> Many players complain in story heavy games that their choices have no consequences to the story - this is largely because building stories with meaningful branches isn't economically feasible.
That's not entirely true - it's just that no games studios are willing to compromise on graphics and art for something silly like the ability to impact the game world.
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic about the "something silly" part, but do you have any examples of any games (indie, commercial or academic) that let you meaningfully impact the game world?
I think they don't exist because it's an exceptionally difficult problem, even for games with lo-fi graphics or text only. I've found it hard to find any AI projects that generate stories or plots that are remotely compelling.
Big studio game companies push "your choices matter" as a selling point as well, but few deliver.
Fallout: New Vegas, a bunch of Telltale games, Myst/Riven, dozens of JRPGs (Chrono Trigger/Cross come to mind immediately) with branching endings and characters who survive or die based on player actions. Yeah, games are made all the time where the player has a meaningful impact on the game world.
That's not entirely true - it's just that no games studios are willing to compromise on graphics and art for something silly like the ability to impact the game world.