Nice Post Mulling on Today's Digital Storytelling — A Guide | arcadesunshine

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From a longer original post (read the whole thing!)

"I was looking for something like this everywhere, but couldn’t find one — so decided to put something together myself. I’d like this to be inclusive, so if I’m missing anything, please feel free to add a comment or email me.

With every new development in technology, the art of storytelling has changed… With the rise of mobile devices – that is, an interactive screen that is just as comfortable with text as it is with any other form of media, we can assume that new forms of storytelling will arise. In fact, at Arcade Sunshine, we’re sort of counting on it. The message is always shaped by the container – one reason why, for example, Emily Dickenson wrote such short, pithy poems was because she wrote them all on such small sheets of paper. But despite some seriously good efforts, we haven’t seen the kind of sea-change that accompanied the advent of the printing press or the written word. But maybe these things take time… I’ve heard that there are entire warehouses full of still-untranslated Assyrian clay tablets because for every Epic of Gilgamesh, there are around 10,000 receipts – and no one want to sit around all day translating receipts. Anyways – what are some of the more adventurous efforts out there, and do any of them show more promise than the hypertext novel?

Text Adventures / Interactive Fiction.

These have been around for a long time, but they may be making some type of comeback with the mobile device – as they’ve always been read rather than played. There’s a pretty active online group dedicated to creating and promoting new games, and I definitely recommend checking it out and playing one or two.

These have a history that goes back to the early 80s – I remember Zork, from when I was a kid and, even more fondly, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But I don’t remember finishing either one. I think the audience for these are going to remain pretty small – the problem is that, even when played on a mobile device, they aren’t immersive enough to fall into, the way you would a good book, and they aren’t fun enough to truly play. There’s also a documentary that I’ve been meaning to watch about the golden age of text adventures awesomely called Get Lamp...."

Nice Post! 8 comic book movie viral campaigns that rocked | via memeburn

7. Kick-Ass
This film, which drew its inspiration from an independent Mark Miller comic was not only shot on a budget, but received a thrifty viral marketing campaign — as with all the best campaigns, it managed to effectively raise sufficient levels of hype in a relatively short space of time. An assortment of videos attempted to show how there could be superheros in real life and this was done by placing actors in the Kick-Ass suit and making them run through random cities, such as this one in Berlin:

8. Cowboys and Aliens
Rounding off our collection of online viral marketing methods is this off-the-wall offering from Cowboys and Aliens. The makers of the movie teamed up with TelegramStop to offer five free emails to telegrams. This was performed by using a special promotion code which was taken from their Twitter feed or from their official website. In order to complete the cycle of viral marketing, the telegram included the release date of the film as well as branding and images of the two main actors, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. The cost is normally US$6 to send, but Cowboys and Aliens managed to cover the cost of all deliveries

Angry Birds - Yes! Farmville - not so much...Games launched on Google Plus - Technology & Science - CBC News

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via cbc.ca

"Google's expansion into games, announced Thursday, had been expected since the company unveiled its "Plus" networking service in late June. The service is being groomed to be an alternative to Facebook's popular hangout.

By adding games to Plus, Google hopes to give its fledging network's more than 25 million users a reason to come to the service more frequently and stay longer once they're there.

The strategy has worked well at Facebook, where games requiring players to fill the roles of farmers, mob bosses and card sharks have attracted obsessive followings among its more than 750 million users.

Determined to protect its turf, Facebook unveiled its latest game features just a few hours after Google issued its challenge. The new tools will make it easier for Facebook users to bookmark their favourite games and keep track of what their friends are playing.

Players will also be given the option of filling their entire computer screen with some of the games designed for Facebook.

Facebook's top games are provided by Zynga Inc., a four-year-old company hoping to sell its stock in an initial public offering this fall. Google is one of Zynga's investors, according to IPO documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The papers don't specify the size Google's stake in Zynga, which is based in San Francisco...."

2007 Post from Brian Seth Hurst (Still Worth Reading!) Adventures in Storytelling | Grazie! @GaryPHayes

This year's crop of Emmy� finalists for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television are pioneers, masters of cross-media production pushing the frontiers and drawing audiences into the worlds they have created by extending environments, characters and plot onto platforms that are part of their viewer's everyday lives: broadband, mobile, gaming, social networking and more. This trend has given rise to a new term, "distributed storytelling" and new titles: executive producer, cross-media, and producer, cross-media.

NBC's Heroes 360 Experience knew that its audience of science fiction fans would be an active online community and introduced the character of Hana Gitelman exclusively online. As the bridge between what was on television and what was online, Hana represented an opportunity for viewers to become more deeply involved and therefore have a greater emotional stake in the show. Through e-mails and text messages to registered users (providing a valuable fan database) Hana interacted with them on a daily basis, urged them to build profiles, do research, and explore. She began by encouraging them to hack into the fictitious Primatech Paper website where they could find hidden messages, clues and voice mails that extended the show's plot lines. Later, when Hana's character appeared in the television show, the online community already knew who she was and why she was there, while those who only watched the television show had no feeling of being left out. When Heroes was off the air, the experience kept fans engaged in the show's universe. Between January 22 and March 22 of 2007, the Heroes 360 Experience had more than 48 million page views and 27 million video downloads testifying to the power of great storytelling and the ability to move an audience back and forth between platforms. Calling this season a dry run, coexecutive producer and writer Jess Alexander has promised that this season the 360 Experience will be even bigger. This is a great example of not only knowing your audience but anticipating their needs and desires by giving them content and interactivity that is deeply and richly engaging. It is satisfying a true hunger for content.

CBS Interactive's The Jericho Experience at http://www.whodroppedthebomb.com also had a deeply interactive audience that lived across platforms. Rich with features that grew over time, the experience included an original prequel "webumentary" called Countdown which took viewers through the expected real-world consequences of a nuclear bomb detonation. Executive producers Stephen Chbosky, Carol Barbee and Jon Turtletaub were intimately involved in the process, with Turtletaub writing scripts for the online community experience. As in the case of Heroes, a character was introduced on the Web with a storyline and videos, and was eventually integrated into the TV series. Though the site launched as promotion, it quickly morphed into a Web 2.0 social community, sustaining the audience s involvement during a nine-week winter hiatus. The power of the interactive community was particularly evident when fans sent 50,000 pounds of nuts to CBS executives to protest the cancellation of the show. CBS responded, ordering seven additional episodes, but warning fans that ratings on TV must increase.

Dust off the DS! The Hidden 3DS Ghost Hunting AR Game (via game-rumble.com) Grazie @GaryPHayes

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So far, the 3DS's AR (Augmented Reality) feature has been used very little to play games. So far, the only game that I know which uses it is the 3DS's built-in games called AR game (which required an AR card) as well Face Raiders (which only required the camera and some space to move around). Majesco Entertainment took an interest and decides to take things further with their upcoming AR game called The Hidden.

You are part of an elite squad called GEIST (Ghostly Entity Investigation and Strike Team) whose aim is to vanquish evil spirits that threaten mankind.

In the game, you will be able to scan, detect and kill ghosts using the 3DS camera. There will be boss battles, each would differ and would require some adjustments on your strategy. There are 6 different paranormal entities which you can battle with your high tech tools and weapons.

Nice! 20 digitally-enhanced, cross-platform, multi-media, transmedia storytelling projects (via Aleks Krotoski)

The next few links are from Tim Wright, co-creator of Online Caroline (above), aka @moongolfer:

Paul is Dead (1998)

From FacerEZine:

Rather than relying solely on words to convey the story, users had to click on images to reveal information. Upon entering the site, you would have been introduced to Linda, a writer for a leading national rock magazine. Linda was researching the mysterious death of Paul Lomo, the lead singer of a new wave band in the early 1980s. Animated images led you though the story of the band, its members, and its rise and fall from stardom. Click on the correct image, and you could have read reviews of Paul’s’ records or heard the music. Click on band members, and you could have received information from each of their perspectives. Linda’s research notes provided clues to people around the band, and also led you to the letters she received from a fan who believed he knew the real truth behind Paul’s death.

The Ocular Effect (2006)

An Alternate Reality Game that supported the made-for-TV movie, Fallen, on the US network ABC in 2006. Created by Xenophile Media.

Dubplate Drama (2005, Channel 4)

The worlds first interactive television drama, where the viewer decides the plot

Kate Modern (2007, Bebo)

“the sister series of lonelygirl15” says Wikipedia

Shunt (ongoing, London)

Their website says:

Shunt is a collective of artists creating and curating live performance in unusual locations within London.

About Shunt, Tim says:

the mix of theatre, site specifics, rpg & webby stuff has always excited/inspired

Tim also recommends The Who, What, Where, Why and How of Cross-Media slideshow by Christy Dena.

Great Looking Event! Wicked Solutions for a Wicked Problem « Lance Weiler & Christy Dena to be @ DIYDaysLA

DIY DAYS is coming to LA on Oct 28th and we’re excited to share a new site we’ve been working on.  http://www.diydays.com

When we started DIY DAYS back in 2008, the goal was to share information and creative process within a social environment. As we prepare for what will be our 9th event, we are excited to announce a number of new additions to DIY DAYS that will focus on action.

Wicked Solutions for a Wicked Problem (WS WP) will be a center piece of the event. A wicked problem within the educational space will be targeted. WS WP is a “think tank meets hackathon” that will combine design thinking, storytelling and co-creation in an effort to move from concept to working prototype within a 48 hour period. DIY DAYS LA will close with a presentation of the prototype to a live audience.

Robot Heart Stories is an experiential educational effort that will have students in two underprivileged schools, one in Montreal and one in Los Angeles, co-creating stories that will move a robot (connected plush toy with GPS capabilities) from Montreal to Los Angeles. The project kicks off Oct 17th at the FESTIVAL DU NOUVEAU CINÉMA and concludes on the 28th at DIY DAYS LA. The journey will be documented and the children can check in with the robot’s progress as she attempts to find her way home. The student’s stories will be brought to life by designers, illustrators and animators and copies of the children’s work will be placed in an “actual rocket” that will be making its way into space this fall. The project mixes social gaming mechanics with creative writing while at the same time enabling the students to learn using math, science, history and geography.

SPEAKERS
In our first wave of speaker announcements we’re thrilled that Henry Jenkins, Tommy Pallotta and Christy Dena will be joining us. We’ll be sharing more speaker and program details in the coming weeks.

We are still looking for interesting people and projects. So if you know of someone or something that would be an amazing addition to the event please drop us a line at work@workbookproject.com with the subject “Diy Days LA.”