Video game enthusiasts who criticize the NRA for releasing a "gun range" iOS game (after the NRA recently, and shamefully, blamed video games for inspiring violent behavior) are falling into a trap. The NRA's "gun range" game doesn't fire ammo at living creatures, and — I presume — encourages gun safety and responsible use.

By screaming about the NRA's iOS game and its irony, gamers are actually providing opportunities for the NRA to showcase the disparities between its "responsible" game and the undeniable ultraviolence seen in most other video games.

It's a honeypot, guys. Be critical, but be thoughtful with that criticism.

A few months ago, I received an incredible package in the mail from the Interplanetary Union, an organization based in a location called "New Lyon City," on the planet Centauri. I recorded an unboxing video, and shared the contents of the package with readers.

I learned not long after by Alternate Reality Game players and transmedia enthusiasts that the package was for a fiction project called We Are Earthborne. Remarkable in scope and quality, We Are Earthborne was an independently-produced experience, the brainchild of storytellers Ryan and Stephen Omark. They released the story under their studio, Immersive Fiction. Signs suggest the story concluded mere days ago.

However, I received yet another mailing via the Interplanetary Union yesterday -- this one from the planet Aquilo. It was a postcard from Akumu Hale. Players of the We Are Earthborne game may recognize those names. For newcomers, the postcard represents a brief and curious peek into a remarkable science-fiction world.

Is the postcard a final small rabbit hole for players to pursue, or an epilogue for the experience? I'll leave it to you to decide.

I've scanned the envelope and postcard. Take a look ... and if you're interested in learning more about We Are Earthborne, check out the links below the gallery.

Links:

• We Are Earthborne's site
  
• We Are Earthborne's Unfiction thread
• Oceanus Wiki
  
• The We Are Earthborne Codex
  
• Immersive Fiction

Hey peeps. I wanted to tip you to a brilliant book written by my friend, the incredible new media creator and marketeer C.C. Chapman.

In many online circles, C.C. is known for his positivity and relentless work ethic. In his new book Amazing Things Will Happen, C.C. explores the tricky subject of self-improvement and embracing change. Where so many other writers fail, C.C. rises above, delivering a masterful and elegantly-written approach to guiding one's life toward achieving goals and dreams (and not merely settling for current circumstances, as so many of us do).

My review of the book is below. But first, a bit more about the book, from the book:

FROM THE BACK COVER

Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen. Amazing Things Will Happen offers straightforward advice that can be put into action to improve your life. Through personal anecdotes from the author's life, and interviews of successful individuals across several industries, this book demonstrates how to achieve success, in all aspects of life, through hard work and acts of kindness. Split into five sections, this book details how to begin the self-improvement journey.

MY REVIEW

C.C. Chapman's Amazing Things Will Happen is a remarkable and uplifting — but zero-BS — book designed to help you identify places to improve and succeed in your personal and professional life, and then equip you with the insights to make good on those improvements.

C.C. seems to understand that the greatest problem with self-help books is that they overpromise and often guarantee unrealistic results. This mismanages expectations and leads to disappointment. Amazing Things Will Happen rises above such windbaggery by providing hard-earned, dirt-under-the-fingernails practical lessons and advice. This isn't a road map; it's a toolbox.

Thankfully, the tools C.C. provides are worthy of the reader's attention and action. He provides insights on topics such as: summoning the courage to start a new project (or stage in your life / career) ... how to document and celebrate inspiration when it strikes ... how to deal with fussbudget nay-sayers ... how to acknowledge and embrace risk ... and how to rise above it all to achieve your goals.

It's a brisk read, packed with insights, optimism and gumption. Highly recommended. Get your copy at Amazon today.

—J.C.

Folks, I wanted to tip you to an interview I recently did on the brand-new "View From Down Here" podcast, created by longtime 7th Son and podiobook fan Cobern Tweedel.

Cobern, who has cerebral palsy, is a brilliant guy with a helluva story to tell. In this conversation on his inaugural podcast, he asks me gobs of great questions about my fiction — and about the ethical conversations my stories can spark. It's a great chat.

It also has me talking about a 7th Son sequel I'll eventually write, starring a character fans of the trilogy know as binary_fairy.  I can't tell you how much fun I had chatting with Cobern for his very first podcast!

You can listen to the episode via the embedded below. Be sure to check out Cobern's TalkShoe page for more episodes in the future! (TalkShoe registration required to access link.)

—J.C.

The question for the ages.

Here's another quick update, this one featuring dummy text and a photo. Then there will be a podcast in the next post.

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This post is a test.

Michelle Senderhauf (Dogtale Media) and Dave Walker (Synth-Bio Productions) join Steve and J.C. this week to talk about emergent, boutique transmedia companies, the challenges they face, and the solutions they deliver.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Dogtale Media
• Synth-Bio Productions
• Stealing the Space Shuttle

Attached Media: audio/mpeg (77 267 ko)

In this special episode, co-host J.C. Hutchins chats with narrative designer Chris Dahlen about video game writing, transmedia storytelling and “Mark of the Ninja,” an XBox Live game that Dahlen recently wrote. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about the unique narrative opportunities and challenges found in creating video games, this interview is a great primer.

Dahlen also shares his past experiences as a video game journalist and how they influenced the game stories he now writes.

The conversation takes a fascinating twist as Dahlen also shares his experiences as a transmedia storyteller. Dahlen helped craft a key component of the out-of-book experience for J.C.’s novel “Personal Effects: Dark Art.”: the online persona of character Rachael Webster. Dahlen discusses how writing Rachael became something more creatively rewarding than he ever expected. We also discuss lessons learned.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Chris Dahlen’s website
• Dahlen’s Twitter page
• “Mark of the Ninja” website
• Klei Entertainment, developer of “Mark of the Ninja”
• Dahlen’s essay on crafting the online persona of fictional character Rachael Webster
• PixelVixen707, Rachael Webster’s blog (archive)
• Rachael Webster’s Twitter page
• Kill Screen Magazine

Attached Media: audio/mpeg (66 166 ko)

In this episode, we talk with Eric Huang of Penguin Books about the opportunities for transmedia storytelling in the book publishing world … and beyond. Also joining us is Michael Andersen of ARGNet.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Eric Huang’s LinkedIn
• Eric Huang’s Twitter
• ARGNet’s coverage of the TV Tropes ARG
• J.C. Hutchins’ unboxing of his TV Tropes package
• J.C.’s unboxing of his We Are Earthborne package
• El Guapo’s Piñata Emporium
• The Hook Turn
• Airship Dracula
• Byzantium Tests

Attached Media: audio/mpeg (62 155 ko)