Virtual storyteller: reader takes charge of story
Collaborative storytelling on the rise.
“The ‘Virtual Storyteller’, developed by Ivo Swartjes of the University of Twente, is a computer-controlled system that generates stories automatically. Soon it will be possible for you as a player to take on the role of a character and ‘step inside’ the story, which then unfolds on the basis of what you as a player do. In the gaming world there are already ‘branching storylines’ in which the gamer can influence the development of a story, but Swartjes’ new system goes a step further. The world of the story is populated with various virtual figures, each with their own emotions, plans and goals. ‘Rules’ drawn up in advance determine the characters’ behaviour, and the story comes about as the different characters interact. In developing the ‘Virtual Storyteller’, Swartjes began by investigating whether people enjoyed playing a part in this type of story, before going on to research the conditions and rules for the software.”
Storytelling in Your Adventure
“Behind every great table-top adventure there is a phenomenal storyteller. Not only do Game Masters have to meticulously plan a campaign (because let’s face it, “just winging it” doesn’t always work), they have to keep their gamers happy. This sounds easy enough on paper, but the truth of it is…it’s not. A really great adventure is what truly separates the decent Game Master from the true story teller.”
Explain Virtually Anything with Claymation and Digital Storytelling
“Charlie Mahoney shared a good session on using claymation in the classroom last week at iConnect iLearn.
If your kids are looking for an engaging and fun digital way to “show what they know,” consider a claymation digital storytelling project! If “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” can be effectively explained with claymation, what else can? Just about anything. ”
In The Night Garden: Transmedia storytelling platform for babies
“A recent post by Henry Jenkins got me thinking about In The Night Garden as a Transmedia storytelling platform.
In his post, He-Man and The Masters of Transmedia he describes the way kids’ cartoon He-Man and The Masters Of The Universe and the many bizarre action figures it spawned as:
An authoring system which encouraged young people to make up their own stories about these characters much as the folk in other time periods might make up stories about Robin Hood or Pecos Bill.
And he notes that:
I
n some ways, contemporary transmedia is being produced by kids who grew up playing with He-Man to be consumed by kids who grew up playing Pokemon.
This set me thinking, as I have recently become a regular viewer of In The Night Garden.”
Business Stories #3: Make Believe, the storytelling agency
“My last company profile this week is Make Believe, the agency that’s evangelising the power of stories to help businesses find their way through difficult times.
Storytelling might be the oldest and most effective form of communication, but even so it might seem an unexpected prescription for organisations suffering tough times in 2010. Make Believe, a London-based agency with a global client base is evangelising that the principles of storytelling can be used to help organisations manage change and to get leaders back on track.”
The True Story of Chicken Licken – Storytelling for Bully Prevention
“The first time Chicken Licken shouted, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”, it was because an acorn had just fallen on his head. Of course Chicken Licken was just a little guy back then, only in kindergarten, and he didn’t know it was an acorn, and he really did believe the sky was falling.”
The Storytelling Power of Point of View
“One of the most magical storytelling tools in the novelist’s arsenal is that of point of view, or POV. The same events retold by a variety of onlookers can be viewed in such different ways, colored by the opinions, prejudices and preoccupations of the one telling the tale.”
Different, to be sure.
“Singapore’s noted oceanarium Underwater World has begun offering a “20-minute aquatic reading session” featuring a librarian turned scuba diver.
Using a special deep sea marine communication system the librarian reads ocean-related books while sharing the tank with some of the largest freshwater fish in the world.”
Simplicity: Sparsity or Storytelling?
“In short, I applaud this move by Google, just as I applaud it from Bing. I never liked the white-on-white, because sparsity is not the same thing as simplicity. Simplicity arises through good storytelling, not through minimalism. No A/B testing will tell you this, though. It’s a definitional issue that must be defined before you start your A/B tests. Google has learned from the competition, as @akumar says. But I hope that the lesson Google has learned is not just that users like pretty pictures. I hope the lesson is that, when it comes to simplicity, there is a difference between sparsity and storytelling.”
MyCharityConnects: Girl Effect case study (part one)
“The tools we are mainly looking at are: the animated video (embedded below), the website, the Twitter page, and the Facebook page. We’ll take a look at the pieces separately as stories, then as a collective story.
Is this a powerful story?
Yes, much of what’s told in this video is powerful. The Girl Effect starts off by telling us why this, why now?
Why this? The world is a mess with hunger, AIDS, war, and poverty.
Why now? the solution is unexpected, but simple: educating and helping a girl.”
Google Gives “Toy Story” the Search Story Treatment
“Earlier this week, Google posted a brand new addition to its Search Stories collection, this time for the upcoming Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 3. This is the latest in a long list of digital marketing endeavors for the film that have utilized Facebook, YouTube and other social networks to spread the word about the film to a broad demographic of potential moviegoers.
Google first debuted its Search Stories series in its Super Bowl ad and the motif has since been carried on in spots created by Google and other brands and individuals using Google’s Search Stories Video Creator.”
Towards action with storytelling!
“Storytelling and reinterpretation!
Storytelling has now become a necessity not only for leaders of organizations, but also consultants and facilitators on innovation.
A good story helps build confidence articulating values, inspiring action, leading to innovation, knowledge sharing, building of communities and generate people who believe in the messages transmitted. It creates bonds difficult to disconnect.
- The stories move us to action.
Action requires risk and action is innovation. Our willingness to take risk is rooted in our emotions and those on our values.
How can I translate my values on emotions so that can inspire action towards innovation?
- Telling a story!”
