For more on the Columbia class visit http://buildingstoryworlds.com

1. TREATING
STORY AS
SOFTWARE
New Media Producing
Building Storyworlds: the art, craft & biz of storytelling in 21c
Class 2 9.19.12
Columbia University - Fall 2012
Taught by - Lance Weiler
Visit www.buildingstoryworlds.com
Released under a Non-Commercial ShareAlike Creative Commons License
@lanceweiler http://www.lanceweiler.com

2. @lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

3. For the next
14 slides we’ll
be here.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

4. DATA
One of the biggest areas for growth in storytelling involves data.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

5. Data helps to make storyworlds re-playable, discoverable and fuels social connections.
Beta app for Pandemic project enabled players to step into the storyworld
and become characters in Sci/Fi horror tale. Player Objective: Search for
survivors, scavenge for supplies and make a shelter before nightfall.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

6. App usage over the course of a day.
DATA COLLECTED OVER THE COURSE OF THE CLOSED BETA
• make of handset
• OS of phone - 50,000+ downloads
• location of player - 3,000+ game spaces created
• length of session - 15 minutes of average gameplay per user
• phone number
• email address @lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

7. SOCIALLY
CONNECTED
OBJECTS
Everything will soon be connected from cars to appliances to everyday
objects – storytellers will be able to lay story over the real world creating
“significant objects” that are social and connected.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

8. LAIKA is a connected toy.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

9. At Reboot Stories (rebootstories.com) we think of story as platform. How can
story become a utility that provides value so that participants return.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

10. STORY AS SOFTWARE / HARDWARE
Within Laika’s Adventure (supported by the Tribeca New Media Fund) our protagonist
is a connected toy that collects data and shares it with students around the world.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

11. THOSE
FORMERLY
KNOW AS
THE AUDIENCE
They are collaborators who can assist with distribution of content and
merchandize as well as aiding in creative expansion of storyworlds.
Just imagine if storytellers cross pollinated these new collaborators – a new
type of P2P network could emerge.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

12. As storytellers become better at telling 21st Century stories
(collaborative, social, and participatory) the number of “producers” and “players” will
increase. Right now the “audience” are ahead of the creators – many consider
themselves their own media companies able to push button publish for the world to
see.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

13. SCARCITY vs
ABUNDANCE
What is it about experiences that make people want to participate and share?
One area of recent experimentation is the mix between physical and digital
with story providing the bridge.
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

14. O
W
N
E
Scarcity R Abundance
S
H
I
P
Reward
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

15. I’m currently experimenting with scarcity and abundance. I was approached by
a major publisher to write a book about tech and storytelling. The offer was
weak and ironically unwilling to move beyond the printed page. So I decided to
experiment instead. I wrote a book in twitter, a 140 characters at a time. It will
only exist in 140 printed hardcover books. Every page says “Please set this
book free and retweet.” http://www.buildingstoryworlds.com/book
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

16. “ It is not
the answer
that enlightens,
but the question.”
Eugene Ionesco
@lanceweiler www.lanceweiler.com

17. THANK YOU
Contact:
@lanceweiler
www.lanceweiler.com
SUGGESTED READING:
“Open Design Now” - Why Design Cannot Remain Exclusive
http://opendesignnow.org
“Learn Do Share” – storytelling, collaboration and social innovation in 21c
http://learndoshare.net