Sacajawea's TransMedia Rebirth: The Green Girl Game Seeds Our New Sustainable Mythology. Interview with Lynn Rogoff, AMERIKIDS by Willi Paul
Submitted by Willi on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 - 10:58
Sacajawea's TransMedia Rebirth: The Green Girl Game Seeds Our New Sustainable Mythology. Interview with Lynn Rogoff, AMERIKIDS by Willi Paul
- "Bird Girl and her friends find and save the Endangered planets and roots growing on the river side and in the mountains.
- The player / viewer and Bird Girl identify green, yellow and red plants.
- We must identify the safe roots and berries to eat.
- If Bird Girl or her friends behavior towards the animals or planets is destructive then the animals planet will react."
The Green Kids Media Project
Bird Girl, The Green Girl. Why is the main character female?
Bird Girl is loosely based on and inspired by Sacajawea. Sacajawea also known as Bird Woman was a young Native American who guided Lewis and Clark across the Rocky Mountain on their expedition from 1804 to 1806. As a young girl she was also referred to as Bird Girl. When our company decided to develop a product in several mediums for the Green movement, we felt that Sacajawea's awareness of nature and animals would be inspiring character for a worldwide audience . In this fanciful world that we have created there are a number of major characters in addition to Bird Girl. Her older brother an Indian chief is name Chief Can't Wait. Bird Girl and Chief Can't Wait have the ability to communicate with our animal characters. We have three characters who also communicate with the player. Suga Bear, Bizzy Beaver and Great Bird direct the player to help save endangered species .
Nature is your Religious and Action foundation. Will some push back on this spirituality?
We do not use nature as a Religion but rather incorporate the Native American philosophy that believes the Earth is their Mother and the Wind is their Father . Thus hold the environment in reverence with a sense of connection to the environment as a family member.
The player is initiated into a world of values. What are they and how did you select them?
The values in this game are that the species of the world are worth saving and with some effort the player can learn where these endangered animals are world wide and attempt to prevent their extinction. These transmedia products also allow for social networking worldwide where you can meet other like-minded individuals who have identified a species of interest to them. The game also allows for the player to learn the difference between extinction, endangered and threatened levels. The player also begins to communicate with the animals and see the world through their eyes.
What are the new green symbols, songs and stories in Green Girl?
We do not have iconography in this universe that we have created. Rather, in this fantasy world humans and animals have a way to connect and communicate.
Is preventing species extinction an act of sustainability?
Yes of course, preventing species extinction is on the road to sustainability of our planet. You learn in this game that the animal's habitat is threatened and therefore their species is threatened. Thus humans must become aware that their actions threaten animal habitat and thus their species survival.
"Skill encounters" – please explain how this works.
The more you learn about the nature of extinction, endangerment and threats to a species the faster you can develop skills to assist these creatures or plants. For example, if your canoe riding skills can get you down river more easily and more quickly then you can help the creature of the river. As well, if your horse riding skills are developed you can reach the mountain top more easily to assist the animals who are endangered.
What are Hero Points? How many does the player need to accomplish a goal?
Hero Points are accumulated as you find and save threatened or endangered species. The more species you save the more Hero Points you receive . You can play against other online players to see who gets more Hero Points.
Is the game journal like the coloring book? Online and/or paper?
For the young player, you will be able to be print out your journal and color by hand. For the older player, they can keep their journal as an online document to record all their experiences.
When will the Green Girl pilot be online? Do you have sponsors?
We are in the process now of working with Green Charter Schools to develop Green Curriculum in the K-8 years. We are also actively searching for partners and investors to build, develop, produce and distribute our brand of Green Kids Media. If you are interested in forming an alliance, see their demo. To learn more about the company, visit AMERIKIDS.
Lynn Rogoff, Short Bio -
Professor Rogoff received her MFA from NYU, School of the Arts, in Directing. Among her numerous directing credits is: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee William's, The Labyrinth by Arrabal, Attempted Rescue by Megan Terry, the award winning ballet Journey and The fn Crowd, a rock opera by J. E. Franklin. Lynn was honored to sit as a Judge for the National Endowment for the Humanities and serves as an adjunct Professor of Film & Media at St. Johns University and New York Institute for Technology. Professor Rogoff has been teaching media for decades at New York colleges including Yeshiva University, St. Johns University, St Francis College and School of Visual Arts.
Connections –
Lynn Rogoff
Founder, AMERIKIDS USA
Developer at amerikids dot com
10 Leonard Street, Loft 3 SW
New York, New York 10013
