The document discusses how techniques from gamification can be applied to improve storytelling. It begins with examples of interactive stories and analyzes their structure. Key elements of games like goals, challenges, and feedback are examined in relation to creating engaging stories. The thesis is that stories and games both aim to organize information, create emotions and motivate action. Applying gamification could mean adding interactive elements, soliciting reader feedback and collaboration, and challenging audiences with complex stories and unexpected angles. The challenges are providing instant feedback, pushing readers out of their comfort zone, and embracing difficult stories. The conclusion encourages adapting gamification to create immersive journalism.
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Storytelling
s
brains only light up
when they detect a story
–- particularly if it evokes
emotion.
http://www.reachstoryu.com/about/ ulfgruener.com/edu
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not an entirely new way to do so:
use games &
learn from games:
• newsgames
• editorial games
• persuasive games
• immersive storytelling
ulfgruener.com/edu
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a reader should
“develop a deeper sense of
the underlying themes
of a story” by playing a game
journalism conference
discussing newsgames:
London, 2011
66. ulfgruener.de | 201566 ulfgruener.com/edu
key features of games:
(quotes from MasterClass eSports & Gamification, Berlin, March 2016,
Eurovision Academy & Institut für Ludologie;
slide from the presentation by Dr. Maximilian Schenk, biu-online.de)
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Storytelling
What we have to add to our stories
by learning from Gamification:
• interactive elements
• instant feedback (!)
• collaboration ("User Generated Content")
• motivation
• concentration
• intuitive storyline
ulfgruener.com/edu
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Storytelling
How to apply this to storytelling?
• interactive elements: quizzes, quick games ... and ?
• instant feedback: discuss with author ... and?
• collaboration: "User Generated Content", crowdsourcing ... and?*
• motivation: by explaining things, by background, relevance ... and?
• concentration: clear focus, hero, strong dramaturgy ... and?
• intuitive storyline: easy to follow ... and?
ulfgruener.com/edu
* Dan Gillmor, 2009: "We would invite our audience to participate in the journalism process ..."
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/oct/02/dan-gillmor-22-rules-news
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key features of games:
(quotes from MasterClass eSports & Gamification, Berlin, March 2016,
Eurovision Academy & Institut für Ludologie;
slide from the presentation by Roman Rackwitz, engaginglab.com)
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Storytelling
How to apply this to storytelling?
• novelty: that's our job to deliver news
• challenge our audience: with new angles of a story, unknown heroes ... and?
• think creatively: "surprise your readers" - one of the oldest rules in journalism
• do things the hard way: as journalists we're focused on telling stories the most comfortable way
• - is it Gamification to urge our readers out of their "comfort zone"?
ulfgruener.com/edu
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key features of games:
(quotes from MasterClass eSports & Gamification, Berlin, March 2016,
Eurovision Academy & Institut für Ludologie;
slide from the presentation by Roman Rackwitz, engaginglab.com)
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Storytelling
How to apply this to storytelling?
• clear goals, milestones: a good story has a clear goal, every paragraph is a clear milestone
• well known rules: how to read this story?
• room for maneuver: let your reader find his/her own way through the story - or at least give some options
• transparency: be transparent on what do we know, what we don't know *
ulfgruener.com/edu
* Dan Gillmor, 2009: "Transparency would be a core element of our journalism. One example of many: every print
article would have an accompanying box called "Things We Don't Know," a list of questions our journalists
couldn't answer in their reporting. TV and radio stories would mention the key unknowns. Whatever the medium,
the organisation's website would include an invitation to the audience to help fill in the holes, which exist in every
story." http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/oct/02/dan-gillmor-22-rules-news
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more key features of games:
(quotes from MasterClass eSports & Gamification, Berlin, March 2016,
Eurovision Academy & Institut für Ludologie)
• "personal path to mastery": how could a story be a path to mastery?
by making sense, explaining sth, telling new angles of a topic ... and what else?
• level up - more, better, increasing complexity: challenge your audience,
don't hesitate to tell complex stories ... and what else?
• overview: help navigating through the story at any time and any place,
this is also indispensable to give room for maneuver ... and what else?
• shop: offer individual add-ons to your story ... and what else?
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Storytelling
If journalists use Gamification in their storytelling –
these 3 features are the most challenging:
• instant feedback for our audience while reading a story
• challenge our audience and don't make it too easy, too simple
• do things the hard way and therefore urge our readers out of their "comfort zone"
ulfgruener.com/edu
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let's go, play!
adapt the the techniques of
Gamification for
your TV/Radio/Online
immersive storytelling
ulfgruener.com/edu
see all my presentations at http://de.slideshare.net/ulghh/