The Quest
Like millions of children in the 1980s, I grew up reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, fully embracing the freedom of narrative choice they promoted. I was so much of a super fan I’ve made three interlinked projects about my love for Choose Your Own Adventure.
So you can imagine how excited I was to commissioned by The Story Museum in Oxford to create an immersive experience to bring the books to life.
The adventure
It was important to me to synthesize the whole series of 184 books, to bring the feel, the themes, and the twists, turns, and dead ends to life. I managed to create new storylines using existing text from 34 books, linking them together in new ways.
We had permission to use the original illustrations, which was crucial in recreating the iconic look of the books. To those I added new interactive elements. You can start your journey by choosing a mysterious artifact, an interspecies communication decoder, or a high tech red lensed magnifying glass, which might help your quest.
Throughout your adventure you can open miniature doors and treasure chests, try your luck at the fairground, unfold maps and secret messages, and the room itself is brought into the quest by incorporating a telescope and a hidden keyhole.
The makers that work with the museum did an incredible job to bring so many elements to life, with a degree of detail that warms my obsessive heart.
The result is something I’m very proud of – a new immersive space full of surprise and adventure. A fitting celebration of the power in putting the reader at the heart of the story
The Choose Your Own Adventure room is included within a Galleries ticket to The Story Museum. Tickets cost £12 per person and can be booked online at www.storymuseum.org.uk, by calling the Box Office on 01865 807600 or in person at The Story Museum Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP
The Choose Your Own Adventure story space is supported by Chooseco.