Choosatron - Choose Your Own Adventure Arcade
- DIY Traffic Light Kit - $13.95
- Electronic Decision Maker - $7.15
- Survive the Zombie Apocalypse Choose Your Own Adventure Book - $14.40
- 3D DIY Christmas Tree Kit - $12.95
- Shrek The Electronic Storybook Collection - $5.90
According to the Choosatron, "as technology has advanced, so has the way we tell stories." I agree. Particularly with regard to online dating profiles in which all women are drama- and maintenance-free, and weigh the same number of pounds that they did on their 21st birthday. Yeah, yeah, ladies, I know all men are 6 feet tall, athletic, and have lusciously full heads of hair too. But the Choosatron steps outside the standard method of using the electronic world to tell stories based on self-inflation and tactical deceit. In fact, it's a storybook arcade that unabashedly triumphs its fictional nature, and, to boot, invites the rest of us to join in on its Choose Your Own Adventure-style fun.
Choosatron developer Jerry Belich created the interactive tale-teller as an easily assembled kit housed in either an opaque acrylic or clear case (the latter so users can see the game's guts as it churns out its stories). Assemble the spark core, circuit board, thermal printer, keypad, and power supply inside, and settle as the Choostron begins printing stories piecemeal, requesting that you as its audience make and enter decisions that will affect their outcome along the way. Once The End feeds out, you'll be left with your entire adventure on a paper scroll for the archives. Or the recycling bin. Whatever.
Belich has pre-programmed dozens of stories from especially able-minded writers, such as Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy, both formerly of RiffTrax and MST3K, as well as designed the Choosatron to accept users' own stories, writeable via open, free software. In addition, when professional and non-professional authors alike pen new myths and sagas, they'll be able to make them available online for Choosatron downloading over WiFi.
Choosatron wraps up its Kickstarter funding crusade on August 30, 2013. Having already doubled its $22,000 goal at printing, backers can look to receive their completely new take on the e-book in early 2014.
November 2013 Update: While the Choosatron machine achieved its Kickstarter funding goal, it appears they are not yet for sale to the general public. You can check out more details and follow progress on the Choosatron Website--follow the link below.
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