sandbox narrative v1.0
TRANSCRIPT
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: [email protected]• Twitter: @noCrusts• Blog: Kids Got Game on
kidscreen.com
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