Hello, this is Read, Write & View, a blog about writing for convergent technology. Specifically, writing universes, concepts and stories that can be applied over a number of digital mediums. The focus in this case is on writing interactive stories for computer games within the wider context of a world rapidly approaching technological convergence.
First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aram Zucker-Scharff and I am a student at George Mason University, where I’ve set up an independent study, part of the requirements for which will be maintaining this blog. I’m majoring in Information Technology and English.
In this blog, I’ll examine the context of convergence and the art of interactive storytelling through articles, blogs and books, along with experiencing and experimenting with the stories themselves inside a number of games. In addition, I’ll be writing bits and pieces for various story universes, with a focus on three “universes.”
The first is a continuing project that I’ve been working on for quite a while, the Angels Fall First Universe. I’m a member of the team creating this universe and distributing it out on a number of game platforms, including Unreal Tournament 2007, Homeworld 2 and Nexus: The Jupiter Incident. Both past and future work that I do as a member of that team will show up here. You can see more about the universe at its website http://www.affuniverse.com/ where I contribute under the username of Phifty.
The second is a concept I call “Beyond the Rim.” A science fiction universe built by myself from scratch. I have little done with this universe beyond the initial concept.
The third is “Merely Players” and is a very loose concept that I got the seed of an idea for while I was in England last year. We’ll see what develops as things go along.
I’m looking forward to exploring game design and interactive storytelling. There is a lot of interesting stuff out there and this is an opportunity to really explore it in depth. I hope you enjoy it.
For those who are interested, I’ve uploaded the curriculum that has been approved for this course of independent study through George Mason University. It can be found at http://aramjzs.googlepages.com/Proposed_Independent_Study.pdf.
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