Story Hour

Nintendo recently achieved success with its experimental Christmas release, 100 Classic Book Collection for DS. This odd but appealing title blurred the lines between literature and mainstream video games for the first time, offering a range of classic masterpieces and modern triumphs in digital form.

However, for all its appeal, a crucial audience was alienated by the DS software: children. The handheld’s sizeable younger audience surely has little interest in the likes of Shakespeare, Dickens or Austen. Yet reading is just as important to today’s youth, if not more so, than it is to adults.

Zushi Games has the answer. The newly-rebranded publisher is preparing to release its first two Story Hour games, bringing collections of timeless children’s stories to the Wii. Each game contains a selection of some of the finest tales that have been told for generations, blending them with the all-important element of interactivity, which so often helps to engage children.

“There are two titles to choose from: Story Hour Fairy Tales and Story Hour Adventures,” explains Zushi’s marketing and PR manager Chris Brown.

“Both are exciting, imaginative, mystical and interactive storytelling experiences for pre-school kids who potentially miss out on all the joys of playing on a Nintendo Wii.

“They also deliver education and entertainment value for parents to learn and play along with their children whether after nursery or at bed time, thanks to its creative production values, storytelling narration and gameplay.”

Story Hour Fairy Tales focuses on tales centred around princesses and heroines, including Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Dancing Princess. Meanwhile, Story Hour Adventures lives up to its name, featuring classic stories like Jack And The Beanstalk, Aladdin, Paul Bunyan and The Three Brothers.

Each story is presented in its own unique way. A range of different artists have illustrated each tale, lending their own individual style – and telling the tale from a perspective of their choice.

HAPPY HOUR
Crucially, parents can choose how their children enjoy the stories. They can either have each tale read to them by the narrator or read it out loud, eventually encouraging their child’s development by getting them to try reading it themselves.

Unlike the 100 Classic Book Collection, the Story Hour games also offers lots of interactivity. At key points in the story, the narration stops to make way for a quick mini-game related to the tale’s events.

Kids have to accomplish basic tasks, such as helping Cinderella find pumpkins or helping Paul Bunyan chop down trees.

All of these mini-games, as well as the navigation through menus, are instantly accessible, requiring nothing more than the Wii Remote.

To promote the Story Hour Fairy Tales, Zushi will be concentrating its marketing efforts on appealing to parents.

Print ads will appear in selected specialist and lifestyle publications, while key websites will see banners, skyscrapers, MPUs and rich media displays. The publisher will also utilise e-marketing and affinity marketing.

“These are distinctively unique and polished interactive story-telling games targeting pre-school kids and parents, encouraging them to share the magical experience of story time,” adds Brown.