Story Lab – Week 9 Reflections

Fortunately this week was quieter on the assignment front and I was able to devote a large slab of time to working on the story.

Given the mystery and tech elements at play in the story, there’s a level of plot intricacy which requires a level of creative immersion; thus I find it more productive to work on the project in substantial blocks of time rather than incrementally.

As Type 1 Error is set in Melbourne, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on iconic Flinders Street Station, I feel that there’s a great opportunity to incorporate real locations into the story experience.

I have constructed a sequence where the protagonist is contacted by an anonymous source, who sends them a sound sample linked to an iconic Melbourne location (which is where they want the protagonist to meet them at a set time the following day).  The user is presented with five different locations, being able to listen to the soundscape at each of these and decide which one matches the sample the source has sent you.

Whilst this doesn’t translate to the user physically being in the real location (as we saw with Urban Codemakers, for example) it enhances the immersive experience by grounding the user in a real locale.  The aural dimension – namely the evocative and sometimes haunting sounds at locations such as the William Barak Bridge in East Melbourne – beautifully complements the mystery feel of the story.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *