin och representanter från en mjukvarulösningsleverantör och från små- och medelstora företag inom logistik, för att få en nyanserad bild från branschen. Ett ramverk skapades för att ge svar på hur digitala plattformar kan användas bättre för samarbete inom logistik för att förbättra miljömässig hållbarhet. För att uppfylla detta så identifierades incitament och utmaningar för små- och medelstora företag för samarbete genom plattformsteknik. De incitament som hittades klassificerades som drivande och pressande. De drivande incitamenten syftar till de uppenbara fördelar för små- och medelstora företag att ansluta sig till kooperativa logistikplattformar, medan de drivande incitamenten baseras på externa faktorer och problem som potentiellt kan lösas genom en samarbetsplattform. Utmaningarna för att samarbeta via digitala plattformar identifierades relaterat till samarbetsprocesser, teknik och digitalisering, samt miljömässig hållbarhet. Dessa utmaningar identifierades sedan ur ett systemperspektiv för att förstå hur de påverkar problemet på flera nivåer inom logistikbranschen. Tillsammans utgör incitamenten och utmaningarna det slutgiltiga ramverket och illustrerar hur plattformar för samarbete kan förverkligas mer inom logistikindustrin.

Den ökade närvaron på digitala plattformar har gett konsumenter möjligheten till ökat inflytande och påverkan längs hela värdekedjan. Genom att konsumera, bidra och skapa innehåll på digitala plattformar är User Generated Content (UGC) ett verktyg för användare att vara delaktiga i värdeskapandeprocessen. Genom teorier som den tjänstedominanta logiken med samskapande av värde som central del, upplevt värde, konsumtion, bidragande och skapande har tre hypoteser utformats. Utformningen gjordes för att mäta och undersöka hur upplevt värde vid konsumtion av UGC i form av funktionellt, socialt och emotionellt värde, påverkar användares tendenser att ytterligare konsumera, bidra och skapa UGC. Hypoteserna undersöktes genom korrelations- och regressionsanalyser med data från en enkätundersökning bestående av 95 respondenter. Resultatet av studien tyder på positiva samband mellan upplevt värde av UGC och ytterligare konsumtion, bidragande och skapande av UGC med undantag från upplevt funktionellt värde i relation till bidragande och skapande. / The increased presence on digital platforms has given consumers the opportunity for more significant influence and impact along the entire value chain. By consuming, contributing, and creating content on digital platforms, User Generated Content (UGC) is a tool for users to be involved in the value-creation process. Through theories such as the service-dominant logic with co-creation of value as a central element, perceived value, consumption, contribution, and creation, three hypotheses have been formulated. The design was made to measure and investigate how perceived value when consuming UGC in terms of functional, social, and emotional value, influences users' tendencies to further consume, contribute and create UGC. The hypotheses were investigated through correlation and regression analyses using data from a survey of 95 respondents. The results of the study suggest positive correlations between the perceived value of UGC and further consumption, contribution, and creation of UGC with the exception of perceived functional value in relation to contribution and creation.

Les nouvelles technologies caractérisant la quatrième révolution industrielle engendrent, actuellement, une transformation du marché du travail à l’échelle mondiale. Notre mémoire s’intéresse à l’une de ces nouvelles technologies, les plateformes numériques et plus particulièrement, aux plateformes numériques de travail. Apparues il y a maintenant plus d’une décennie, des zones grises demeurent et persistent relativement à la situation des travailleurs de ces plateformes. D’une part, sont-ils liés par un contrat de travail entre un employeur et un salarié ou par un contrat d’entreprise ou de service entre un client et un entrepreneur ou prestataire de services? D’autre part, en raison de leur relation tripartite de travail, qui est leur employeur? Au cours des dernières années, différents États sont intervenus législativement pour encadrer le statut des travailleurs et des entreprises de plateformes en droit du travail. Un constat ressort de ces interventions : une sélectivité de droits est reconnue à ces travailleurs. Ainsi, dans ce mémoire, nous nous sommes intéressée à savoir si l’application des statuts juridiques existant déjà dans les lois du travail permet de protéger les travailleurs de plateformes en leur reconnaissant les mêmes droits que les autres travailleurs. Pour ce faire, nous avons procédé à une étude jurisprudentielle de deux systèmes juridiques caractérisés par des approches différentes : la France (modèle binaire) et le Canada (statut intermédiaire). L’analyse de la jurisprudence française nous a montré que les critères constitutifs du contrat de travail permettent de reconnaître, dans des contextes organisationnels précis, le statut de salarié aux travailleurs de plateformes. Au Canada, notre recherche nous a permis de constater que ces mêmes travailleurs peuvent être considérés comme des entrepreneurs dépendants là où ce statut existe dans la législation. Ces statuts permettent aux travailleurs de plateformes de bénéficier de protections. Cependant, le statut de salarié rattaché au modèle binaire est plus avantageux pour le travailleur puisqu’il donne accès à une large protection. / The new technologies describing the Fourth Industrial Revolution are currently causing a transformation of the labor market on a global scale. Our thesis focuses on one of these new technologies, digital platforms and more particularly, digital labour platforms. During more than a decade, grey zones remain and persist in regards to the situation of workers on these platforms. On the one hand, are they bound by an employment contract between an employer and an employee or by a contract of enterprise or for services between a client and a contractor or service provider? On the other hand, because of their tripartite employment relationship, who is their employer? In recent years, several countries have taken legislative action to regulate the status of workers and platform companies in labor law. One observation emerges from these interventions: a selectivity of rights is recognized for these workers. Thus, in this thesis, we are interested in knowing whether the application of the legal statuses already existing in labor laws makes it possible to protect platform workers by recognizing the same rights as other workers. To do this, we conducted a jurisprudential study of two legal systems characterized by different approaches: France (binary model) and Canada (intermediate status). The analysis of French case law has shown us that the constituent criteria of the employment contract make it possible to recognize, in specific organizational contexts, the status of employee for platform workers. In Canada, our research has enabled us to observe that these same workers can be considered as dependent contractors, since this status already exists in the legislation. These statutes allow platform workers to benefit from protections. However, the status of employee related to the binary model is more advantageous for the worker since it gives access to broad protection.

This thesis explores the role of interaction design in elevating the solitary experiences of music listening by infusing them with the joy and connection typically found in the communal music setting of parties. Drawing upon historical and cultural contexts, the research investigates how music acts as a medium for social interaction and emotional expression, from its political implications in Berlin's techno scene to its power to unite people in clubs and concerts. The project began with a focus on enhancing DJ-audience interactions and evolved into exploring how these dynamic communal experiences could inform the design of solitary listening experiences on digital platforms like Spotify. The research employs a mixed methodology combining auto-ethnography, in-depth interviews, and testing to develop and refine six interfaces that embody the joy of communal music experiences. These interfaces aim to recreate the sense of togetherness and emotional engagement often lost in solitary music consumption. The findings highlight that joy is a deeply personal and context-dependent phenomenon, influenced by the nuances of social interactions and individual emotional states. This insight guides the design of interfaces that adapt to and enhance the listener's emotional landscape. The project contributes to interaction design by challenging conventional design approaches that prioritise functionality over emotional resonance, aiming to serve as inspiration for designs that value emotions as central to the interaction experience. It also proposes future research directions focusing on the ethical implications of emotionally driven design and the potential for these interfaces to foster deeper connections in an increasingly digital world.

Creative Project Abstract: The creative project of this thesis is a script prototype for Underland, a crime drama video game and digital playable story that demonstrates writing and design methods for negotiating narrative and player agency. The story is set in October 2006 and players are investigative psychologists given access to a secure police server and tasked with analysing evidence related to two linked murders that have resulted in the arrest of journalist Silvi Moore. The aim is to uncover what happened and why by analysing Silvi’s flat, calendar of events, emails, texts, photos, voicemail, call log, 999 call, a map of the city of Plymouth and a crime scene. It is a combination of story exploration game and digital epistolary fiction that is structured via an authored fabula and dynamic syuzhet and uses the Internal-Exploratory and Internal-Ontological interactive modes to negotiate narrative and player agency. Its use of this structure and these modes shows how playable stories are uniquely positioned to deliver self-directed and empathetic emotional immersion simultaneously. The story is told in a mixture of enacted, embedded, evoked, environmental and epistolary narrative, the combination of which contributes new knowledge on how writers can use mystery, suspense and dramatic irony in playable stories. The interactive script prototype is accessible at underlandgame.com and is a means to represent how the final game is intended to be experienced by players. Thesis Abstract: This thesis considers writing and design methods for playable stories that negotiate narrative and player agency. By approaching the topic through the lens of creative writing practice, it seeks to fill a gap in the literature related to the execution of interactive and narrative devices as a practitioner. Chapter 1 defines the key terms for understanding the field and surveys the academic and theoretical debate to identify the challenges and opportunities for writers and creators. In this it departs from the dominant vision of the future of digital playable stories as the ‘holodeck,’ a simulated reality players can enter and manipulate and that shapes around them as story protagonists. Building on narratological theory it contributes a new term—the dynamic syuzhet—to express an alternate negotiation of narrative and player agency within current technological realities. Three further terms—the authored fabula, fixed syuzhet and improvised fabula—are also contributed as means to compare and contrast the narrative structures and affordances available to writers of live, digital and live-digital hybrid work. Chapter 2 conducts a qualitative analysis of digital, live and live-digital playable stories, released 2010–2016, and combines this with insights gained from primary interviews with their writers and creators to identify the techniques at work and their implications for narrative and player agency. This analysis contributes new knowledge to writing and design approaches in four interactive modes—Internal-Ontological, Internal-Exploratory, External-Ontological and External-Exploratory—that impact on where players are positioned in the work and how the experiential narrative unfolds. Chapter 3 shows how the knowledge developed through academic research informed the creation of a new playable story, Underland; as well as how the creative practice informed the academic research. Underland provides a means to demonstrate how making players protagonists of the experience, rather than of the story, enables the coupling of self-directed and empathetic emotional immersion in a way uniquely available to digital playable stories. It further shows how this negotiation of narrative and player agency can use a combination of enacted, embedded, evoked, environmental and epistolary narrative to employ dramatic irony in a new way. These findings demonstrate ways playable stories can be written and designed to deliver the ‘traditional’ pleasure of narrative and the ‘newer’ pleasure of player agency without sacrificing either.