Storytelling with AR
AR is becoming a more frequently used medium, but it is still fairly uncommon.
Storytelling can take place in a variety of mediums. AR takes most of those mediums - artwork, text, 3D Models, etc. - and superimposes them over the real world.
The realm of digital storytelling is a very new, but growing field. Most digital storytelling consists of some kind of video or multimodal presentation. Digital stories can be enjoyed for their variety of media and the convenience of its electronic form. What differentiates AR from most digital stories is the ability to place the multimodal content into the user's immediate surroundings, creating a far more intimate and interactive experience. The usage of AR is something that, because it brings the story into the real world where the user is familiar and comfortable, can help people connect much more deeply to the material.
AR is best suited to stories that are non-chronological and have purpose for being superimposed on a real-world setting. Because Tsukumogami consists of various "memories", or dialogue segments, they can be triggered in any order the player desires with the exceptions of the beginning and end. Additionally, because the tsukumogami themselves are animate household objects, it makes complete sense for AR to place them in the user's immediate surroundings. The aim with this project was to create an experience that would tell a story, but bring the user into it on a more personal level.
For this purpose, AR should be more widely explored. The ability to create an experience that is as immersive and interactive is something that cannot be replicated in other digital storytelling mediums.
How to Play
Story
The game begins by introducing its protagonist, Momo the blanket. Momo has been discarded by its previous owner, but has no recollection of its past.
The player must scan certain images that will trigger AR animations in which Momo will talk to other objects. Each other object will share a memory of their previous owner, and with each memory Momo grows closer to remembering why, together with all of the other tsukumogami, they were discarded.
About
Tsukumogami: Tale of the Forgotten is an Augmented Reality (AR) game created with an AR builder called Blippar.
Tsukumogami are a type of Japanese yokai that are classified as any household object that has taken on a life of its own, usually through old age or being discarded. Frequently depicted in picture scrolls as humorous cartoons, Tale of the Forgotten also adapts a whimsical art style to tell its deeply emotional story.
Tale of the Forgotten is a somewhat more modern tale inspired by ancient folklore, mixing both updated versions of classical yokai and some original tsukumogami created for the story. Some of the classic tsukumogami are present with very little change, such as the umbrella yokai Karakasa Kozo and the wall with eyes, Mokumokuren.
Each tsukumogami that appears in the game is an object that has held special significance to its owner. The game highlights the relationship between people and objects through the memories that each object holds.
Using AR as a digital storytelling medium, Tsukumogami: Tale of the Forgotten is an experience that is interactive, immersive and emotional.
Tsukumogami: Tale of the Forgotten
Step 1: Download the Blippar app
Step 2: Go to Settings and Enter the
Code: 815400
Step 3: Point your device at the provided trigger images
and press and hold to scan them
Step 3: Watch the tsukumogami come to life!
Acknowledgements
Bryan Carter, Faculty Mentor
Cheree Meeks, Director of First Year Experience
Jessica Marmorstein, Scripting and
Voiceover help
Trigger Images
This is an AR game created for my Honors First Year Project at UA as an optional independent study credit. The below information was included on my academic poster for the project showcase. To play it, simply follow the steps under "How to Play", then scroll down to the provided trigger images and scan them.
Scan the below images to view each Tsukumogami experience. It is recommended to scan the beginning and ending (the blanket pictures) in their respective places, but the others can all be experienced in any order desired.
