Audiences, Media and the Right Path

One of the things I love about Minecraft is that is a platform from which you can… jump creatively into a billion different topics. The end product  can be entirely dependant on the player.

You can learn as you go. You can wander from past through the present to the future.

Books do not appeal to all, but Minecraft can bridge that gap. Movies, well they rot your brain, right? Not to mention the square eyes you get from staring at the TV all day. Games can be far more entertaining. But… games aren’t the be all and end all for everyone, despite their ability to convey narrative on an enjoyable and interactive level.

Minecraft isn’t the only way to solve a problem, it isn’t the only tool in the box. Game based learning doesn’t have to focus on digital products with hefty fees any more than a book must be read on an E-reader. Monopoly involves maths, Telephone involves word play.

Just like some stories suit the stage more than they would a novel, when trying to interact with an audience Minecraft isn’t always the answer for a class or project.

In the writing and publishing world the best route to the audience could be via independent publication, instead of traditional, it depends on what you’ve written. How long you want to wait to see publication also has a lot to do with it. But that’s no different to seeing a successful project come to life, it can be done on a small budget or a large scale one.

So?

Know your story, then find the right media to suit your audience.

I know plenty of authors who have crossed from novel to script or script to radio. I know others who write for the gaming industry and for the publishing world. Sometimes what they thought would be a book is a play. Yes that means more writing, but does it matter if the audience enjoys the end product? If your story is the strongest it can be? If you know your audience well enough your story or project will engage them.