{"id":1575,"date":"2024-08-15T12:46:16","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T17:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/?p=1575"},"modified":"2024-08-15T12:47:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T17:47:54","slug":"player-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Outline the player journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the past couple of years, I\u2019ve been honored to have a few creators invite me to join their creative process. Whether the relationship is ongoing or a single meeting, as a consultant<\/a>, I always start with one request…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Show me your player journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
WHAT\u2019S THE PLAYER JOURNEY?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Think of it as a written outline of your experience. It walks through the show beat by beat, notably from the player\u2019s perspective. Write down what happens, but strictly through the guest\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This allows you to focus on what the players experience and when, and nothing more. It\u2019ll show you what\u2019s irrelevant, and what really matters. It will challenge you to consider onboarding and offboarding, when the crossover to the Magic Circle<\/a> happens, what facts players learn, when they receive a goal<\/a>, what twists happen when, how they achieve their goals, and how the whole comes to a fulfilling end<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The X factor of the immersive industry is the invitation for the audience to become players. To make the most of that X factor, we should consider first and foremost what the player is experiencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Strange Bird Immersive is in the early stages of developing show ideas, each pitch takes the form of a two-page player journey. It sketches out the main story beats and sets, often defaulting to \u201cinsert plot-driven puzzling here”\u2014the details do not matter as much as the whole. The competing outlines allow us to quickly identify what stories seem most exciting and what stories feel too boring or too complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
We’re looking for that sinker pitch, although sometimes a curveball shows up in the creative process. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When I\u2019m invited into a project, the player journey quickly communicates to me your vision for the production. I get excited. I can see it happening! It will also reveal what decisions still need to be made and if there are any structural problems that need solutions. I have the context to see what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT’S NOT THE PLAYER JOURNEY?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

When I\u2019m consulting, creators sometimes want to share with me a lot of information. They\u2019re excited about all they have developed. But details aren\u2019t where you start. Details need context. And most details end up as \u201cnice to know.\u201d The first meetings should be dedicated to \u201cneed to know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, you can\u2019t pitch a concept from the writer\u2019s POV. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
You shouldn’t be writing for lore boys<\/a> anyway. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Skip the lore, at least for the first meeting. Instead, show me how you\u2019ll get players to care enough to engage in the world in the first place. Only when they care<\/a>, will the details mean anything at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOW TO WRITE<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Think of it like a short story. I prefer to use sentences instead of bullet points. It makes for a more exciting read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep it short. Unless you\u2019re outlining a multi-day experience, you shouldn\u2019t need more than a few pages. Each sentence can be a beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the project is in the early stages, don\u2019t get bogged down by the details. A sketch will suffice. Feel free to write \u201c\u2026and then they work on some compelling plot-driven engagement\/puzzles for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I write my own player journeys in a third person limited voice (I only describe what they see\/hear\/touch at that moment). Third person omniscient would not be useful here, so avoid that. If you\u2019d like to give it more immediacy, you could write in second person \u201cyou.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that the player journey is for internal use only, so no need to make it a perfect piece of writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAMPLE PLAYER JOURNEY<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Once the players have booked the escape game <\/em>Lucidity, they receive communication from Dr. Riley Newmark thanking them for volunteering for her experimental study in lucid dreaming.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Players arrive in an office lobby all in black and white that, when they look more closely, is by no means normal. Dr. Newmark enters in a lab coat to greet them, directing them to restrooms. She is spooked by a statue in the lobby, it\u2019s apparently a new installation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When everyone is ready, she leads the team to her lab: a small blue room outfitted with a desk, computers, cabinets, and a bank of seats with large halos hovering overhead. She invites them to sit. \u201cNot to worry, the halos are not active yet\u2026<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
First look at Lucidity<\/em>. We expect the halos to be active by the end of the year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
WHAT IF MY PROJECT IS ALREADY LAUNCHED?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

As a writing tutor in college, I encouraged writers to do what I called \u201ca reverse outline.\u201d Look at the draft you just wrote and create from it an outline. If you find a paragraph that doesn\u2019t say something new or doesn\u2019t rhetorically follow from what came before, congratulations! You just identified a problem you can fix!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same goes for a show that\u2019s already running. Write down what players or guests experience beat by beat. Is the onboarding too long? Does the offboarding feel inadequate? Can you identify the moment players are given a reason to care?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An outline can show holes in your Magic Circle or places to optimize the flow. Getting that sweet sense of flow is what immersion is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAIT. YOU CONSULT?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

For a blog reader? Absolutely! While I remain primarily dedicated to the Strange Bird brand, I relish the opportunity to explore other approaches in this medium I love best, and the chance to collaborate with a fellow creative is a both a privilege and a profound joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s chat at Recon LA this weekend, or reach out to me via email<\/a>. I would love to hear about your player journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The player journey is an outline of your experience. It walks through the show beat by beat strictly through the guest\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,18,27],"tags":[45,35,21,37,46],"class_list":["post-1575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-practicals","category-escape-rooms","category-immersive-writing","tag-consulting","tag-escape-room-design","tag-escape-rooms","tag-immersive-theatre","tag-immersive-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nOutline the player journey - Immersology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Outline the player journey - Immersology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The player journey is an outline of your experience. It walks through the show beat by beat strictly through the guest\u2019s eyes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Immersology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/strangebirdimmersive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-15T17:46:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-15T17:47:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"HER Cooper\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@strangebirdimm\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@strangebirdimm\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"HER Cooper\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"HER Cooper\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#\/schema\/person\/751f6a4a5a89e6a6035cb7bc173cb1d6\"},\"headline\":\"Outline the player journey\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-15T17:46:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-15T17:47:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/\"},\"wordCount\":973,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"consulting\",\"escape room design\",\"escape rooms\",\"immersive theatre\",\"immersive writing\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business Practicals\",\"Escape Rooms\",\"Immersive Writing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/\",\"name\":\"Outline the player journey - Immersology\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-15T17:46:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-15T17:47:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#\/schema\/person\/751f6a4a5a89e6a6035cb7bc173cb1d6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Outline the player journey\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/\",\"name\":\"Immersology\",\"description\":\"Structures & theories of immersive theatre\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#\/schema\/person\/751f6a4a5a89e6a6035cb7bc173cb1d6\",\"name\":\"HER Cooper\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5d5def59fd296eae85c30611192e08667d8988798be710ea17cea07142d1c60?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5d5def59fd296eae85c30611192e08667d8988798be710ea17cea07142d1c60?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5d5def59fd296eae85c30611192e08667d8988798be710ea17cea07142d1c60?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"HER Cooper\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/author\/hercooperstrangebirdimmersive-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Outline the player journey - Immersology","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Outline the player journey - Immersology","og_description":"The player journey is an outline of your experience. It walks through the show beat by beat strictly through the guest\u2019s eyes.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/","og_site_name":"Immersology","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/strangebirdimmersive","article_published_time":"2024-08-15T17:46:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-15T17:47:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"HER Cooper","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@strangebirdimm","twitter_site":"@strangebirdimm","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"HER Cooper","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/"},"author":{"name":"HER Cooper","@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#\/schema\/person\/751f6a4a5a89e6a6035cb7bc173cb1d6"},"headline":"Outline the player journey","datePublished":"2024-08-15T17:46:16+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-15T17:47:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/"},"wordCount":973,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","keywords":["consulting","escape room design","escape rooms","immersive theatre","immersive writing"],"articleSection":["Business Practicals","Escape Rooms","Immersive Writing"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/","url":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/","name":"Outline the player journey - Immersology","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","datePublished":"2024-08-15T17:46:16+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-15T17:47:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#\/schema\/person\/751f6a4a5a89e6a6035cb7bc173cb1d6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/player-journey\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Outline the player journey"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/","name":"Immersology","description":"Structures & theories of immersive theatre","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/#\/schema\/person\/751f6a4a5a89e6a6035cb7bc173cb1d6","name":"HER Cooper","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5d5def59fd296eae85c30611192e08667d8988798be710ea17cea07142d1c60?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5d5def59fd296eae85c30611192e08667d8988798be710ea17cea07142d1c60?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5d5def59fd296eae85c30611192e08667d8988798be710ea17cea07142d1c60?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"HER Cooper"},"url":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/author\/hercooperstrangebirdimmersive-com\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.immersology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Lucidity-Teaser-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8CnFa-pp","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1575"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1585,"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1575\/revisions\/1585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.immersology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}