Century Authors : Multi - platform approaches to interactive storytelling

The idea that games may contain story elements is a hotly debated topic between ludologists and narratologists. For those in disciplines rooted in more traditional storytelling, the outcome of the game studies debate is largely irrelevant. Story exists where the author believes it exists, at least from a practitioner’s standpoint. In other words, a writer may tell a story within an interactive text even if theorists debate the essence of the story. It is within this frame that we approach understanding the skill set associated with authorship in an interactive, multi-platform environment. Specifically, we are trying to understand what skill sets (e.g., writing, producing, video editing, interaction design) might be necessary for authors creating transmedia narratives within interactive, tabletbased reading environments. Since the most robust debates on interactivity, transmedia narratives and story are currently occurring in game studies, we began our exploration there. 21st Century Authors: Multi-platform approaches to interactive storytelling Introduction: Before we introduce the particular problem associated with authoring a transmedia narrative, it is prudent for us to draw a definition of “author.” Because the type of transmedia narrative we describe here attempts to seamlessly weave together traditional text and multimedia story forms as central to the narrative thread, the title “author” can no longer be limited to the person who writes. Rather, videographers, graphic designers, photographers and developers are equally capable and deserving of that status within the construct of the transmedia narrative. Each contributes essential elements to the core narrative, and each piece helps shape the story in significant ways. In this sense, authorship is collaborative, interdisciplinary and shared, to say the least. Understanding the skill set associated with successful authorship for the tablet and eReader environments arose as we developed a transmedia storytelling class in which students would produce a work of fiction, designed and published for the tablet experience. And the more we explored the particulars of authoring a text that not only contains multimedia elements but also layers those elements as primary to the text and requires readers to leave the tent pole, the more we found our work referencing game design, interactivity, player motivation and storytelling within the game environment. This was a logical progression. For five decades, game designers – both formally and informally – have tinkered with game mechanics and story. Certainly there is a continuum: some games may be seen as more mechanic and less story, and others may be seen as more story and less mechanic. The question of the role of narrative stories within the game environment is one of the most volatile issues within the game studies