State Flow vs. Psychological Typing in Interactive Media: Why Dynamic State Models Are Required

This working paper examines the limitations of static psychological typing frameworks—such as personality traits or broad emotion categories—when applied to interactive media contexts. It argues that games and narrative systems inherently generate temporally extended sequences of decisions, reactions, and adaptations that cannot be adequately captured by static classifications. The paper proposes state-flow modeling as a methodological alternative, focusing on discrete states and their transitions over time. Rather than introducing a specific state taxonomy, the paper articulates why interactive environments require dynamic representations and how such representations support conservative, observable analysis.