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THE NANCYBELLE PROJECT
This is an experiment in multi-threaded interactive storytelling, developed in successive iterations. The first iteration of the project is here. A website describing the overall project's goals, evolution and methods will be online by June, 2007. This is one of the projects stemming from my work with the Microsoft Games team, described below.
MICROSOFT GAMES CURRICULUM
I'm part of a faculty team at The College of New Jersey that is creating a novel, interdisciplinary undergraduate curriculum that imparts advanced computer science, digital media and interactive storytelling through the design, development and implementation of a multiplayer online videogame. The project, which will take two years to complete, is funded by a competitive research grant awarded by Microsoft. The Principal Investigator for the project is Dr. Ursula Wolz , who is affilated with TCNJ's Computer Science Department and Interactive Multimedia Program . We are one of only three undergraduate institutions in the nation awarded a grant by Microsoft for this purpose.
The curriculum consists of a suite of three undergraduate interdisciplinary courses that were implemented during the 2005-6 school year. My role has been to help address the development of the game's storyline, as well as some of the ethical issues in game design and development. The results of our work are being archived here.
We spent part of our summer working on the curriculum and related requirements. My colleagues with expertise in animation, AI, network and database design worked on finding (or creating) a suitable game engine, and figuring out the way our production process is going to work.
Last fall, students learned the fundamentals of videogame design. They demonstrated what they've learned by creating a design document describing the game to be created as well as prototypes of the characters, settings, AI agents, music and animations that will be needed for the final product. In the spring semester, two production classes worked together to develop the game according to the specifications of the design document. The completed game will be available online, along with the curriculum, at this link .
This has been an exciting, and somewhat daunting project, but so far I can honestly say that it has been a refreshing exercise in faculty-student collaboration. It's rare that so many people get to work together on one project, across so many disciplines. Everyone in the project has had the experience of being both learner and teacher.
For my own part, I'm glad to be involved in this project not only for its own sake, but also because I believe gaming is the next frontier in journalistic storytelling. In future projects, I hope to further explore the possibilities for non-fiction interactive storytelling in this emerging medium.
Last updated: May 21, 2007
