What's a gamebook? It's a role playing experience using mostly text, where you're given options at the end of each section, and your decisions will determine what happens to your character. (See Wikipedia)
But first, I had to teach myself how to create a gamebook. It seemed really tricky. I found lots of helpful information online, and I also gathered tips from game designers. Then I simplified everything so I could share all this knowledge with my kids.
We started with The Secret of the Chatter Blocks, part of the Toy Mystery series, for young readers (8 to 10). And after that I created the Last Kid Running gamebook series for slightly older readers (10 to 12), and this is published by Penguin Random House.
Since then, I've received requests for gamebook writing workshops, mostly for kids. But I still have lots more to learn myself, and I won't be available to organise one anytime soon. And so, for now, this is my solution, Don Bosco's Gamebook Academy. Every now and then I'll share a new lesson that will help you have fun creating your own simple gamebooks at home. I'll be updating the list of posts below. So come back here often. If you do end up making a cool gamebook, please share a photo online and tag it #GamebookAcademy so we can all check it out.
Happy writing! May your gamebooks be awesome.
— Don
LESSONS SO FAR
Lesson 1: How to create your first really simple gamebook
Lesson 2: Ideas for making your gamebook longer
Lesson 3: Different types of gamebook adventures you can create
BONUS FEATURES
Meet STUART LLOYD, he developed a FREE online course that helps 10-14 year olds write gamebooks, find out what inspires him
Meet RANA TAHIR, she wrote a CYOA gamebook about a woman who went undercover during World War II to spy on the Nazis
Meet JERRY BELICH, creative technologist and inventor of the Choosatron interactive fiction arcade machine, he says the journey, not the destination, is what's most important
Meet JOSH BIXLER, he creates gamebooks inspired by role-playing games, and he wants to give his young readers a solid fighting chance to complete the adventure on the first read
Meet STUART LLOYD, he developed a FREE online course that helps 10-14 year olds write gamebooks, find out what inspires him
Meet RANA TAHIR, she wrote a CYOA gamebook about a woman who went undercover during World War II to spy on the Nazis
Meet JERRY BELICH, creative technologist and inventor of the Choosatron interactive fiction arcade machine, he says the journey, not the destination, is what's most important
Meet JOSH BIXLER, he creates gamebooks inspired by role-playing games, and he wants to give his young readers a solid fighting chance to complete the adventure on the first read
SPECIAL
More on the way!
:)
ALSO:
This post is from 2017, explains how we created the first clickable prototype for The Secret of the Chatter Blocks
And this post has details about The Secret of the Chatter Blocks paperback edition, where to buy, etc
This takes you to the book launch event for the Last Kid Running series, at the Asian Festival of Children's Content 2019
:)
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ALSO:
And this post has details about The Secret of the Chatter Blocks paperback edition, where to buy, etc
This takes you to the book launch event for the Last Kid Running series, at the Asian Festival of Children's Content 2019
