Judy and I presented our latest thinking about gamemaking and storytelling when we spoke at the Creative Sparks conference in Edinburgh at the end of February. The day was organised by the Scottish Book Trust to promote and celebrate creative writing, and we were delighted to share our digital take on this area of language.
We have been analysing the games produced during the Campie school project last year and our thinking about the processes the children use has continued to evolve. We are particularly interested in the ways in which Gunther Kress's concept of reading pathways develops when considered in a 3D, 360 degree, interactive, immersive environment, and have noted the importance of what we are calling 'story locations' and 'narrative vehicles' in helping these pathways emerge. Children are creating their stories using more than language, thinking in visual, spatial and logical ways to make a game in which their story can be told. We are excited by the realisation that the children are behaving in new ways as writers and readers, with important implications for both teachers and learners.
We feel there is much here to fulfil the cross-curricular requirements of A Curriculum for Excellence: the literacy and English guidelines call for future-proof texts, technology the making of computer games; the Adventure Author approach offers a creative and motivating way forward for schools who are wondering how to meet these new objectives.
Download our slides, and do contact us if you would like to know more.
Download Adventure Author new technologies and creative writing for SBT March 2009
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