All day long, the Little Book Bird was unusually quiet. She did not even ask a single question. It was clear that she was thinking about something very important. From time to time, she murmured something softly, as if she were counting. Every now and then, the Wise Owl could hear one question: “How does a story from a book turn into an online game?”
Watching her, the Wise Owl decided to ask what was going on.
“Are you all right, Little Book Bird? What is troubling you today?”
The Little Book Bird stayed quiet for a little longer. Then she asked the Wise Owl:
“You know, Wise Owl, that I have been flying to visit the Author for the last few days?”
“Yes, I know.”
“First, I saw her writing about our online games on the website in the article “Story-Based Online Games for Kids: Can an Online Game Continue a Book?”, and I liked the idea that our adventures could become online games. Just imagine: on the website, children will be able to play with what we saw and with those we met. And that is wonderful!” the Little Book Bird answered, already sounding a little brighter.
“But then…” She stopped.
“Go on, please, Little Book Bird. I am listening carefully,” the Wise Owl said to her.
“Then I got worried… that the books, and you and I, Wise Owl, would become unnecessary… if all our adventures moved into online games. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand,” the Wise Owl answered. “I would be worried by news like that too.”
“But the Author explained that there is no need to worry, because the books with our adventures still stay at the center, even when a story from a book continues in an online game. Because in the LittleBookBirdAndWiseOwl world, online games are not random. They simply cannot appear without the book. It turns out everything is very simple: first there is our journey, and then an online game grows from it. One, two, three… as many as we like! And I felt joyful and happy again!” the Little Book Bird said, coming back to life.
“Yes. There are already interesting online games on our website that grew from The Book About Birds, Part 1,” the Wise Owl answered.
“Oh, they really are wonderful! I have already played some of them. Do you remember how hard it was for me at first to figure out the online puzzle games that come together into the map of our first journey?” the Little Book Bird asked.
“I remember. And you did very well.”
“Then I played other games too. But now I am thinking: will all the stories become online games? Will all our adventures be able to appear on the website? How does a story from a book turn into an online game? What if some interesting story is left without its own game? What if it becomes unnecessary… and stays only in the book?” the Little Book Bird said, growing worried again.
“And our friends? I think all of them would like to see an online game about themselves. So more children could learn about them and how they live. So many adventures have happened to us! What if they all… do not fit on the website? Then will no one learn about them?”
“You know, I think you should calm down and never worry about this again. Our adventures have something to tell in online games, so each of them will certainly find its own game. Just not the same kind of game. Do you agree?” the Wise Owl asked.
“I agree!” the Little Book Bird chirped happily. “But we still need to check that no one gets lost.”
“No one will get lost. Each story simply turns into an online game in its own way.”
“How?”
“The map of the first journey became a puzzle because a journey loves roads. The seashore also became a puzzle because it wanted to come together from pieces. Mrs. Seagull left so many memories that they became a memory game. The Titmouse hid little secrets. The Raven called us into his secret paths. A story from a book turns into an online game when there is something inside it to play with.”
The Little Book Bird fluttered her wings and chirped happily:
“I understand! A story from a book becomes an online game not because the book became too small for it, but because the story felt happy to continue!”
And the Little Book Bird calmed down. Now she knew: stories from a book do not get lost. Each of them simply finds its own way to turn into an online game and continue the journey.