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Netflix debuts choose-your-own-adventure stories for kids

G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Article link.

Kids Interactive Adventure trailer from Netflix.

The streaming service announced an ambitious experiment in interactive storytelling today with the children's programs Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale and Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile. The shows, which offer thousands of permutations, bring the "choose your own adventure" format to internet TV and make every one of Netflix's 100 million subscribers the director. (Puss in Book is available today, while Buddy lands on July 14th.)
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It helps that Netflix can do pretty much anything it wants with its original programming. Shows need not start—or end—at a given time, or follow a prescribed format. That provides tremendous creative latitude, something that Carla Fisher, director of product innovation, says led Netflix execs to wonder, “What could we do with that?"

These "branching narratives" follow two years of tinkering and work like this: at certain, predetermined points in the story, Netflix pauses the tale and offers you a choice. Should Puss (yes, that's Puss from Shrek) befriend the bears he just encountered, or fight them? Your choice dictates his next move, and changes the arc of the story.

Puss in Book offers viewers 13 opportunities to shape the story, which features two possible endings. You can wrap things up in as little as 18 minutes, or as long as 39. There are three thousand possible permutations of how the story could go, Fisher says—as well as a heated debate about whether there could be thousands more.

If that's a bit much, Buddy Thunderstruck will provide eight opportunities to make a decision, an average length of 12 minutes—along with an ending that loops back through. “You could stay in Buddy forever,” Fisher says, laughing. “The story worlds are really up to the creators’ imaginations.”
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A

axisofweevils

Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
Wow. This is really interesting. Its almost like they're doing Visual Novels.
 
B

Bluth54

Member
That's really cool, I used to really enjoy the choose your own adventure Goosebumps books when I was a kid and I'm sure a lot of kids will enjoy these as well.
 
L

Lord Fagan

Junior Member
...Please let this be a pilot program to gauge the viability for non-children's shows that can be interacted with.

I know there are video games, but I like the sound of live-action, Stranger Things-caliber material with very slight interactive paths.
 
S

Skellig Gra

Member
Lord Fagan said:
...Please let this be a pilot program to gauge the viability for non-children's shows that can be interacted with.

I know there are video games, but I like the sound of live-action, Stranger Things-caliber material with very slight interactive paths.
Click to expand...
Yeah I doubt that very much.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Lord Fagan said:
...Please let this be a pilot program to gauge the viability for non-children's shows that can be interacted with.

I know there are video games, but I like the sound of live-action, Stranger Things-caliber material with very slight interactive paths.
Click to expand...

I can't wait for the Game of Thrones choose your own adventure where 90 percent of the choices lead to death.
 
G

Goldenroad

Member
I'd like to see them pick up that company that made the Late Shift game on PS4. It would be amazing to see them make a series for Netflix with all the branching paths that the game has.

I don't get why I don't hear anyone talking about that game ever. Definitely top 10 for me so far this year.
 
C

Cosmonaut X

Member
Shiggy said:
Netflix US only?
Click to expand...

Up on Netflix UK, so nope.

Will set this up for my daughters to try later - only disappointment, as with all of the Puss in Boots stuff, is that the programme itself isn't in the style of the opening sequence. Not a big fan of the cheap-ish 3D animated look, and the stylish 2D opening titles would have been much better for all of the PiB episodes.
 
AudioEppa

AudioEppa

Member
So this is why Telltale is talking about bringing their games to Netflix. This sounds awesome. People will do this at any age.
 
T

The Shadow

Member
Lord Fagan said:
...Please let this be a pilot program to gauge the viability for non-children's shows that can be interacted with.

I know there are video games, but I like the sound of live-action, Stranger Things-caliber material with very slight interactive paths.
Click to expand...

It won't happen. All that extra footage would cost a lot of $$$ for something only a subset of their subscribers would enjoy. Much easier to do cheep children's shows and day-time TV type stuff.
 
H

Hilbert

Deep into his 30th decade
Lord Fagan said:
...Please let this be a pilot program to gauge the viability for non-children's shows that can be interacted with.

I know there are video games, but I like the sound of live-action, Stranger Things-caliber material with very slight interactive paths.
Click to expand...

Did you play Quantum Break? :)


Their King Kong kids show already has weird interactive stuff. Like unlocking stuff by watching, and choosing the weapon Kong will use in small videos.
 
G

Goldenroad

Member
Lord Fagan said:
...Please let this be a pilot program to gauge the viability for non-children's shows that can be interacted with.

I know there are video games, but I like the sound of live-action, Stranger Things-caliber material with very slight interactive paths.
Click to expand...

If you really want something like this. Vote with your dollars and play The Late Shift.
 
I

itwasTuesday

He wasn't alone.
HStallion said:
I can't wait for the Game of Thrones choose your own adventure where 90 percent of the choices lead to death.
Click to expand...

eP0N9KI.jpg
Click to expand...
.
 
davepoobond

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
Lord Fagan said:
...Please let this be a pilot program to gauge the viability for non-children's shows that can be interacted with.

I know there are video games, but I like the sound of live-action, Stranger Things-caliber material with very slight interactive paths.
Click to expand...

Yeah so nobody watches the same thing and nobody knows what each other are talking about.

Just imagine Twin Peaks choose your own adventure. Further down the rabbit hole than you can get with YouTube
 
C

Cosmonaut X

Member
Found Puss in Book to try with the kids, but there doesn't appear to be any option to pick a branch - it just runs through the whole thing with Puss choosing one or both of the branches automatically. Going to let it run out in full for them and see what happens - perhaps just not live yet?
 
C

CaptainSlow

Member
Puss in Book offers viewers 13 opportunities to shape the story, which features two possible endings. You can wrap things up in as little as 18 minutes, or as long as 39. There are three thousand possible permutations of how the story could go
Click to expand...

So Mass Effect 3 but 39 minutes instead of 39 hours.
 
F

Fisty

Member
This took wayyyyyy longer than it should have. Awesome idea Netflix, keep up the great work and amazing content.
 
S

Steeped in a Sea of Games

Member
Cosmonaut X said:
Found Puss in Book to try with the kids, but there doesn't appear to be any option to pick a branch - it just runs through the whole thing with Puss choosing one or both of the branches automatically. Going to let it run out in full for them and see what happens - perhaps just not live yet?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's just an episode. I don't get it.
 
C

Cosmonaut X

Member
Jazzy Geoff said:
Yeah I just tried too. You have to search to find it and there doesn't seem to be anyway to choose, although it's obvious when the choosing bit is supposed to happen.
Click to expand...

Yup. We let it run through the first couple as I thought they were automatic to give kids the idea of what to do, but it just runs through the whole thing the same way. Doesn't seem to respond to input from the remote or pause on any of them.

Can only assume there's either something wrong somewhere or that the interactive aspect hasn't properly gone live yet?
 
S

slider

Member
Found it on Netflix in the UK too. Will check it out when I get home. Signal is so variable here at work. Drops the 4G connection regularly.
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
i'm assuming this needs some newer version of the netflix app to work

which would be a shame, since I like using the old version on my Wii U

it still uses the five star system instead of the thumbs up/down thing
 
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