sandbox narrative v1.0

Once Upon a Time: Writing Children’s Games Isn’t Just Mechanics

Anne Martin RichardsNo Crusts Interactive

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Overview–Story, Character, Kids and Games–Little Red Riding Hood Challenge–Narrative Strategies–Brainstorm/Design

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What came first, the story or the mechanic?

© The Wanderers’ Eye

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Today’s Challenge

• Little Red Riding Hood– eBook– Preschool– iPhone/iPad

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eBooks

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Morris Lessmore

When I Grow UpThe Monster at the End of This Book

Meanwhile

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Best Practices: Text• Sync text highlights to

voice over to further support audio-visual link of words and their sounds.

• Support text with audio whenever possible.

Toy Story

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Best Practices: Bells & Whistles

Children’s Development• Children’s attention is

drawn to the features that move, flash, blink, or are otherwise visually interesting. This impacts children’s comprehension.

• Keep highlighting and effects to key story elements.

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The Lorax

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But Beware Distraction…

3 Little

Pigs

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Preschool

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Preschoolers

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Narrative Guidelines• Focus on

consequences of actions (rather than motivations)

• Don’t understand television “conventions,” i.e. instant replays, dissolves, flashbacks or dreams © AMagill

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Narrative Guidelines• Focus on the most

physically obvious features of their environment

• Limited knowledge of story sequencing

• Recall isolated events rather than full plots

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iPhone/iPad

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Affordances of the Device

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Narrative Strategies

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Quintessential Elements

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Character Web

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Key Events

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Brainstorming

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Review

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Core Approaches• Think about your objective

– What does the format (e.g. an ebook) promise?– What do you know about the audience?– What are the affordances of the device?

• Narrative Strategies – What are the quintessential elements of the property?– What are the relationships between the characters and

how do they contribute to the richness of the property?– What are the critical moments in the story?

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Thank you!• Email: info@noCrusts.com• Twitter: @noCrusts• Blog: Kids Got Game on

kidscreen.com

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