INTERPLAY: THE INTERACTIVE STORY SERIES
Forming Meaningful Connections Through Play
In the digital age, children are often isolated with devices, lacking the human interactions so vital to a full learning experience.
Interplay incorporates physical social interaction into a childrens' game to encourage talking, writing, drawing and art making in a face-to-face experience.
DISCOVER
Timmy is a shy boy and doesn’t really talk to the other kids because he doesn’t know what to say.
One day, he finds an app on his IPad. Curious, Curious, he clicks it and discovers that is an interactive story. The story preview really interested him so he clicked the start button.
But he too soon realized that the story can only be told when he has enough people participating on the app.
APPROACH
Desperately wanting to nd out what the story is about, he approaches some kids who seemed like they were not occupied with anything.
“I’ve got a story I want to read on this app, but it requires three more players to play. Weird, right? But it seems like this story is really really interesting, would you like to read it with me?”
The kids seems intrigued and mutually agreed to and out what the story was.
INTERACTIVITY
The kids are asked to create things which became in-story content in the most hilarious ways. As they read along, they enjoyed the randomness of their creations in the story and had a great time lau3ghing and giggling at the character’s personalities and actions.
At the end of each chapter, there was a 'problem' which required the team of four to collaborate their minds to solve puzzles, problems or create something with the tools of a kit they have steadily gathered throughout the story and chapters.
FRIENDSHIP
The story, puzzles and problems brought the new friends together.
Although they first struggled to solve the problems in the story, they became more in-sync with each other as it progressed. They found out what each other mutual like and dislikes, hobbies, and skills.
Although fully completing the game book took several days, Timmy won’t need the iPad to keep him company next lunch break. He has his new friends.
This is a scenario of how Interplay can play a part in the life of a shy or isolated child. It can also be purely for entertainment and a shared activity current friends can enjoy together.