Pocket Stories revisits retro-gaming platforms and transforms them into pocket theatres for micro-narratives. A trip back into tiny black and white screens in order to develop new forms of illustrated stories, where constraints open up new possibilities. This workshop used a method of innovative creation, based on the use of “crash cards” to accelerate the phase of ideation and transform the creation process in one long playable exercise. The result is a collection of micro-narratives exploring new forms of storytelling for the digital era.
- Workshop: Pocket Stories
- Leads: Douglas Edric Stanley and Clément Paurd
- Institution: HEAD–Genève
- Dates: 17-28 February 2020
- Tools: Gameboy, GB Studio
- Video: Pocket Stories
- Play the games online at Pocket Stories!
- Download: Pocket Stories
- Games: The Train, Baseball Kid, Lockjaw, Cinem’Adventure, Somnia, Good Luck, Doomsday
The Train
- An interactive story by Maxime Schertenleib
In this introspective story for GameBoy, the player is immersed in the thoughts of a protagonist during a train journey. Through the landscapes, memories are brought back to life and a dialogue with oneself is established.
Available in English and French
Baseball Kid
- An interactive story by Théo Ducommun, Mëlwenn Lobbé and Elisa Salmina
You’re a boy passionate about baseball. A meteorite is falling down on earth. What will you do?
Baseball Kid is an interactive story where you need to make the right choice when facing situations to continue and save the world! You will confront different trials like an evil dog or Billy the school bully.
Lockjaw
- An interactive story by Margot Herbelin, Marie Leeman, Julietta Saccardi
EN — When Aloïse falls asleep and enters her dreams, she confronts her biggest fears. From small childhood nightmares to deeper psychological obstacles, she learns to defeat these terrors with hopes to find her voice and grow as a person.
FR — Aloïse ne peut pas, n’ose pas parler. Tous les jours, elle doit lutter pour se faire entendre. C’est quand elle s’endort qu’elle peut revenir, à travers ses rêves, sur les peurs qui la paralysent, de la plus superficielle à la plus profonde, dans l’espoir de les vaincre.
Cinem’Adventure
- An interactive story by Angèle Boucard and Léonie Courbat
This interactive game tells the story of Hirug who wants to work in the cinema industry.
One day, after finding a hard disk, he meets some strange sorcerers. They are gonna teach him the secrets of movie editing !
Through mini games, try to understand the magic of editing and help Hirug to find his way in the cinema industry !
Somnia
- An interactive story by Rayan Abdelrahman and Arielle Kling
Somnia is an interactive first-person narrative. The player roams the house through the eyes of Sonja, a woman trapped in a psychological loop. By interacting with certain objects, her sleep cycle is triggered, join her in her battle against sleep and memory.
Good Luck
- An interactive story by Diana Vlasa and Leyla Baghirli
A man fell out the window while he was trying to catch his lucky charm. As he falls, he remembers his relationship with the luck and the choices he made along the years. Would have you been able to make better decisions than him?
Doomsday
- An interactive story by Celia O’Beirne-Rehle and Gina YoonJin Kim
This philosophical choose-your-own-apocalypse-style narration asks us what our deepest fears are and then forces us to face them. Players navigate two possible end-of-days scenarios, inspired by current events worldwide. Finding a way out of this endless cycle is the goal, and the solution sometimes is where you least expect it.
Here is an overview of the images, films, games, and toys that we used for inspiration, notably the Polly Pocket at Mighty Max line that included their own comic-based backstory integrated into the packaging.
