Want to know what it’s like to write for a theme park attraction? Or an interactive toy? Or a virtual reality game? Wait – those tell stories? And there are jobs for people who write them? Thanks to technology, interactive products and live experiences can now engage us with memorable characters and exciting adventures that were once destined only for the cinema.
Storytelling for New Technologies and Platforms: A Writer’s Guide to Theme Parks, Virtual Reality, Board Games, Virtual Assistants, and More is a handbook for writers, students, producers, teachers, scholars, career changers, early tech adopters, and just about anyone who loves story and technology. As a collection of articles from some of the best creative writers in their medium, this book will prepare content creators of tomorrow to tackle some of today's most exhilarating creative challenges found on a screen ... or off!
Key Features:
- Expert advice from several industry professionals who have worked for some of the world’s biggest tech and interactive companies.
- Best practices that not only guide writers on how to apply their craft to new fields, but also prepare them for the common ambiguity they will find in corporate and start-up environments.
- Breakdown of platforms that shows how tech capabilities can fulfill content expectations and how content can fulfill tech expectations.
- Basic storytelling mechanics customized to today’s popular technologies, live experiences, and traditional game platforms.
Author(s): Ross Berger
Publisher: CRC Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 157
City: Boca Raton
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Preface: Why This Book
Acknowledgments
Editor
Contributors
HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED
Location: Shared vs. Exclusive
Social Nature: Interdependent vs. Autonomous
Exclusive + Autonomous
Exclusive + Interdependent
Shared + Autonomous
Shared + Interdependent
Storytelling Factor
A Final Note
CHAPTER 1 Virtual Assistants and Storytelling
Introduction
The Platform
Propulsion Loops
What’s Coming Next?
Virtual Virgil
Closing
CHAPTER 2 Writing for Toys – Actually a Job
How Toys Tell Stories
Play Is Personal
Quick Qualifications
Knowing the Audience
Second Fiddler
Providing Value
Instructing Efficienly
Every Player Matters
Extending the Experience
Leaving Room
CHAPTER 3 Approaching Virtual Reality Storytelling
Identify the Narrative Means
Immersion Has Its Limits
Users Are the Core of Any VR Experience
A Ghost Story
Know the Limits of Your Genre
Environment as a Narrative Pillar
Locomotion in VR
Driving the User’s Gaze
The Question of Interface and Transitions
Direct Environment and Collective Experience
Extend Your Skills as a Writer
References
CHAPTER 4 Building Narrative in Mobile Games
Creating an Immersive World
Teaming Up
Problems and Solutions
It’s a Small World, After All
Future Thinking
Getting the Job
Ship it!
Reference
CHAPTER 5 Storytelling and Board Games
Story-Making Games
Tailored Storytelling Games
Systemic Storytelling Games
Other Games with Narrative Elements
Systemic/Story-Making Hybrids
Systemic/Story-Making/Tailored Hybrids
Systemic/Other/Tailored Hybrids
Further Discussion and Guidance for Writers
Conclusion
References
CHAPTER 6 Storytelling in Hybrid Games
Overview
Mechanics and Systems
Game #1
Game #2
Game #3
Discussion
Conclusion
CHAPTER 7 The Shape of Story
There’s a Job for That?
The Design Process
Working with Stakeholders
Story Development
The Attraction Experience
The Approach
The Queue
The Preshow Experience
The Ride Experience
The Post-Show and Gift Shop
The Future of Themed Entertainment
Agency and Immersion
Parting Thoughts
Your Big Break
CHAPTER 8 Red Flags
Red Flag #1: One Size Fits All (Not Realy)
Cognitive Load
Physical Limits of Technology
Red Flag #2: Ignoring Consumer Expectations
Red Flag #3: Focusing on the Holes in the Roof When the House is on Fire
Red Flag #4: Just Because It Can Doesn’t Mean It Should
Red Flag #5: No Vision
Red Flag #6: Feeding the Beast Poorly
Red Flag #7: Chemistry Fit… or Lack Thereof
On That Note …
References
INDEX
