Chapters: Interactive Stories is a mobile romance game with a diverse array of choose-your-own-adventure books, including romance, sci-fi, fantasy, suspense, and more. We release new books on a weekly basis, with a narrative designer managing a book across a 2-3 month schedule.
As a Narrative Designer, I play an integral role at every point in a book's development. After selecting a manuscript I feel can be best implemented into the Chapters library, I reach out to a writer and we begin drafting an outline, altering the story at various points to better conform to our game model.
After, I gather a list of assets and write all the promotional text. As the writer submits outlines and chapters, I delve through each one for two revisionary passes. As chapters go live, I work with our QA team to ensure a flawless experience, making use of our proprietary software to alter assets.
The most important part of this process is our premium choices—monetized choices that offer players a more emotional, juicy, or rich experience. All of these choices are informed by previous data—which we pour through on a weekly basis—so as to maximize clicks and minimize player drop-off. These findings inform how I set up, execute, and follow up premium choices throughout a book.
As a Narrative Designer, I play an integral role at every point in a book's development. After selecting a manuscript I feel can be best implemented into the Chapters library, I reach out to a writer and we begin drafting an outline, altering the story at various points to better conform to our game model.
After, I gather a list of assets and write all the promotional text. As the writer submits outlines and chapters, I delve through each one for two revisionary passes. As chapters go live, I work with our QA team to ensure a flawless experience, making use of our proprietary software to alter assets.
The most important part of this process is our premium choices—monetized choices that offer players a more emotional, juicy, or rich experience. All of these choices are informed by previous data—which we pour through on a weekly basis—so as to maximize clicks and minimize player drop-off. These findings inform how I set up, execute, and follow up premium choices throughout a book.
Skittles & Science
|
|
Uh-oh — you're failing chemistry! When you're assigned a tutor, you find he's the hottest — and smartest — guy in school! He's aloof and mysterious, with a chip on his shoulder. But there's something bubbling beneath the surface. Will you both learn a thing or two about chemistry?
Skittles & Science is one of Chapters' last—and best performing—young adult books published just as the genre was being sunsetted. It's the story of Reyna, a spunky and excitable popular girl, and Westley, one of brightest and best-looking kids in school, touching on the forced-proximity and opposites-attract tropes. You can find the first chapter to the left.
|
Hug It Out
|
A seasoned gun for hire, Riordan isn't the kind of guy to bring home to mom. After a few messy jobs, he's in need of some comfort— thankfully, he's hired the best cuddle-therapist around. But resisting his charm is nearly impossible. Will you keep things strictly professional?
Hug It Out is one of Chapters' best performing LGBT romance titles. Its protagonist, Teddy, is a cuddle-therapist assigned to a new client who just happens to be an assassin. Premium options regularly averaged a +45% participation rate. You can find the first chapter to the right. |
|
Cowboy Crazy
With a drawl like full-bodied whiskey and looks that could kill, Slate Calhoun is the talk of Bramble, Texas. A family secret brings you to this small town, but could this big-hearted cowboy make you stay?
Cowboy Crazy is a contemporary Texan romance. Its best performing premiums—garnering a 50+% click-in rate—are gamified, such as in chapter 1. Gamified premiums are those where I've designed some competition or game for the main character to win. From there, details on how to succeed are sprinkled into the narrative. When the premium arrives, it's presented as the player opting in to take advantage of those specific details for success rather than a blanket "win the game" option. This provides the player with deeper sense of participation with the game and incentivizes them to pay greater attention to details in the story.
