Digital Storytelling : A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainmen

Preface
xv
pocket-sized wireless devices; and interactive cinema on full scale theatrical movie
screens. These forms of entertainment would seem, at first glance, to be completely
unalike, yet a closer investigation will reveal significant similarities.
This book will examine all major forms of digital storytelling, examining how
they are created; the unique development challenges each of them presents; and
the special kinds of entertainment experiences they offer. It will look at what can
be borrowed from each one and applied to other forms of digital storytelling.
In addition, the book will study projects that combine multiple media and see
how this cross media approach to production can be used to expand a story
universe and deepen the audience’s involvement with the narrative.
SOURCES AND PERSPECTIVE
The material in this book is drawn from a number of sources: interviews,
conferences, information provided by industry groups, print and electronic
publications, and material provided by software developers. It is also based on
my own experiences working in interactive media. I have inevitably brought my
own perspective to this subject, and it is that of a writer. My academic background
is in English literature and journalism; my professional background includes
screenwriting and work as a writer or writer-content designer on over three dozen
interactive projects. These include entertainment, educational, informational, and
training projects made for CD-ROMs, kiosks, the Web, smart toys, and integrated
media productions. In addition, researching this book called for many hours
spent playing games, studying interactive movies and iTV shows, visiting websites,
and interacting with smart toys—hardly an onerous task, and one that deepened my
understanding of interactive entertainment.
The companies that produced the work for the case studies in this book
are based not just in North America, but all over the globe: in Europe, in Asia,
and in Africa. In gathering material, I interviewed a total of sixty people, many
face to face, some by telephone, some by email, and a number by all three methods.
They represent a range of professional positions, including developers, producers,
designers, graphic artists, inventors, and writers. The organizations they work for
include major Hollywood studios, TV networks, toy manufacturers, design firms,
academic institutions, and their own small companies. Some of them work on a
single medium or create a single genre of project; others are platform agnostic, finding
ways to tell various kinds of digital stories across many media and platforms.
My interview subjects include people responsible for some of the most popular
interactive media projects ever developed; others have done immensely innovative
work known only to a small circle of people. But whether well-known or obscure,
valuable lessons can be learned from all of them.
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK
This book is organized into four sections, each with a different function.
. PART ONE: NEW TECHNOLOGIES, NEW CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
puts digital storytelling into a historic context, covers the development of
digital media, and discusses the implications of convergence.