Skip to Navigation | Skip to Content
Putting innovative ideas into practice
home > Projects > Adventure Author > context

Adventure Author

Flag for follow-up ? use this tool to flag up items that you?d like to read later (use the customise page to view and manage these flagged items)
Print ? send a print-friendly version of this page to your default printer
Send to friend ? e-mail a link to this page to a friend

Context paper: adventure games for learning and storytelling

December 2004
Teresa Dillon, Futurelab

The full version of this paper is available to download in pdf format - see box below. On this page you'll find the paper's introduction and aims, as well as some of the useful links listed at the end (skip down to links).

Download pdf version of this paper help

You'll need Adobe Reader to open this file - you can download it for free from www.adobe.com

Adventure Author context paper (pdf, 234KB)

Introduction

The aim of the review is to provide a general introduction for those who are interested in the design and use of computer games for adventures and storytelling. This review stems from an exploratory phase of research and concept development between Futurelab and Dr Judy Robertson, Glasgow Caledonian University and Dr Judith Good, University of Sussex on their project Adventure Author.

Adventure Author is a game-authoring prototype designed to support interactive storytelling skills through the use of game technologies. Originally conceived and developed by Dr Judy Robertson and Dr Judy Good with support from Futurelab and graphic artist Mick Lockwood, the game draws on traditional role-playing techniques, by moving away from first-person-shooter game formats by emphasising character, plot and dialogue.

Aim of the review

As the focus for first phase of the Adventure Author project was interactivity, character, plot and dialogue the current review provides:

  • glossary of key terms
  • definition of adventure games
  • history of adventure games
  • current theoretical debates
  • embedding fictional structures within game design
  • research on creating believable characters and plots within games
  • review of current research on games for learning

Useful links

Games research centres:
Centre for Computer Games Research IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark: game.itu.dk
Sony Computer Entertainment US Research and Development: research.scea.com
Games Lab, New Zealand: www.gameslab.co.nz
International Centre for Computer Games and Virtual Entertainment, Dundee, Scotland: www.iccave.com
Centre for Learning Games, Denmark: www.lld.dk/consortia/learninggames/en

General games research links:
Games Research: www.game-research.com
Digital Games Research Association (DIGRA): www.digra.org
Digiplay Initiative, research into games and the industry they are part of: www.digiplay.org.uk/books.php

General games development resources:
Special Interest Group in Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH): www.siggraph.org
Journal of Game Development: www.jogd.com
Game Developers Conference: www.gdconf.com
International Games Developers Association: www.igda.org
Industry Calendar of Events: www.gignews.com/gamecalendar.htm

Adventure game publishers/makers:
Colossal Cave Adventure: www.rickadams.org/adventure
Sierra's website: www.sierra.com
A site on Infocom: infodoc.plover.net
LucasArts's site: www.lucasarts.com
Cyan's site: www.cyan.com

top of page