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MULTIMEDIA PROJECT OF A CHINESE FANTASY-
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presented by
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has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for the

MA. degree in TELECOMMUNICATION

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MULTIMEDIA PROJECT OF A CHINESE FANTASY
- JOURNEY TO THE WEST

By
YI-JU (KAY) CHEN

A THESIS
Submitted to
Michigan State University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
Department of Telecommunication

2004

 

 

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ABSTRACT

MULTIMEDIA PROJECT OF A CHINESE FANTASY
- JOURNEY TO THE WEST

By

Yl-JU (KAY) CHEN

The purpose of this project was to make an interactive multimedia
presentation aimed at the children of Chinese immigrants who were born or
raised in America. This project was geared towards helping them understand part
of their Chinese heritage by introducing them to one of the oldest and most
popular texts in Chinese mythology. The desired goal was to cultivate enough
interest with this presentation so that they would want to seek out other historical
texts in Chinese literature. It would also help them put an ancient story into a
modern day context. Young children today are more likely to use the computer to
learn information rather than by reading storybooks. By giving them a multimedia

format, it creates a modem-day, multi-faceted experience.

Journey to the West is one of the most famous masterpieces of Chinese
mythology stories around the world. It has been widely diffused within Asia and
has affected lots of children and adults with its inspiring storyline and characters.
To introduce this story to the target children (American born/raised Taiwanese
children), and to make a product unique to other previous products such as TV
series, movies and children’s illustration books, I combine several multimedia

technologies to help deliver the story in a new, innovative approach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Before I attended the Telecommunication Department at Michigan State
University, I used to be a naive computer user. I was never involved in any
multimedia design, and to be honest, my knowledge level toward computers only
included how to write emails and to type a document in Microsoft Word. Though I
had several experiences in the mass media such as Advertising and Radio
before I came to Michigan State University, I was looking for an opportunity to

extend my knowledge to the new media.

As a first year graduate student in the Information Technology
Management (ITM) student in Telecommunication Department, I took several
courses in the Digital Media Art & Technology (DMAT) program and I found out
what I wanted to do with my life. Design was so much more fun than I ever
expected. I decided to transfer to the DMAT program that combined the
technology and beauty. Now I am glad to prove to myself that was a great
decision. This learning experience truly inspired me, and the take-away from this
program is precious and unforgettable. I would like to thank Brian Winn for being
so nice and supportive while I was working on my project. His support and
knowledgeable inputs helped me all the way through. I could have been very lost
in the technical part without his kindly help. I would like to thank Carrie Heeter for
her insightful advice on the research and the guidance for producing this

educational product. Bob Alber’s guidance was very stimulating when l was

iii

taking his video classes. From his teaching, there were several concepts that l

have been keeping in mind while I was doing the production-to develop a “vision”.

I would like to thanks to Jason Tye for the narration of the story. He has been
very patient and nice to me in digesting such a huge volume script. Without his
pleasant voice, the audio performance would not have come up as the way it is

HOW.

I would also like to thank my friends: Lynette Lim for proofreading my thesis
content and supporting me during my tense production period; Sherlin Hsu and
Chiao-Hui Hsieh for voluntarily contributing many creative ideas for my project.
Thanks to my parents, my elder brother and sister’s support. They were always
there when l was in a hard time. Without their financial and spiritual support, I

could never hold my faith to this point and accomplish my master’s degree.

Lastly I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chin-Kwan Chen, my
grandpa who passed away while I was intensely working on my project. I have
been really regretful that I could not come back to see him when he was terribly

sick. I would like to dedicate my project to my grandpa and send my love to him.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1
CHAPTER ONE: DESIGN BACKGROUND ................................. 3
1.1 NEEDS ........................................................................... 3
1.2 TARGET AUDIENCE ......................................................... 4
1.8 PERSONAS ..................................................................... 4
1.3.1 Primary Persona ........................................................ 4
1.3.2 Secondary persona .................................................... 5
1.4 PROJECT OBJECTIVES ..................................................... 6
1.5 PERSONAL OBJECTIVES ................................................... 6
CHAPTER TWO: PRE-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT ................. 7
2.1 BACKGROUND RESEARCH ................................................ 7
2.1.1 SECONDARY RESEARCH ON POPULATION OF
TARGET GROUP ....................................................... 7
2.1.2 SECONDARY RESEARCH ON CHILDREN’S INTERNET
ACCESS AND USE .................................................... 7

2.1.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH ON DESIGN FOR CHILDREN. 10
2.1.4 COMPETITIVE RESEARCH ON CURRENT

STORYTELLING WEBSITES ....................................... 12

2.2 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ON FUTURE USERS ................... 16
2.2.1 METHOD ................................................................ 16
2.2.2 PROCEDURE .......................................................... 16
2.2.3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................ 17
2.3 TREATMENT ................................................................... 22
2.3.1 DESIGN CONCEPT ................................................. 22
2.3.2 DEFINITION OF PROJECT DOMAIN ............................ 23

CHAPTER THREE: PRODUCTION PROCESS ........................... 24

3.1 CHARACTER DESIGN ...................................................... 24
3.1.1 MAIN CHARACTERS ............................................... 24
3.1.2 OTHER CHARACTERS ............................................ 27
3.2 STORY DEVELOPMENT .................................................. 27
3.2.1 SCRIPT WRITING ................................................... 27
3.2.2 SOUND EDITING .................................................... 34
3.2.3 ANIMATION PRODUCTION ...................................... 35
3.2.4 FINAL DELIVERY .................................................... 36
3.3 GAMEDESIGN ............................................................... 36
3.3.1 CONCEPT DESIGN ................................................ 36
3.3.2 GAME DEVELOPMENT ........................................... 36
3.4 OTHER INTERACTIVE FEATURES ................................... 39
3.4.1 INTERFACE ......................................................... 39
3.4.2 ONLINE INTERACTION .......................................... 39
3.5 DELIVERIES AND DISTRIBUTION .................................... 40
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ............................................... 41
CHAPTER FIVE: FUTURE PROSPECTIVE .................................. 43
APPENDIX:
A. UCRIHS PARENTAL CONSENT FORM AND ASSENT FORM FOR
OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEW .................................... 44
B. INTERVIEW OUESTIONAIRE ......................................... 47
c. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH COMPLETED REPORT ............ 50
D. STORY SCRIPT ........................................................... . 72
E. CHARACTER DESIGN-SUPPORTIVE CHARACTERS ........ . 89
F. GAME DESIGN CONCEPT SHEETS ................................ 91
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................... 93

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1: Computer Ownership ......................................................
FIGURE 2: Children’s Weekly Online Activities ....................................
FIGURE 3: Parent Has Strong Influence Over Children’s Internet Use ......
FIGURE 4: Project Structure ............................................................
FIGURE 5: Character Design- Monkey ..............................................
FIGURE 6: Character Design-Monk (Tang, San Zung) .........................
FIGURE 7: Character Design-Pig ....................................................
FIGURE 8: Character Design- Shawu ..............................................
FIGURE 9: Game Design- Monkey Flying Game ................................
FIGURE 10: Game Design- Game Design-Monkey Chase ....................
FIGURE 11: Game Design-Ginseng Tree Fruit ...................................
FIGURE 12: Game Design- Hunt 3 Spider .........................................

vii

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INTRODUCTION

Chinese mythology extends beyond the boundaries of a person’s
imagination. It has greatly influenced Chinese culture on many levels. The
body of mythological work focuses not only on central idealism but also literary
works such as novels, poetry, and historical context. Its fantasy and romance
features are the most distinct. For example, most Chinese mythology is based
on animism, and it contains many Therianthropic creatures (half-human and
half-monster creatures) that are a combination of animal and human. The
Gods in Chinese Mythology are portrayed as playful and witty. Some of the
concepts can also be applicable to western culture such as singing the praises

of labor and creation, or encouraging good deeds and warning against sin.

The novel 'Journey to the West', attributed to Wu Cheng'en (c.1500-1582),
is one of the most famous Chinese mythologies that contain all of the
distinguishing features mentioned above. This story was written based on an
actual journey undertaken by the monk named Tang San lung in the 7th
century (629 - 646 AD). He faced lots of danger along the way to get across
the desert of central China to reach India to collect a Buddhist sutra. Though
the hero seems to be Tang San lung in the story. it is the monkey who plays
the most important role in contributing to the entertainment level of the story.
mm the wit, humor and dynamism between Monk, Monkey and two other
pilgrims — Pig and Shawu, this story has captivated countless generations of
readers. In addition, it has given rise to numerous productions of modern arts,

comics, film animations, television series, dramas and operas. According to

its rich content and history, “Journey to the West” is a great starter for

American Taiwanese children to explore their Chinese culture and heritage.

The production mainly focuses on the animation of the story and the
interaction features. Macromedia Flash MX is the major tool used to create
the animation. Combined with the image editing software-Adobe Photoshop
7.0 and Illustrator 10.0, and the sound editing software-Goldwave,
SoundTrack, and Premiere, children can experience this ancient literature

masterpiece in a whole different, interesting and interactive way.

CHAPTER ONE: DESIGN BACKGROUND

1.1 NEEDS

According to the report of the United States Census Bureau in 2000, there
are more than 144,795 Taiwanese residents now living in the States‘. This group
is huge and a large number of them are immigrants who moved to the States with
spouses or kids as dependents. These families raise their children here.
Therefore, these American Taiwanese children are educated within the American
society, yet are engaged in Chinese/Taiwanese culture by their parents or
relatives. At their early age, influenced by their surrounding environment, they
are bilinguals who can usually speak English and Chinese both. However, as they
get older, they often start to lose the sources that engage them in Chinese
culture. As a result, there is a critical need to produce educational products for

them to learn more about their cultural heritage.

Some publications in the United States, such as historical literature (Jeniffer
W.J.F., 2001, Journey to the West) and illustration books (Ed Young, 2001,
Monkey King), contribute to the introduction of Chinese mythology to the western
society, however they are seldom presented in an interactive multimedia form.
The advantages of applying multimedia technology to a Ieaming experience are
obvious. First, the stories become more Vivid and entertaining with the help of
Video/audio tools than plain drawings or literary descriptions. Second, with the

support of Internet platform - an approachable and powerful medium - the

 

1. Asian Population 2000 (http://wwwcensus.gov/prod/ZOOZpubs/CZkbrO1-16.9df )

3

audiences who are interested in Chinese mythology can have easy access to the
content, which helps the diffusion of the Chinese mythology to these American

Taiwanese children.

1.2 TARGET AUDIENCE

The primary audience is 9-12 year-old American Taiwanese children born or
raised in the United States. The secondary audience is their parents that came
from Taiwan who are concerned with their child’s education about

Chinese/Taiwanese culture.

1.3 PERSONAS
1.3.1 Primary Persona

Chiao—Wen is a nine-year-old girl. She was born in Los Angeles after her
parents immigrated to the United States. Her parents are both Taiwanese who
have moved to the States after getting married in Taiwan. Now her dad is a Real
Estate agent and her mom is working in a bank as an accountant. Chiao—Wen
lives with her parents, an elder sister and her grandpa in a northbound community
in LA. She is smart and outgoing. Since she went to a public elementary school
at 7, she has lots of friends in school including her Taiwanese or American
neighbor's kids. She speaks English fluently just like other American kids. Her
parents use both English and Chinese to talk to her, but she cannot read many
Chinese characters. She is 3 Cartoon Network fan. She often laughs out loud
while watching it. In addition, she loves to read storybooks. play computer games

and get on Internet.

1.3.2 Secondary Persona

Yi-Jen Hsu is a 38 year-old workingwoman who works in a bank as an
accountant. 15 years ago, she moved to America with her husband, Kevin, and
became a citizen of the United States. Her husband and herself both consider the
education system and environment of the States as better for kids. Therefore,
they settled down in LA. near other relatives’ homes. Now they have two
daughters: one is 13 years old; one is 9 years old. Both of them were born in the
United States and went to public schools in their neighborhood. They are very
concerned with their children’s education. To keep their children involving in
Chinese/Taiwanese culture, they have taught Chinese to them since they were
young. In addition, they send their kids to Chinese school in summer time. They
would buy books, movies or comic books in Chinese version for their children.
They have reached an agreement that it is good for their children to learn more

Chinese since their kids are already deeply involving in western culture.

They often use computers at work, but not frequently at home. They have
purchased a desktop for their elder daughter with a broadband Internet
connection. They are positive about their children's involvement in computer
technology and Internet activities, but they are highly concerned with the online

safety for children.

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1.4 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The project objective is to design a multimedia product that improves the
audiences’ knowledge of Chinese mythology and increases their interest in it.
Since my prospective audience is children, the project content aims to satisfy
their expectation yet fulfill an educational goal. The completed product is fun and
easy for the audience to View and interact with, allowing them to absorb the
essence of the story rather than dealing with the interface. Macromedia Flash MX
is regarded as a popular platform for developing animation in the present day.
Any user who has a Flash player plug-in can easily get access to View an
animated story with his/her computer. To meet the objective of creating a user-
friendly interface, Flash was selected as a primary platform for users to view the
completed project. Concerned with the distribution, the final product will be

presented both in a website and a CD-ROM.

1.5 PERSONAL OBJECTIVES

Multimedia design has become my Ieaming emphasis during the period of
studying in Digital Media Arts master program. My personal interest lies in two-
dimensional animation and graphic design. Thus, I want to use this graduate
project as an opportunity to apply my design skills that I have been developing in
the previous two years. My primary personal objective is to learn more about how
to integrate multimedia technology for accomplishing the task of a successful
storytelling. In addition, games have been regarded as useful applications to
support children’ Ieaming experiences. My secondary objective is to increase my

knowledge in interactive game design.

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CHAPTER TWO: PRE-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT

2.1 BACKGROUND RESEARCH

2.1.1 SECONDARY RESEARCH ON POPULATION OF TARGET GROUP
According to a report from the United States Census Bureau (1999):

“Asian and Pacific Islander population in the United States numbered 10.9

million, constituting 4 percent of the total population. “

2.1.2 SECONDARY RESEARCH ON CHILDREN’S INTERNET ACCESS
AND USE

According to a report on children’s internet use by The Corporation for
Public Broadcasting’ (The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2003,Connected
to the Future), in 2002, 83 percent of American family households (with at least
one child aged 2-17) owned a computer, and 78 percent of children lived in a
home in which either they or a parent used the lntemet from home (refer to Figure
1).

Not only did access increase, but so did volume. This report indicated that
in 2002, online ages of Children between 6-17 spent an average of 5.9 hours per
week on the lntemet. The older the child, the more time they spend online:
children 9—12 reporting 4.4 hours, and children ages 6—8 reporting 2.7 hours per
week. Moreover, most of the Children ages 6—17 that were online at home

ranked educational activities (such as homework, and Ieaming not related to

 

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schoolwork) among their top five everyday uses of the Internet. The educational
pursuits were strong activities among the children ages 6 to 17 years old. In
addition, Multimedia Use (for exchanging music) and Game Playing also played
important roles in Children’s online behavior (refer to Figure 2).

Figure 1: Computer Ownership

E COMPUTER OWNERSHIP

02000 e 2002 98%

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ALL HOUSE- LOW MIDDLE HIGH
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Figure 2: Children’s Weekly Online Activities

 

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I EDUCATION: General Ieaming. homework, research
I MULTIMEDIA: Music, video downloads and exchanges
m COMMUNICATION: Email, chat, IM
2 Games: Individual and Multiplayer
|:] E-COMMERCE; Learning about or buying things online
Source: Grunwald Associates

Cheskin’s research also indicated the current lntemet use of children.
The Youth population (including children and minors) has been exposed to
computer and digital devices since they were quite young. They are more
tech-savvy, and are already familiar with the technology such as lntemet,
computers or multimedia products (Cheskin, 2002, Designing Digital Talking to
parent's influence on children's online activity, in the report by The Corporation
for Public Broadcasting, high percentages of parents and children believe that

parents have influence over which Web Sites children visit (refer to Figure 3).

Figure 3: Parent Has Strong Influence Over Children’s Internet Use

PARENT HAS STRONG INFLUENCE OVER CHILDREN'S INTERNET USE

Percent of children 6—1 7 and their parents who say parents have a great deal of influence over children's online use

   

. PARENTS' RESPONSE
. CHILDREN'S RESPONSE

AGE86-17 AGE86-8“ ‘ AGES9—12M AGESI3-17

Source: Grunwald Associates

2.1.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH ON DESIGN FOR CHILDREN
Jakob Nielson’s alertbox indicated several problems Of website usability

and design guidelines as follows:
“Kids' Corner: Website Usability for Children", Jakob Nielson's Alertbox; 2002”:

- Unclear navigational confirmation of the user’s location confused users

both within sites and when leaving them.

- inconsistent navigation options, where the same destination was referred
to in different ways, caused users to visit the same feature repeatedly,
because they didn’t know they had already been there.

— Non-standard interaction techniques caused predictable problems, such
as making it impossible for users to select their preferred game using a

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- Lack of perceived clickability affordances, such as overly flat graphics,
caused users to miss features because they overlooked the links.
- Fancy wording in interfaces confused users and prevented them from

understanding the available choices”.

“Children want content that is entertaining, funny, colorful, and uses multimedia
effects. However, for homepage design and navigation systems, the user
interface should be unobtrusive and let kids get to the content as simply as
possible. Children enjoy exploration and games, but it should not be a challenge
to operate the website itself. The content should be cool, but the design must

offer high usability or kids will go elsewhere”

“Also, youngsters don’t like scrolling, do like mine-sweeping over pages to find

interactive hotspots, will read instructions, and will click on adverts. ”

Children, unlike adults, are easily distracted and often confused when it
comes to exploring lntemet content. The five problems mentioned above provide
some hints to design for children: the navigation symbols should be recognizable
and consistent across all of the design; avoid fancy (ambiguous) wordings and.
complex interface design. Though children ask for entertaining, funny, colorful
design, we should avoid obtrusive effects to distract their attention while
experiencing the product. We can relate to this conclusion to another study by
Nielson Norman Group (Nielson Norman Group, 2002, “Usability for Young and

Old”):

11

“Although kids do like a bit of Flash and bang on sites, they won ’t hang around if

your navigation ’s ropey or they can ’t work out what to do ”.

Children like special animated effects, but they are not patient enough to
wait for long download times. They do not like scrolling or enduring complicated

site structure. They will read instructions and click on advertisements.

2.1.4 COMPETITIVE RESEARCH ON CURRENT STORYTELLING WEBSITES
The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the interaction level
and multimedia applications of online storytelling websites that introduce

mythology/folklore in English.

3.) Sampling
The theoretical definition of an online storytelling website of
mythology/folklore is: a website contains text, picture, or any other animated

elements to present stories in English.

b.) Sampling Frame

I searched on Google by following the directory: Kids and Teens > Arts >
Online Stories> Folk and Fairy Tales. I randomly selected five out of those 20
websites (once I found the website was not relevant to storytelling, I continued my
random select till I obtained a more representative sample). The final five

selected samples are:

12

. Grimm Fairytales (http://www.qrimmfairvtaIes.com/enl)

- Joe The Elf Journal (http://wwwgeccities.com/Ioetheelftournall)

- Children Stories 8. Folktales from Indonesia
(http://wwwgeocities.Com/kesumawiiaval)

- Ezone Production (http://www.ezoneproductionscoml)

- The Colorful Storybook (http://w8r.com/kidstOk)

c.) Observation Categories

- Navigation - whether there are clickable icons, images, or text links for
navigating between different stories or chapters.

- Video Elements - whether there are some animations such as Flash
movies embedded into the webpage.

- Audio Elements - whether there are any audio files embedded into the
webpage that could be in the form of background music, sound effects, or
narration.

- Feedback Center - whether there is a main contact number, e-mail and
address for further inquiries.

- Other Special Features - that are not included in any of the four categories

above.

d.) Executive Summary
The most surprising finding in this study is the discovery of Grimm
Fairytales. It obtains the most professional and entertaining features to

demonstrate a user-friendly online storytelling. It applied the ideas of analog

I3

publications such as storybooks with multimedia technology to create an
educational and entertaining experience. It obtains video and audio elements to
enhance a multimedia experience. The special effects are simple, funny, and not
distracting. Viewers can control over what they want to see, when and where to
play or stop. Its interaction level is high. Some interactive activities such as
“Games", “Coloring Sheets”, and “Forward to Your Friend” are highly interactive

design that directly relates to the story content.

On the contrary, the other four sites still have much to be improved.
Targeting young children, the online storytelling websites should be aware of
children’s usability and how they experience enjoyment. When designers decide
to transform those storybooks into e-books with an online form, those long-length
pages with plain text do not fit with children’s needs and wants. An outstanding
example for a good design for online storytelling is Grimm’s Fairytales. Its

interactive design helps viewers get involved in the stories.

The above findings provide some design hints for the project of Chinese Fantasy:
- Compared with most of the storytelling websites that lack interaction and
multiple media types, the project of Chinese Fantasy does obtain product
strength with the support of interactive multimedia technology.
- The application of animated graphics and audio will help creating a
storytelling atmosphere.

- Character design plays a crucial role for boosting children’s interest.

14

- Games, e-cards and coloring sheets will enhance the interaction level of a

storytelling website and will result In return visits by kids.

15

2.2 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ON FUTURE USERS
2.2.1 METHOD

The purpose of the observation is to gather insights for designing an
interactive multimedia project, Chinese Fantasy. The whole research project was
divided into two sections. The first part was conducting an observation and
interview of children, and the second part was to gather the insights from these

children’s parents. The research Objectives of the research were:

a.) Observation and Interview for Children
- To understand Children’s language levels on both Chinese and English
- To know their reading interests and storybooks collections

- To understand their computer use, Internet use, and game use

b.). Interviews for Parents
- To understand their concerns with their children’s education
- To understand their use of books, lntemet and multimedia products with
their children
- To explore innovative ideas they may have for this new product

- To gather creative ideas and advice for the project

2.2.2 PROCEDURE
Subjects were recruited from Lansing Chinese Elementary School. Before
the research was conducted, I asked for the consent from (refer to APPENDIX A:

PARENTAL CONSENT FORM AND ASSENT FORM FOR OBSERVATION) from

16

 

 

 

the parents and arranged a proper time to conduct a home Visit to observe their
child. The observation took about 20 minutes. The observer administered an
informed assent form for the child. I asked children how they used the Internet
and interacted with the educational or entertaining content in books or CD-ROMS.
Children were asked to show the researcher their favorite web site, favorite book,

and favorite CD-ROM. I took notes and no audio or Video recording occurred.

I interviewed one parent at a time. The informed consent was requested from
the parent interviewees. The location of the interview was their homes. The time
was chosen depending on subjects’ schedule and preference. The interview
lasted about 20 minutes. The main purpose of this interview was to understand
parental concerns for their children to Ieam Chinese culture, and their rationale
for choosing educational products for children (refer to APPENDIX B:
INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM AND INTERVIEW QUESTIONAIRE FOR
PARENTS)

2.2.3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To protect subjects’ privacy, the results will not be reported with their real
names in the following executive summary. Pseudonyms in the form of fictional

characters will be used in place of the subjects’ real names.

a.) Observation and Interviews with Children

- Children’s Language Levels on Chinese and English

17

Three Children subjects participated in this research: Harry Potter (8 years
Old), Little Mermaid Ariel (9 years old) and Power Puff Girl (11 years old). English
was their first language after they went to school. They could speak Chinese, but
lacked ability to read it. They can understand some simple Characters with the
help of “phonetic notation” (It was a tool to help them pronouncing). Two of the
children had been taking a “phonetic notation” class in Lansing Chinese
Elementary School during the time the obseravation was coducted. Since them,
their ability of reading Chinese improved. The older kid, Power Puff Girl, almost

forgot how to pronounce “phonetic notation” though she could speak Chinese

pretty fluidly.

They seldom read Chinese storybooks which their parents bought for them.
They would skip the difficult words and only looked at pictures. On the other
hand, they read English much more fluently. They watched cartoon and played

games that were in English.

- Reading Interests and Storybooks Collections

The older subject, Power Puff Girl loved to read, and she had displayed an
excellent ability in reading English literature including fictions, historical novels
and so on. When she got interested in some Chinese or Taiwanese stories, she
would try to find an English edition to read. She borrowed books from school’s

library or would ask her parents to buy for her.

18

The younger children loved Disney-styled animation and storybooks that had
colorful illustrations. The younger boy, Harry Potter, showed more interest in
adventure storybooks. The other younger girl, Ariel, liked romantic stories such as
Little Mermaid. Most of their storybooks were in English. They had some
Chinese storybooks on their Shelves. Sometimes, they would ask parents to read

for them, or browsed the pictures in the books.

- Computer Use/ lntemet Use/Game use

All Of the kids had previous experience playing computer games or video
games. Older children could handle complicated content like strategic games (for
instance, Civilization III). In addition, older children surfed the Internet more than

the younger kids.

b.) Interviews with Parents

- Concerns on their Children’s education

The three interviewees were parents of the children subjects. They agreed
that it was important to keep their children involving in Chinese culture. They
spoke Chinese to their kids, bought Chinese books for them, and they had sent

their kids to Lansing Chinese Elementary School to learn Chinese.

- Use of books, lntemet and Multimedia products
Fathers played a more important role when it came to computers/technology.
Mothers would read storybooks for kids when their kids were young. However,

when their kids grew older, mothers would stop reading bedtime stories for kids.

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The mothers seldom played computers with their children. Instead, mothers
preferred to let their kids read rather than play computer games. They bought
Chinese storybooks for their kids, but they gradually found out that children got
many problems to read them. According to their reflection, their kids were more
interested in reading or playing Games in English. Additionally, these American

Taiwanese kids had been deeply influenced by cartoon or Disney movies.

Their main concern for purchasing a book, CD-ROM or game for kids was
“educational or entertainment level” of the product. For younger Children, parents
were the gatekeepers, screening children’s media exposure. For older children,
parents gave more freedom for kids to choose what they wanted to experience.
Parents would leave older kids reading or experiencing the products alone

(unless kids ask for their extra help).

- Innovative Ideas

According to their opinion, it was difficult for their children to read Chinese,
especially for Chinese idioms. Moreover, they shared the opinion that it would be
helpful to use English narration. Images and character design played an
important role in a storytelling product. In addition, they all agreed that “interactive
games” were a good approach to maintain kids’ attention and helped them to

learn.

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- Concept Tests

Their children’s interests were diverse. The only similarity was all of them
were interested in watching cartoons talking about adventures. According to the
parents’ opinion, adventure or historical stories would be better topics than
ancient stories. One parent also indicated that “Journey to the West” was a great
story to let his kids to explore to. (Please find the detailed report from APPENDIX
C: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH COMPLETED REPORT)

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2.3 TREATMENT
2.3.1 DESIGN CONCEPTS

The secondary research reveals the fact that children have experience in
lntemet exploration, multimedia use and game playing. Their parents are aware
that Internet literacy is important for their children. These parents will guide their
children and select the products for their children to explore (mostly for an
educational purpose). These findings have been confirmed in my first-hand
research result of interviews and Observation. My target audience, Taiwanese
American Children between 9 to12 years old, can definitely handle multimedia
technology quite well. However, the interface design should avoid complicated
structure and ambiguous wording.

Parents are willing to have their children explore an adventure or historic
story (with educational purpose). According to the distinguishing features of
Journey to the West, its content will satisfy parents’ expectation on a multimedia
product.

Moreover, the interview and observation provided some innovative ideas
for design. The Characters should be entertaining and fun. The English narration
will be a better choice since these children have difficulties in reading and

listening to Chinese.

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2.3.2 DEFINITION OF PROJECT DOMAIN
The project will be segmented to be four main sections: Story, Game,
Download and

About Us. Please find the below diagram of the project structure (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Project Structure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intro
Main
I l
Storv Game Download About us
I l
10 Chapters 4 games Wallpapers E -cards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coloring
Sheets

 

 

 

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CHAPTER THREE: PRODUCTION PROCESS
3.1 CHARACTER DESIGN
3.1.1 MAIN CHARACTERS
Most of the graphic design was done with a vector illustration tool,
Illustrator 10.0. In this current version, Illustrator was compatible with Flash MX.
All of the vector graphics were converted and exported in a .vaf format and

imported into Flash MX.

Monkey is the most important character in this story. He is a product of
nature. He obtains a powerful golden bar and possesses magic powers such as
the “thousand-league-vision”, “Cloud-riding” and “the 72-ways of transformation".
According to the original novel, Monkey is a rebellious creature. His personality
has not changed much in my character setting though I try to add in more sense
of humor on him. I enhance his facial expression to be more dramatic to deliver a

feel of his lively personality (please find the visual reference in Figure 5).

Figure 5: Character Design- Monkey

 

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Monk, Tang San-Zung, is a Buddhist who is responsible to gather the
Sutra from the west. He has three disciples: Monkey, Sha Wu, and Pig to protect

him on the way to the west.

In the original novel, Monk’s personality is stubborn and religious. In my
project, Monk is defined as a kind yet vulnerable person who panics easily when
the situation becomes bad. He can never get rid of trouble without Monkey’s help
(please find the visual reference of Monk in Figure 6)

Figure 6: Character Design- Monk (Tang, San Zung)

 

Pig used to be a deity in heaven and he has been cast down to earth to
become a pig. He likes to harass girls. He is lazy and timid. Most Of the time, Pig
cannot help his fellow travelers out of trouble. In the original novel, Pig is an ugly
character that reflects the dark characteristics of humanity such as laziness, lust
and greed. In my character setting, I tend to adjust his personality to become

cute and lovely, since this product is geared towards a very young audience who

25

may not yet comprehend these traits to a very large extent. However, I

emphasize his trouble-making characteristics (please refer to Figure 7).

Figure 7: Character Design- Pig

 

Shawu is supposed to be a male character based in the original text.
However, there is little reference in the original text to Shawu's gender (Chinese
language is gender neutral). In addition, “Shawu" is a very androgynous name in
Chinese. However, I was concerned with the balance of gender of the characters
because there was no female character for female children to identify with.
Hence, I decided to make Shawu a female character in my project. Shawu has
been cast down to earth as a monster living in Drifting Sand River. Then she
surrenders to Monk to become a disciple. She is a cool girl who does not talk
much. She usually stays calm when they encounter trouble. However, she is not
truly a peaceful person. For example, She will take action to torture Pig because

of his annoying harassment (please refer to Figure 8).

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Figure 8: Character Design- Shawu

 

3.1.2 SUPPORTIVE CHARACTERS
There are several other supporting characters in the story. Please refer to
APPENDIX E: CHARACTER DESIGN-SUPPORTIVE CHARACTERS for details

on the supporting characters.

3.2 STORY DEVELOPMENT
3.2.1 SCRIPT WRITING

The original novel of “Journey to the West" fills a large volume. To transform
its content to an online multimedia product for children, not all the characters from
the original were presented. Further, I rephrased the whole story by referring to
several Chinese children publications of “Journey to the West" (Chun Hua
Publication, 2002, Journey to the West; Lian Gin Publication, 1990, Journey to
the West— The Teenager Edition), and one English storybook (Ji-Li Jiang, 2002,

The Magical Monkey King). Many modern day media renditions of the story, such

27

as children’s books, comics and television shows, contained the abridged version.
I select ten representative chapters by their popularity and dramatic story
elements. Some elements of the original version that talk about very complex
concepts that would be harder for children to comprehend were removed. I then
rewrote the script in English and adjusted the story flow and structure. These ten
chapters (including nine chapters and one character profile) contain the essence
of the original text. It has a manageable number of Characters that would be easy
for a child to remember. Additionally, the abridged script created a manageable
project scope. The following are summaries of each episode:

- Start

This section briefly brings over the story outline and introduces the four main
characters-Monkey, Monk, Shawu and Pig. When the user clicks on each
character, there is an audio introduction. The users can get a general idea of
what the story is about, and get the feel of each character’s personality before

they start the exploration.

- Chapter 1: Monkey’s Birth

This Chapter introduces the Monkey character and talks about his birth. He
was originally a piece of mountain rock that was struck by lightning. He climbs
down from the mountain and meets up with another group of monkeys. Because
a storm has made a tree fall, blocking off the monkeys food source, the other
monkeys dare the brave Monkey to jump into a waterfall. Monkey does so, and
uncovers a paradise known as “Blessed Cave of the Water Curtain.” Monkey

comes back to tell the other monkeys about the paradise and the monkeys move

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to the Blessed Cave. Because of Monkey’s discovery, all the other monkeys

crown him “King of the Monkeys.”

- Chapter 2: Monkey Learns about Magic

Led by the Monkey King, the tribe of monkeys has been leading a carefree life
in the Blessed Cave for over 500 years. Monkey starts worrying about his own
mortality and becomes afraid of dying. The other monkeys urge him to seek out
the immortals. But Monkey has no idea how to do so but nevertheless begins on
his quest. After searching for a long time, Monkey comes across a cave where a
magic sage known as Master Bohdi lives. Master Bohdi teaches him many skills
such as “thousand league Vision”, “cloud-riding” and “72—ways of transformation”.
After completing his training, he returns to the Blessed Cave and finds that Evil
Havoc has attacked his tribe of monkeys. Monkey seeks out Evil Havoc for
revenge. He defeats Evil Havoc, but realizes that he needs a weapon to better
protect his monkeys. He seeks out the Dragon King of the East Sea and steals a
Golden Pillar, which can transform itself into different lengths upon command.

Dragon King is angry and reports Monkey’s rebellious behavior to heaven.

- Chapter 3: Monkey Messed around the Sea and Heaven

The ruler of all heaven, the Jade Emperor is furious at Monkey’s behavior. He
comes up with a strategy to summon Monkey to surrender. Therefore, Monkey
comes to Heaven and is given the task of feeding the horses. Monkey gets bored
with his new task and starts doing a lot of felonious deeds such as stealing

peaches, getting drunk, and stealing magical pills from Taishan Senior Master’s

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stove. Jade Emperor hears of his deeds and sends Buddha Rulai to punish him.
Buddha Rulai sentences Monkey to be trapped under a mountain range known as
the “Five Snow-Capped Mountains” until he learns to behave and regrets what he

has done.

- Chapter 4: Monk’s Mission

Monkey is imprisoned for another 500 years and it is now the time of the Tang
Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty emperor decides to send Monk to the west to obtain
a Sacred Sutra from today’s India. The Sacred Sutra contains scriptures than can
help improve the morals of society. In his travels West, Monk passes by the
mountain range where Monkey is imprisoned. He hears Monkey calling out for
help. Because Monk is very benevolent, he releases Monkey from his prison.
Monkey gratefully acknowledges Monk as his master and offers to accompany
him in his journey to the west. Monk and Monkey get waylaid by a band of
robbers. Monkey kills the robbers in order to protect Monk. Despite Monkey’s best
intensions, Monk is extremely displeased because his religious beliefs preach
peace. Suddenly, Buddha Lotus appears and gives Monk 3 golden hoop to put
around Monkey’s head. Buddha Lotus teaches Monk a spell that he can recite
whenever Monkey misbehaves. The chant will cause the golden hoop to tighten

around Monkey’s head and cause him excruciating pain.

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. Chapter 5: Pig and Shawu Join the Team

Monk and Monkey come across a cottage where a father and daughter reside
and are invited in for a meal. The old man explains that a pig is harassing them.
The pig has been going over to the house everyday to ask for his daughter’s hand
in marriage. Because the pig possesses some supernatural powers, they are
afraid that they cannot say “no” to him much longer. Monkey offers to help trick
the pig by transforming himself into the girl’s image. The pig stops by that evening
and as usually harasses the daughter. When the pig gets close enough, Monkey
reveals his true identity and beats the pig up. When pig regains consciousness,
he introduces himself: “I am Pig, but I was originally a deity from heaven.
Because I harassed some fairies, I was punished and sent down to earth to as a
pig.” Pig begs forgiveness and Monk and Monkey decide to allow Pig to join in

their journey to the west.

Monk, Monkey and Pig are crossing a river called the “Drifting Sand River”
when a monster appears who tries to eat Monk alive. Monkey and Pig
immediately go to Monk’s defense. When the monster is defeated, the monster
transforms back into its original form. It turns out that the monster was a female
fairy, and like Pig, she was cast out of heaven for killing some people. The girl
introduces herself as “Shawu” and offers to join the team in regret. The team is

now complete and they continue on their journey to the west.

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- Chapter 6: Ginseng Tree Fruit

The team comes across a Taoist temple. The head of the temple, Grand Yuan
Master owns a magical Ginseng Tree that produces fruit that grants anyone that
devours it longevity. Grand Yuan Master has to leave, but offers his guests two
fruit as a treat before leaving. Monk refuses to eat the fruit because he thinks it
looks like human infants, but upon finding out the secret of the Ginseng fruit,
Monkey and Pig consume every single piece of fruit from the Ginseng fruit tree.
Grand Yuan Master returns and captures them. He is very upset and attempts to
cook all of them for their crime. Monkey offers to find Grand Yuan Master a
resolution -he will seek out Buddha Lotus’ help in reviving the Ginseng Tree.
Grand Yuan Master releases Monkey, who in turn seeks out Buddha Lotus.
Buddha Lotus gives Monkey some Sacred Dew that he uses to revive the
Ginseng Tree. Grand Yuan Master is happy to get back his fruit and Monk

punishes Monkey by reciting the chant that causes his golden hoop to contract.

- Chapter 7: Iron Fan Princess and Bull King

The team comes across a mountain known as “Flame Mount” which was
unusually hot. Determined to get to the bottom of the heat source, Monkey seeks
out the God of the Earth. The God of the Earth tells Monkey that the heat came
from the ambers of Taishan Senior Master’s stove when Monkey knocked it over
several hundred years ago to steal the magical pills. He tells Monkey to seek out
the help of Iron Fan Princess. Monkey gets to Iron Fan Princess’ place, but She
refuses to see him. Monkey transforms himself into a mosquito to enter her

palace. However, he flies into her teacup and she swallows him unknowingly.

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Once Monkey is inside the Princess’ stomach, he starts jumping around, making
her miserable. The Iron Fan Princess finally gives in, and passes him a fan.
Monkey returns with the fan to Flame Mount, but realizes that the fan is a fake
when it does not work. He returns to the princess’ palace and transforms himself
into the Bull King, the princess’ husband and tricks her into handing him the real
fan. When the real Bull King finds out, he is furious. The team gets into a serious
fight with Bull King and Iron Fan Princess and emerges Victorious. Bull King and
Iron Fan Princess admit their wrongdoing and are taken back to heaven by
Buddha Lotus. Monkey uses the real fan to cool the flames of Flame Mount and
bring about a rain shower, much to the gratitude of all the residents of Flame

Mount.

- Chapter 8: Spider She-devils

The team continues west and after a while they get hungry. They stop by a
house and Monk approaches the residents, three beautiful girls, for some food.
The girls offer Monk some tofu, but it turns out to be a trap. The girls transform
themselves into their true form — spiders - and take Monk into captivity. Monkey
starts getting suspicious after Monk is gone for a while. He sneaks into the house
to investigate and discovers that Monk has been captured and is about to be the
spiders’ next meal. He tells Pig and Shawu about it and Pig volunteers to save
Monk. However, Pig ends up being captured by the spiders as well. After waiting
for Pig, Monkey goes off to save them. However, more spiders and a centipede
appear and bite Monkey on the leg and poison him. While Monkey is feeling sick

from the poison, Bi-Lan Buddha shows up, turns herself into a chicken and

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devours the centipede. Monkey takes the chance and kills all the Spiders. After all

the spiders are dead, Bi-Lan Buddha gives Monkey the cure and leaves.

- Chapter 9: The Goal Achieved

After Six months of arduous traveling, the team finally arrives in India at the
Magnificent Buddha Master’s temple. The Magnificent Buddha Master hand them
the Sutra but tell them that it does not contain any text - only those who have the
wisdom are able to read what is on the pages. The team found out that the
wisdom and friendship they learnt through their travels has granted them this
wisdom and they are able to read the text. They journey back to the east and
hand the Tang Dynasty Emperor the Sutra. Monk reads out the Sutra to the Tang
Dynasty Emperor and the Jade Emperor, Buddha Ru-Lai, and Buddha Lotus
reveal themselves in the sky. The Jade Emperor forgives Monkey, Pig and
Shawu for their mistakes and rewards the entire team by allowing them to be
reincarnated as immortals in heaven

(Refer to APPENDIX D: STORY SCRIPT to find the completed story script)

3.2.2 SOUND EDITING

Each movie contains three audio elements: narration, sound effect and
music clips. Since the narration undertakes the most important task to deliver the
key messages, the tone and manner of the narration was under quality control to
create a profound storytelling atmosphere. For the rest of the dialogue section, I
recorded my own voice for each character and made some adjustments by a

sound editing tool- Gold Wave (Version 5.3).

34

In addition, I utilized the soundtrack database of Soundtrack (Apple) and
gathered some other music clips from FlashKit.com (http://flashkit.com ). Most of
the sound effects came from online sources that provided -free audio clips such
as FlashKit.com (http:/lflashkit.com), A1 FreeSoundEffects.com
(http://www.a1freesoundeffectscom ) and FreeAudioCIips.com
(httjjlwww.freeaudioclibscoml). Afterwards, I used Premiere 6.0 to combine
everything and finished the sound editing. Concerned with the downloading time
from the website, I compressed all of the audio clips in a mp3 format in Gold

Wave (Version 5.3).

3.2.3 ANIMATION PRODUCTION

Flash MX was the primary tool to develop the animation. I used Illustrator
10.0 and Flash MX to draw most of the graphics. Some still images came from a
CD-ROM that I purchased from Hi-Ad Image Bank (httgzl/hi-ad.com ), and I
adjusted those images with Illustrator 10.0.

The animation editing was the most challenging part. Though it was
difficult to do camera movement in a two-dimension environment, I applied the
concept of shot switching that I had learned in video classes for editing my Visual

with the audio clips (full shots, medium shots and close-up shots).

35

3.2.4 FINAL DELIVERY

After the animation editing was finished, I exported them to a .svvf format.
Concerned with the downloading time, I segmented each chapter’s content to
become several short flash movies. I used the Flash ActionScript: LoadMovie

command to play them in sequence.

3.3 GAME DESIGN
3.3.1 CONCEPT DESIGN

The purpose of including games in this presentation is to help users better
relate to the characters and the plot of the original story of “Journey to the West”.
It can help enhance the Ieaming experience and increase their recognition of the
characters when they are presented in the story. According to the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting (2003), in a child’s online experience, playing games ranked
fifth for those aged between 9-12 and ranked third for those aged between 6-8.
Including games would also help round off all these three features-e-cards,
wallpapers and coloring sheets in this project (For game concepts, please see

appendix F).

3.3.2 GAME DEVELOPMENT

To be consistent with the story section, I used Flash MX to create and
deliver the games. For the creation of the games, I referred to a books by Gary
Rosenzweig (Gary ResenzWeig, 2002, Macromedia Flash MX ActionScript for
Fun and Games) and found some useful tips at FlashKit.com Ihttp:/lflashkit.com ).

Please see the below screenshots of the four interactive games (Figure 9-12).

36

Figure 9: Game Design- Monkey Flying Game

 

37

Figure 11: Game Design-Ginseng Tree Fruit

 

3.4 OTHER FEATURES
3.4.1 INTERFACE

Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and Macromedia Flash MX were used to design and
created the interface graphics. Based on the findings in my pre-production
research, my goal was to create a friendly interface for children to explore. After
users enter the homepage, they would start with watching a Short intro movie and
exploring four main sections, including Story, Download, Game, and About Us.
The interface was kept in a neat and clean design for children to easily

understand where to start their journey.

3.4.2 ONLINE INTERACTION

- E-cards

The key idea for the e-cards section is to let the young audience customize
their own greetings and mail them to their friends, yet to promote this website by
a Viral Marketing approach. All appeared objects are dragable. so the users can
layout their e-card as they wish. The interaction level is high, and this feature

also meets the entertaining requirement as an educational product.

- Wallpapers

Many storytelling websites do contain this feature as a bonus for their loyal
fans. Many young children do collect their favorite cartoon character graphics as
their computer desktop wallpapers. In this section, I produced several wallpapers

for downloading. Once they choose which wallpaper to download, a new browser

39

window will open separately. They can use the right mouse key to save the
graphic to their computers. The goal Of this feature is to enhance the loyalty of

my target audience and to increase the entertainment level of this website.

- Coloring Sheets

Because this project targets young children, the coloring sheets will provide
them an opportunity to express their creativity for the character. After they
choose which coloring sheet to download, a new browser window will open
separately. They can use the toolbar in their browser windows to print out the
coloring sheets. After that they can use canyon, watercolor or other coloring tools
to create their own artworks. The objective of this feature is to enhance the
interaction between the story and the audience. This feature aims at increasing

the entertainment level and loyalty to this product as well.

3.5 DELIVERIES AND DISTRIBUTION

To consider the diffusion of this product, the lntemet has been chosen to be
the main platform to deliver this artwork. The CD-ROM will be also available for
some target users who may especially have a big interest in this project such as
Chinese elementary schools and Taiwanese families within the United States.
Targeting at these groups, 10 copies of the CD-ROM will be distributed for free as
gifts. In addition, 3 copies of the CD-ROM will be sent to the subjects who have

participated in my pre-production research as a feedback.

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CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION

The purpose of this project was to create a multimedia interactive presentation
aimed at the children of Chinese immigrants who were born or raised in America.
This project was geared towards helping them understand part of their Chinese
heritage by introducing them to one of the oldest and most popular texts in
Chinese mythology. The desired goal was to cultivate enough interest with this
presentation so that they would want to seek out other historical texts in Chinese
literature. It would also help them put an ancient story into a modern day context.
Young children today are more likely to use the computer to learn information
rather than by reading storybooks. By giving them a multimedia format, it creates

a modem-day, multi-faceted experience.

This product is not without its limitations. As mentioned earlier in the story
development section, the multimedia presentation was based on an adapted and
abridged version of the original “Journey to the West" text. The original text was
very long and consists of hundreds of volumes. Not all the characters from the
original were presented and some portions of the original version were amended
or simplified for the parsimony. In addition, there were many characters that had
very complex backgrounds and they were eliminated from this story because it

would have been too convoluted for young children to understand them.

Despite the fact that this story is regarding as part of Chinese heritage, it is
strongly based on the Buddhist religion. It is regarded as the Chinese analog to

Aesop Fables. Despite the fact that “Journey to the West” teaches many good

41

lessons and has many parables that could set a good example for children,
Chinese-Americans who are Christian or from other religions may not want to
expose their children to Chinese myths because of conflicts with their own

religious beliefs.

The research, pre-production, preparation, and post-production of this project
have taught me how to create a successful storytelling narrative using graphic,
audio and animation. It has also shown me how to create a non-linear storyline by
incorporating interactive elements such as games. I have learnt how to write
scripts and adapt and translate stories from an original text without having to
change the major crux of the story. From the preliminary research prior to
production, I have learnt to understand what users are seeking in this type of
story and the motives behind why they would want to use or even purchase such
software for their kids. The research has also taught me how to adapt and cater a

multimedia presentation to the needs and comprehensibility of young users.

On the technical side, undertaking this thesis project has also helped me gain
a much deeper understanding of ActionScript programming. Even though graphic
design is my strength, I was able to combine my graphic design skills with new
programming skills that l have learnt so as to create visual, humorous, and

entertaining games.

42

CHAPTER FIVE: FUTURE PROSPECTIVE

For future purposes, I would like to create a Chinese version of this
presentation. This is to allow Chinese-American children who have some
knowledge of their native language to be able to hear a bilingual presentation of
the project. Many Chinese-American children living in America lack Chinese
media sources or conversation partners outside their home and often only have a
very rudimentary knowledge of Chinese by the time they reach adulthood. By
allowing them to access both the English and Chinese versions, they will be able
to understand the Chinese versions by comparing the English and Chinese texts.
Conversely, this could also be used in Chinese-speaking countries such as
Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore, which have predominant ethnic
Chinese populations. Children growing up in Chinese-speaking households
wishing to Ieam English would also be able to use this presentation for the same
purpose as Chinese Americans, but in reverse. This project can be regarded as
a touchstone in the children publishing industry. This product applies multimedia
technology to revolve the traditional storytelling format, and I would love to see
the technology benefit children by using this approach. Once the website is
publicly available and announced, I will continually monitor the traffic to the site
and collect audience feedback from emails and my guestbook. This data will
serve as a final evaluation of the project’s effectiveness. It is my hope that this
website will serve as an example to others of the power of interactive multimedia
in children’s storytelling. The site will serve as a reference to promote the idea of

introducing other Chinese mythology stories to western society.

43

APPENDIXA: UCRIHS PARENTAL CONSENT FORM AND ASSENT FORM
FOR OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEW

Informed Consent Form-for Parents Page 1 of 2
Multimedia Project “Chinese Fantasy”

Dear

 

We’re glad you have been chosen to participate in the multimedia project
“Chinese Fantasy”. In the Project, you will have the opportunity to engage in a
design process for an educational, interactive multimedia product for you and
your children to benefit from it.

There is no cost for participating in the project. The Project will be designed by
teachers and students from Telecommunication Department of Michigan State
University.

The first part we would like to have a 20—minute interview with you to Ieam more
about parents’ perspectives on the value of teaching Chinese culture and the
value of CD-ROM technology for this purpose.

The second part will be an observation for you and your children together. Within
the following 3-5 months, I will provide you with a free copy of the Chinese
Mythology CD-ROM. It is yours to keep whether or not you continue to
participate in the study. If you are willing to be interviewed one last time, I would
like to observe you and your Children exploring the CD-ROM and ask a few more
questions.

This camp has a strong research component. In other words we would like to
better understand how children Ieam, what technologies and ways of Ieaming
interest them and how their interest plays out as they actually design digital game
environments for Ieaming. In particular we are interested in how your children
understand the stories in the product, what interests them and, how they
approach the game design process.

If you agree to participate in the design of Multimedia Project “Chinese Fantasy”,
you are agreeing to the following:

1) You will be interviewed by the teacher-researchers.

2) You will be recorded by pen and papers, no audiotaped / videotaped /
photographed will occur.

3) For the second part, the teacher-researchers will collect and analyze the
work that you produce or the comments you give as part of the Project.

44

Informed Consent Form-for Parents Page 2 of 2
Multimedia Project “Chinese Fantasy”

The teacher-researchers will publish the findings of the study in professional
journals and may use samples from your interview in presentations at
professional conferences and classes they teach at Michigan State University.
However, your real name will not be used in these publications or presentations.
If you give your consent to be in the study, your will be asked to create your own
“Story Character Name.” This made up name will be used in any written
materials produced by the teachers/researchers and in public presentations they
give about the Project. The project leaders (Dr. Heeter and Yi-Ju Chen,) will keep
all of the records of the Project and all student work in a locked office at Michigan
State University for five years. For further security, the list of which story
character names correspond to which real person will be kept in a locked cabinet.
Your privacy will be protected to the maximum extent allowable by law.

Consenting for yourself to be in the study is voluntary. At any time during the
Project, if you do not want to be part of the study, you can tell the teacher-
researchers and they will stop interviewing and recording you, and will no longer
collect the work you produces in the Project for the study. You can decide to
withdraw your consent at any time over the course of the Project without penalty
to you.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Project now, or at any time,
please feel free to contact the student researcher: YI-Ju Chen, (1628 Spartan
Village, Apt.H, East Lansing, MI 48823, chenyij3@msu.edu)

If you have questions or concerns regarding your rights as a study
participant, or are dissatisfied at any time with any aspect of this study, you may
contact the professor of the research course, Dr. Carrie Heeter, (2467 Funston
Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94116, heeter@msu.edu). In order for us to be clear
that you have read the above and agree to participate in the Multimedia Project
“Chinese Fantasy” we ask you to affix your signature to the following statements:

Consent to Participate in the Study:

Your signature below indicates you give consent to participate in this study for
both the initial home interview in the next week or so and again for the follow-up
demonstration in about 6 months when the prototype is ready. You may change
your mind and decline participation at any time. Your participation in the study is
voluntary. Signing your name indicates that you are giving the teacher-
researchers permission to interview, and to collect the work you produce as part
of the Multimedia Project “Chinese Fantasy”.

Name (please print)

Signature Date:

 

45

Participant Assent Form
Multimedia Project “Chinese Fantasy”

Dear

 

We are so glad you are here to participate in the Multimedia Project “Chinese
Fantasy”.

While you have lots of fun and Ieaming and begin to imagine your own adventure
stories, or games, university researchers will be asking questions, taking notes on
what you are thinking and doing.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Project now, or at any time,
please tell your
parents or university researchers.

If at any point you do not want to be part of the study, you can ask the
researchers to stop observing and/or interviewing you.

Our reports describing your ideas will very likely read by Michigan State
University and by computer animation/game companies. However, when we
report the results of the project we will use your story-character name and not
your real name. Your ideas are very important. Your identity and confidentiality
will be protected to the maximum extent of the law.

Sincerely,

Dr. Carrie Heeter, Professor of Telecommunication

Yi-Ju Chen, Master student of Telecommunication

Because this is a university research project, we ask you to sign the following two
statements:

Agreement to Participate In the Study: Your signature below indicates you
agree to participate in this study now and one more time in about six months
when software is ready to show you.

Name (please print)

Signature Date:

 

46

APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW QUESTIONAIRE

Interview Questions for Parentjs)

Warm-up Questions

1. How long have you lived in this country? What part of Taiwan are you
from?

Concerns on their Children’s education

2. What are the most important concerns you have for your children’s
Ieaming experiences?

3. Is it important to you to keep your children informed about Chinese and
Taiwanese culture? How do you try to do this?

4. What are the hardest and easiest things about teaching your kids about
Chinese and Taiwanese culture? -

5. Can your kid read, listen or speak Chinese? What language do you and

your children mostly use to talk to each other? How about among the
parents?

Use gf Miss, lgtgm gang Multimedia products

6. Have you ever bought any books for your children, which were related
Chinese and Taiwanese culture? Were they in English or Chinese?

6-1. Why you choose them and how did your child like those books?

7. Have you ever let your children to use lntemet or Multimedia products
such as Games or CD-Roms for an educational or an entertaining
purpose? What kinds of lntemet sites do you let them visit? What kinds of
CD-ROMS or games have you bought for them?

7-1. Could you talk about why you chose these products and how your
children liked those products?

8. Did you often read books or use multimedia products with your children?

47

8-1. What are the easiest and hardest about using the Internet and using CD-
ROMS for yourself and your children?

9. Overall, what is the most important feature among these products to make
you decide to let your children to have them?

Innovative Ideas for the new products

10. If there is a multimedia product to introduce Chinese mythology and
folklore, what do you think it Should be like?

11. Do you think it is a good idea to simultaneously put on two subtitles or two
versions including English and Chinese? Why or why not?

12. What are your favorite Chinese and Taiwanese stories when you were
kids?

12-1. From your understanding for your kids, what kinds of Chinese stories
you think they are interested in?

13. Do you think it is a good idea to create some interactive games as part of
my storytelling in this product? And what might good games be?

Concept Tests

14. DO you think it is interesting to introduce some Chinese ancient stories,
such as “Pan-Ku”? “Ten Suns”?

15. DO you think it is interesting to talk about some adventure stories, such as
“ the western journey”?

16. Do you think it is interesting to introduce some historical stories, such as
“Shui Hu”?

Close-u uestions

17. Do you have any further ideas or questions about this project?

48

Interview Questions for KidIs)
Warm-up Questions

1. What is your name and how old are you?
Use of books, lntemet and Multimedia products
2. Do you like to read storybooks? Were they in English or Chinese?
2-1. Could you Show me which one was your favorite and why?
3. Do you like to use computers? At school or at home?

4. Do you use Internet? At school or at home? Why did you use them? And
which sites you like the most?

5. Do you play games? Could you Show me which one is your favorite and
why?

Concept Test

6. Have you ever heard of any Chinese or Taiwanese stories before?
Do you like them? Could you tell me a Chinese story or character you like
the most?

49

APPENDIX C: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH COMPLETED REPORT

PART I: OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEW

OMETHODS

The purpose of the observation aims at gathering insights for designing an
interactive multimedia project, Chinese Fantasy. The interviews and observation
were conducted in subjects’ homes. Informed Consent and Assent forms were
provided before the research started. Moreover, to protect the privacy of all
subjects, the result will not report their real names, but by using cartoon character
names instead.

Observation and Interviews for Children
The key tasks can be divided into three main streams:

1) To understand children’s language levels on both Chinese and English
2) To know their reading interests and storybooks collections
3) To understand their computer use/ lntemet Use/game use

Interviews for Parents
The key tasks of Parent Interviews are:

1) Concerns on their Children’s education

2) Use of books, lntemet and multimedia products
3) Innovative Ideas for the new product

4) Concept tests

OKey Findings
Observation and Interviews for Children

1) Children’s Language Levels on Chinese and English

There are three children subjects in this research: Harry Potter (8 years old), Little
Mermaid Ariel (9 years old) and Power Puff Girl (11 years old). English is their
first language after they went to school. They can speak Chinese, but lack of
ability to read unless those text is very simple or with “phonetic notation” to help
them pronouncing. Currently, the former two younger children are taking a
“phonetic notation” class in Lansing Chinese Elementary School, so their ability of
reading Chinese becomes better. As to the older kid, Power Puff Girl, she almost
forgot how to pronounce “phonetic notation” though she speaks Chinese pretty
fluidly.

50

They seldom read Chinese storybooks which their parents bought for them. They
would skip the diffilcult words and only look at pictures when reading them. On
the contrary, they can read English much more faster. They like to watch cartoon
or play games, and they are all in English of course.

2) Reading Interests and Storybooks Collections

The older subject, Power Puff Girl loves to read, and she has performed an
excellent ability in reading English literature including fictions, historical novels
and so on. When she gets interested in some Chinese or Taiwanese stories, she
will find an English version to read. She borrows books from school’s library or
asks her parents to buy for her.

The younger children love Disney-typed stories that have colorful illustrations and
vivid characters. The boy, Harry Potter, shows his interest in adventure stories,
and the other young girl, Ariel, likes romantic stories such as Little Mermaid.

Most of their storybooks are in English version also. However, they do have
some Chinese storybooks on their shelves. They will ask parents to read for them
or browse the pictures only.

3) Computer Use! lntemet Use/Game use

All of the kids have experiences of playing computer games or video games.
Older children can handle with complicated content like strategic games (for
instance, Civilization III). In addition, older children surfed on Internet more than
younger kids do.

Integiews for Pargntp

1) Concerns on their Children’s education

The three interviewees are parents of the above three children, Harry Potter, Little
Mermaid Ariel and Power Puff Girl. They all agree that it is important to keep
their children involving in Chinese culture. They speak Chinese to their kids, buy
Chinese books for them, and they have sent their kids to Lansing Chinese
Elementary School to Ieam more Chinese.

2) Use of books, Internet and Multimedia products

Father plays a more important role when it comes to computers and technology.
Mothers used to read storybooks for kids when they were little kids, but not
anymore when kids are getting older. They seldom play computers with their
children. Instead, mothers prefer to let their kids reading than playing computers.
They used to buy some Chinese storybooks, but they gradually find out that
children got many problems to read them. According to their reflection, their kids
are more interested in reading or playing Games in English. Additionally, these
American Taiwanese kids have been deeply influenced by cartoon or Disney
mOVIes.

51

Their main concern for purchasing a book, CD-Rom or game for kids is
“educational or entertaining level" of the product. For young children, parents are
the gates that screen their media exposure or involve in their learning
experiences. For older children who are 5th or 6‘" grade students, parents will
rather give more freedom for kids to choose what they want to experience.
Parents will leave older kids reading or experiencing‘the products alone (unless
kids ask for their extra help).

3) Innovative Ideas for the new products

According to their opinion, it is difficult for their children to read Chinese,
especially for Chinese idioms. Moreover, they have share the opinion that it's
helpful to add English subtitles except Chinese narration. Image/character design
plays an important role in a storytelling product. In addition, they all agree that
“interactive games” are good approaches to maintain kids’ attention and help
them to Ieam.

4) Concept Tests
Their children’s interests seem quite diverse. The only common is all of them are

interested in cartoons. According to parents' opinion, adventure or historical
stories seems more standing out than ancient stories.

(* Please find the Appendix C- to View the detailed reports)

PART II: TASK ANALYSIS

0 REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS

Functional Reguirements

- Provides educational content to improve their knowledge level
- Provides an entertaining multimedia experience
- To interact with users

Date Reguirements

- Every link targets to the right section. No broken links.
- “Plug-in Required“ dialogue box and downloading link should be provided
- English subtitles are required.

Environmental Reggirements

- Suitable for a home PC platform
- Modem Speed > 64 K (Broadband lntemet Connection)

52

User Reguirements

- 3rd — 6th grade children who are not reluctant to the technology and love to

spend time in front of computers to watch video and play games. They
can operate computers right, and undertake the pressure of information
ovefload.

Parents who have willing to let their children using computers alone, or to
use computers with their kids. They are concerned with children’s
education. They love to let their children to Ieam more about Chinese/
Taiwanese culture.

Usabilig Reguirements

To keep each animation file as smaller as possible. Users don’t have to
wait around the system to finish processing.

Text should be unambiguous and readable. No idioms.

Easy to remember how to operate it.

Freely to explore where they like to.

Provides instructions before users enter each journey or game.

Provides a clear menu and indicates where the user is.

In storytelling part, users can freely control process: to play, to pause, to

replay or to stop the video and audio.

In game section, users can launch the game or exit anytime.

OGOALS ANALYSIS

Children’s Goals

Feeling smart for themselves

To demonstrate their abilities or interests for Chinese culture to their
parents

To have fun

To share the experience with their friends

Parents’ Goals

To let their children Ieaming more about Chinese/Taiwanese culture
To improve their interaction with kids

53

Children’s Practical Goals
- To kill time

. To operate the product easily
. To accomplish each challenging task successfully

54

O PERSONAS

Primag Persona

Chiao-Wen is a nine-year—old girl. She was born in Los Angeles after her
parents immigrated to US. Her parents are both Taiwanese who moved to
the States after getting married in Taiwan. Now her dad is a Real Estate
agent and her mom is working in a bank as an accountant. Chiao-Wen lives
with her parents, an elder sister and her grandpa in a northbound community
within L.A.. Her uncles and aunts who live in San Diego came to visit their
house very often. She is smart and outgoing. Since she went to a public
elementary school at 7, she have got lots of friends in school including her
Taiwanese or American neighbor’s kids. She speaks English fluently just like
other American kids do. Her parents use both English and Chinese to talk to
her sister and her, but she can only understand basic Chinese words. She is
a cartoon network fan. She often laughs out so loud while watching it. In
addition, she loves to read storybooks, play computer games and gets on
lntemet. She doesn’t do much online chatting like her 13 year-old elder sister
does. When she gets a new computer game from her relatives or find out an
interesting website, she likes to play with it and show it off to her sister,
parents or other visitors.

Secondag Persona

Yi-Jen Hsu is a 38 year-old workingwoman who works in a bank as an
accountant. 15 years ago, she moved to US. with her husband, Kevin, and
became a citizen of United States since then. Her husband and herself both
consider the education system and environment of the States was better for
kids. Therefore, with her husband's family support, they settled down in LA
where was near to other relatives' homes. Now they have two daughters:
one is 13 years old; one is 9 years old. Both of them were born in US. and
went to public schools in neighborhood. They are much concerned with
children’s education. To keep their children involving in Chinese/Taiwanese
culture, they taught their children Chinese while these girls were quite
young, and they sent their kids to Chinese school in summer time. They
would buy some books, movies or comic books in Chinese version for their
children. They have reached an agreement that it is good for their children
to Ieam more Chinese since their kids are already involving in western
culture very much.

They often use computers at work, but not frequently at home. They bought
a desktop for their elder daughter with broadband lntemet connection, but
they start to worry about children have spent too much time on it. They hope
to join their learning experiences, if there is a suitable product for them and
their children to use together.

55

OENVISION A USE CASE SCENARIO

Read the instruction (or a guide)

Find a menu

Click on each icon to what is in each section

Stop in the Storytelling section and click on an icon to launch a story
Watch the story a while and play with the interactive elements a bit
Turn on and off the narration for fun

Exit the story

Find a related game and launch it

Read the instruction first and play with the game for a while

Exit the game section

Forward the story or game to his/her friends

Go back to Home and click on Download

Click on each interesting picture

Download a wallpaper to his/her desktop

Exit the site (or the CD-Rom)

56

APPENDIX C-1: INTERVIEW REPORT OF FAMILY ONE

I. Subject Profiles

Subject 1(child): Harry Potter/Male/8 years old
Subject 2 (parent): Wizard Rolling/Female/34 years old

II. Interview for Children (Subject 1)

O Warm-up Questions

Q1. What is your name and how old are you?

A: My name is Harry Potter (to protect his privacy, the real name has been
replaced by a story character name, Harry Potter). I am 8 years old.

0 Use of books, Internet and Multimedia Products

Q2. Do you like to read stogbmks? Were thev in English or Chinese?
A: Yes, I love Harry Potter! (he showed the books, and they were in English).

Chinese is difficult, but I can read a Chinese storybook called “Dinosaur Dan
Dan” for you too. Dan Dan is a dinosaur that can blow you away with his fire!
(he showed the book, which was a book with only a few pages that he
borrowed from Lansing Chinese Elementary School).

2-1. Could u show me which one w r favorit and wh ?
A: Harry potter. I read them all! Have you read them yet? Harry Potter is so
cool. He is the most talented witch in the world. Moreover, he is the best
seeker of Quidditch. l have watched the movie too, which is good.

Q3. Do you like to use computers? At school or at home?

A: I like it, but my mom doesn’t let me use computers much. I like to play P82
with my cousin. He got one but I don’t.

Q4. Do you use lntemet? At school or at home? Why did you use them? And

which sites you like the most?
A: lntemet? I do (he seemed a bit confused in the beginning, and l

encouraged him to open a website for me. He showed me Harry Potter Site).

Q5. Do you play games? Could you show me which one is your favorite and
why?

A: I like games. I really want to have a PSZ or a Dreamcast. My cousin has
got Street Fighter and I like playing that with him.

57

0 Concept Test

Q6. Have you ever heard of any Chinese_o; Taiwanese stories before? Do
you like them? Could yop tell me a thness

st_oLV or chafracter yog like the most?

A: There was about the monkey prince that my aunt Kelly bought for me. It
had to do with peaches and a journey. There was a pig in it too.

Ill. Interview for Parents (Subject 2)

O Warm-up Questions

Q1. How long have you lived in this countg? What part of Taiwan are you

from?
A: Five years ago. My husband and I used to live in Taipei city.

9 Concerns on Their Children’s Education

Q2. What are the most important concerns you have for your children’s
Ieaming experiences?

A: It is too general. I don’t know how to answer that.

3. Is it im ortant to ou to kee our children inform about Chines and

Taiwanese culture? How dp you fly to do this?

A: Of course. My husband and I always talk to our kids in Chinese. We
bought some storybooks for our children too. In addition, we sent Harry to the
Chinese Elementary School, and it was really helpful. By the way, he will
represent the school to attend a Chinese lecturing contest in Detroit next
week.

4. Wh tareth h rd tande si tthin saboutteachin ur kids about
Chinese and Taiwanese pulture?

A: The hardest part is to let him keep practicing his Chinese. He went to
Chinese elementary school since he was 6. The teachers help us a lot cause
they have started to teach him “phonetic notation” and he can read more
Chinese by using that. In addition, through some interactive activities, he
could practice Chinese more with other children.

Q5. Can your kid read, listen or spesk Chinese? What language do you and
your children mostly use to talk to each other? How about among the
parents?

58

 

A: He used to read some Chinese storybooks in Taiwan, but he could not
understand them
all if we didn’t read for him. He can speak Chinese of course. However, since
we moved to US, he started to lose some vocabulary. Daily conversation is
okay for him, but reading becomes pretty hard. Now he is taking “phonetic
notation” courses in East Lansing Chinese Elementary School. Most of the
time, we talk to him in Chinese, and he replies with English or Chinese. It
depends. Sometimes we even can’t follow what he is talking about. When he
plays with other neighbors' kids, they all
use English.

0 Use of books, Internet and Multimedia Products

Q6. Have you ever bought any books for your children which were related
Chinese and Taiwanese cultpre? Were they in English or Chinese?

 

A: Yes, his Aunt Kelly, my younger sister, often buys many storybooks or toys
for him since he was a little kid. He usually browsed the pictures only, but
sometimes he would ask us to read them for him. Now he can read English
storybooks more, and he would watch cartoon on TV or comic books that my
husband bought for him.

Q6-1. Why yap choose them and how did your child like thpse books?

A: If those books are educational or interesting, we will love to buy for him.

7. H ve 0 ever let r hildrent se Int met or Multimedia roduct

such as Games or CD-Roms for an educational or an entertaining purpose?
What kinds of lntemet sites do you let them visit? What kinds of CD-ROMs or
games havs yop bought for them?

A: We don’t let our kids to use computers much cause we don’t think it’s
beneficial for his health. We rather let him do some outdoor sports or read .
books instead. He loves to watch TV, we are starting to worry about Harry has
watched too much TV. However, we still bought some educational CD-Roms.
I can’t remember them all now, but they were some

educational programs regarding science. And he plays P82 with his cousin
sometimes, some fighting and adventure games.

7-1. ould ou talk about wh ou chose these roducts and how our
children liked those products?

A: It’s my husband buying those CD-Roms. He said those products were
educafionaL

59

Q8. Did you often read books or use multimedia products with your children?

A: I used to read books when Harry was a little kid around 3 or 4 years old.
But, now he likes to read books by himself. Talking to the multimedia
products, as I mentioned, we don't let him playing computers much.

Q8-1. What are the easiest and hardest about using the lntemet and using
CD-ROMs for yourself and yopr children?

A: Most of the time I used emails to contact my family in Taiwan. I will use
Office to do my

thesis. It’s convenient to search for information on Internet. I look at News on
lntemet when available. Recently I am thinking to use computers to edit my
DV footage but I have no idea about how to do that. I think at Harry’s
generation, many kids have started to Ieam how to use computers and
lntemet. They can Ieam faster than us. Once Harry uses the computer
games, he is a quick-leamer, and he can play the games over and over. That
is amazing.

Q9. Overall, what is the most impor_ta_nt feature smong these products tp make
you decide to let your childrsn to have them?

A: If those products are educational, we will consider to let him having them.
Innovative Ideas for the New Product

1 .lfther isamultim ia rodu ttointr uce hines m holo and
folklore, what dp yop think it should bs liks?

A: Games with educational elements. Maybe there are some cartoon or
animation in that.

Q11. Do you think it is s good idea to simultansopsly put on two subtitles or
two versions including English and Chiness? Whyor whv npt_?

A: I will say Chinese text is not suitable unless it is very simple. However,
Chinese narration will be great if there is English subtitle.

Q12. What are yopr favorite Chinese and Taiwanese stories when you were
kids?

A: Can’t remember them all, but I remember I read some folklore like 24 Piety
Stories, The Western Journey etc. I liked to watch cartoon most of the time,
but they were not Chinese stories anyway.

Q12-1. From your understanding for your kids, what kinds of Chinese stories

you think they ars interested in?
A: Not sure...Maybe adventure stories. He likes dinosaurs and monsters.

6O

Q13. Do you think it is a good idea to create some interactive games as part
of my stoMelling in this product? And what might good games be?

A: Yes. I think kids like to play games more than viewing stories only. For
Harry, maybe some adventure stories will interest him.

Concept Tests

Q14. Do you think it is interesting to introduce some Chinese ancient stories,

such as “Pan-Ku”? “Ten Suns”?
A: They are ancient stories, right? I think it is okay for him. Depends on how
the story is rephrased.

Q15. Do you think it is interesting to talk about some adventure stories, such

as “ the western journey”?
A: That will be interesting. Harry likes to read adventure stories.

Q16. Do yop think it is interesting to introduce some historical stories, such as
“§hui Hu”?
A: Yes.

Close-up Questions

Q17. Do you have any further ideas or guestions abogt this project?
A: I will say it is a difficult task for you. Our kid is getting more and more like

an American. He cannot read much Chinese right now. If the caption or
narration is English, he can understand more. However, I still look forward to
seeing the final product.

61

APPENDIX C-2: INTERVIEW REPORT OF FAMILY TWO

l. Subject Profiles

Subject 3 (child): Ariel/ Female/9 years old
Subject 4 (parent): Caroline/ Female/33 years old
II. Interview for Children (Subject 3)

O Warm-up Questions

Q. What is your name and how old are you?
A: My name is Little Mermaid Ariel (to protect her privacy, the real name has

been replaced by a story character name, Ariel). I am 9 years old.

 

0 Use of books, Internet and Multimedia Products

02. Do you like to read stogybooks? Were they in English or Chinese?
A: I like them. Chinese is difficult for me...

 

Q2-1. Could you show me which one was your favorite and why?
A: (She showed some English storybooks such as Sleeping Beauty and The

Recess Queen).

Q3. Dp you like to pss cpmputers? At school or at home?

A: Yes, I like it. At home or my friend's home (her friend is called Angie who
was an older kid around 11 years old).

Q4. Do you use lntemet? At school or at horns? Why did you use them? And

which sites you like the most?
A: (she seemed not interested in this question and she kept showing me some

stuff animals).

. D ou la am 3? ould ou show me which ne is our fav rite and
why?
A: I like Zoo Tycoon! It’s like building your own zoo and you can feed those
giraffes and tigers. My dad gave it to me at Christmas. I like Roller coaster
Tycoon too, but I don’t have that. My friend, Angie, has that game. I can play
wit her when I go to her home. Oh, and Reader Rabbit, it is funny (she
showed the CD-Roms which are Reader Rabbit Math and Reader Rabbit
Thinking).

62

0 Concept Test

Q6. Have you ever heard of any Chinese or Taiwanese stories before? Do

you like them? Could you tell me a Chinese stop; or character you like the
most?

A: l have a lot (she showed me some Chinese storybooks including
Taiwanese Folklore, Chinese Idiom Stories etc.) but I only look at pictures
(she pointed some illustrations in the books and she likes some female
characters that were in

Chinese-styled dresses).

Ill. Interview for Parents (Subject 4)

O

Warm-up Questions

Q1. How long have you lived in this county? What part of Taiwan are you

from?
A: 11 and half years. We used to live in Tai-Chung County.

Concerns on Their Children’s Education

Q2. What are the most important concerns yog have for yopr children’s
learning experiences?

A: Well, it’s hard to answer...

3. Is it im ortant u to kee ur children informed about Chinese and
Taiwanese culture? pr do ypu tpy to do this?

A: Definitely, we are Taiwanese. I sent Ariel to Chinese school 2 years ago
cause we didn’t have much time to teach her Chinese by ourselves. My
husband and l are quite busy.

4. Wh tare the h rdest and easiest thin about teachin our kids about
Chinsse and Taiwansse culture?

A: The hardest part is to teach them reading Chinese. They can understand
what we are talking about, like some simple things. We sent Ariel to Lansing
Chinese Elementary School. It provides some interesting course for Ariel to
involve in Chinese culture like Chinese Dancing Class and some activities like
Chinese Festival. They are all related to Taiwanese culture I think. And she
has lots of fun our there.

63

Q5. Can your kid read, listen or speak Chinese? What language do you and

your children mostly use to talk to each other? How about among the
parents?

A: She can listen to Chinese cause we often talk to her in Chinese. She would
reply me in Chinese too. However, if she wants to describe something more
complicated, she would use English instead. That’s because she does not
has much Chinese vocabulary. Under an urgent situation like she wants to
explain something quickly, she would naturally switch from Chinese into
English.

Use of books, lntemet and Multimedia Products

Q6. Have you ever bought any books for your children, which were related
Chinese and Taiwanese culture? Were they in English or Chinese?

A: Yes, we have bought a lot Chinese storybooks since she was young. Now
we stop buying those because Chinese elementary School has a library and
we can borrow some Chinese storybooks from it.

1. Wh choo th m nd h w did our child lik thos ook ?
A: I used to expect her Ieaming more Chinese, so I bought a lot books for her.
She browsed pictures more often instead of “reading" those text. She likes
some romantic stories. If the female characters dress like princesses, she
would more like to read.

7.H vrl r hilrntou lntm rMultimedi r c
such as Games or CD-Roms for an educational or an entertaining purpose?
What kinds of lntemet sites do you let them visit? What kinds of CD-ROMs or
games have ypu bogght for thsm?

A: We bought some educational preschool CD-Roms before when she was
around 3. We wanted to teach her math or vocabulary before she went to
school. But, now we seldom purchase these products since she can Ieam ~
more from school.

She doesn’t use lntemet often.

7-1. I talk ab wh ou chose these roducts and how our
children liked those products?

A: Preschool products helped us to teach her basic knowledge. Ariel liked
Reader Rabbit serial products. Now she loves to play some computer games.
Her dad bought a game for her last Christmas and she seemed happy about
it.

Q8. Did you often read books or use multimedia products with your children?

A: Not often. Her dad used to play computer games with her before, but not
often right now. Ariel likes to play with the other kid, Angie.

Q8—1. What are the easiest and hardest about using the lntemet and using
CD-ROMs for yourself and your children?

A: I seldom use computer or get on Internet. Her father does since he is a
computer engineer. Frankly I don’t want Ariel playing computers too much.

Q9. Overall, what is the most important feature among these products to make
you decide to let your children to have them?

A: If these products are educational or fun. The most important is these
products are suitable for her age.

Innovative Ideas for the New Product

10. If there isamultimedia r uct to introduce Chinesem hol and

folklore, what do you think it shopld pe like?

A: We are Christians, so I will not let her read Chinese mythology stories
which can confuse her recognition of the God.

Q11. 09 you think it is s 9% idsa to simultsnepusly put on two subtitles pr

two versions including English and Chinese? Why or why not?
A: I wonder she can understand Chinese text if there is no “phonetic notation”

helping her to pronounce them. Narration can be Chinese. Ariel can
understand by listening to it.

Q12. What ars ypur favorite Chinsse and Taiwaness stories when you were
kids?
A: I like detective stories while I was young.

Q12-1. From your undsrstanding for your kids, what kinds of Chinese stories

you think they are interested in?
A: Adventures maybe. I will skip mythology stories because it will confuse her

recognition of the God. It depends on the how the story structure is and how
interesting the character design is. She likes to watch Cartoon on TV. She

often switches to cartoon channels and watches them for a long time. If the
characters look like Disney’s cartoons, I think she will like it more.

Q13. Do you think it is a good idea to create some interactive games as part

of my storytelling in this product? And what might good games be?
A: Yes. They can Ieam more through playing games.

65

 

0 Concept Tests

Q14. Do you think it is interesting to introduce some Chinese ancient stories,

such as “Pan-Ku”? “Ten Suns”?
A: I don’t think so. They are not realistic.

Q15. Do you think it is interesting to talk about some adventure stories, such

as “ the western joumey”?
A: It is okay if the structure is not complex.

Q16. Do you think it is interesting to introduce some historical stories, such as
“Shui Hu”?

A: Well, it depends on how well the story structure is and how the characters
interests her. As I said, the characters she likes are those humorous creatures
or beautiful princesses.

O Close-up Questions

Q17. Do you have any fprthe: ideas or guestipns about this project?

A: Ariel likes watching cartoons very much and she can watch them all day
long! If the characters are engaging with the current popular characters, I think
she will like them much.

66

APPENDIX C-3: INTERVIEW REPORT OF FAMILY THREE

I. Subject Profiles

Subject 5 (child): Power Puff Girl/ Female/ 11 years old
Subject 6 (parent): Joan/ Female/ 37 years old

Il. Interview for Children (Subject 5)

o Warm-up Questions

Q1. What is your name and how old are you?
A: My name is Power Puff Girl (to protect her privacy, the real name has been

replaced by a story character name, Power Puff girl). I am 11 years old.

0 Use of books, Internet and Multimedia Products

Q2. Do you like to read stombooks? Were they in English or Chinese?

A: I read a lot. I like novels the most. Chinese is too difficult.

Q2-1. Could yop show me which pns was yppr favorite and why?

A: She showed lots of books she has read including fantasy fictions and
some historical stories like “Ties that bind, Ties that Break” (from her
numerous book collections, I can tell she really reads a lot).

Q3. Do you like to use computers? A; schml or at home?
A: I like playing games (she replied my questions and kept playing a game
called “ Civilization III”, a strategic game).

Q4. Do you uss lntemet? At school or at home? Why did you uss them? And

which sites you like the most?
A: Sure. Sometimes I used lntemet to find some reference for my homework.

I can show you some sites, but now I am playing Civilization...

Q5. Do you play gamss? Could you show me which one is ypur favorite and
why?

A: Yes! I like Roller-coaster Tycoon and Civilization. In Roller-coaster Tycoon,
if you don’t construct them well or miss an end, there will cause an explosion!
Very exciting. Now I think Civilization is more fun (she showed me how to
play). I still got half of the, territories to go for (she started some fights with the
enemies and won some new territories).

67

9 Concept Test

Q6. Have you ever heard of any gtinese or Taiwanese stories before? Do

you like them? Could you tell me a Chinese stog or character you like the
most?

A: Umm...(she seemed busy at the game and could not think about an
example).

III. Interview for Parents (Subject 6)

O Warm-up Questions

Q1. How long have you lived in this county? What part of Taiwan are you

from?
A: For me, it has been 13 and half years. My husband came here earlier than
me. It’s been 15 years.

0 Concerns on Their Children’s Education

Q2. What are the most important concerns you have for your children's

Ieaming experiences?
A: (she thought the question was too general).

3. Is it im ortant to ou to kee our children informed about Chinese and
Taiwansse culture? How do you ta to do this?

A: Sure. We are Chinese! We talked to her in Chinese, and we sent her to
Chinese School five years ago. Initially she could not understand much, but
now it’s getting better and better.

4. What are the bar est and easiest thin about tea hin our kids about

Chinese and Taiwsnese culture?
A: (no comments)

Q5. Can your kid read, listen or speak Chinese? What language do you and
your children mostly pse to talk to each other? How about among the
parents?

A: She read a lot of books as you may see. Even she went to the Chinese

school, she would read novels during the class (Sigh). We talk to her by using
Chinese of course, and she replies with Chinese or English.

68

9 Use of books, Internet and Multimedia Products

Q6. Have you ever bought any books for your children, which were related
Chinese and Taiwanese culture? Were they in English or Chinese?

A: We bought a lot since she was a little kid. We thought she would
understand, or at least be interested in, but actually she did not read them
much. We also bought some storybooks that got English and Chinese when
she was around 8,but she only read the English part.

Q§-1. Why you choose them and how did your child like those books?

A: As I mentioned before, we bought those Chinese storybooks for her
because we expected her to read more Chinese. However, the speed she
read English text is much more faster than she read Chinese text. There is no
much we can do about it. Recently she has changed her interests a lot.
Some books she used to love are no longer her favorites. Now if she gets
interested in Chinese stories, she will find the book that has been translated
into English.

Q7. Havs you ever let yogr children to uss lntemet or Multimedia products
such as Games or CD-Roms for an educational or an entertaining purpose?
What kinds of Internet sites do ypu let them visit? tht kinds of CD-ROMs or
gamss have you bought for thsm?

 

A: Yes, when she was at 1“ or 2“d grade, she usually played some games
with her dad. Upon that time, her dad would help her setting up the computer
or solving some problems she encountered. But, now she has become more
independent than expected. She surfs on lntemet or plays games everyday,
all by herself. She seems not needing our companion anymore.

I didn't buy many games for her. I think reading is better for her. Usually it’s
her dad bringing her to BestBuy or Sam’s to buy some for her.

Q7-1. Could you talk amut why you chose these products and how your
children liked those products?

A: Now she got her won opinion on choosing books or games, and she would
ask her dad to buy for her. As I said, she likes reading a lot. She has
borrowed lots of books from school.

Q8. Did you often read books or use multimedia products with your children?

A: Not often. I don't like computers. I like oil painting and reading more. Her
dad would use computers with her when she was little, but not now.

69

Q8-1. What are the easiest and hardest about using the lntemet and using
CD-ROMs for yourself and your children?

A: (I skipped the question).

Q9. Overall, what is the most important feature among these products to make

you decide to let your children to have them?
A: If these products are educational, or she asks for them.

Innovative Ideas for the New Product

Q10. If there is a multimedia product to introduce Chinese mflhology and
folklore, what do you think it should be like?

A: Images should be interesting. And, if the stories are in English, she can
easily read them.

Q11. Do you think it is a good idsa to simultaneously put on two subtitles or

two versions including English and Chinese? Why or why not?
A: It is good to have two versions of subtitles. Narration can be Chinese,

which can help her memorizing the content.

Q12. What ars ypur favorits Chinsse and Taiwanese storiss when ypu were
kids?
A: Something like idiom stories.

Q12-1. From your pndegstsnding for your kids, whst kinds of Chinese stories

you think they are interested in?
A: Fantasy or historical ones.

13. Do ou think it is a id a to create some interactive ames as art

of my stoppelling in this product? And what might good games be?
A: Sure. She loves playing games. It’s hard for her to understand the

complete story by reading Chinese text only.

 

Concept Tests
Q14. Do you think it is interesting to introduce some Chinese ancient stories,

such as “Pan-Ku”? “Ten Suns”?
A: (No comments).

Q15. Do you think it is interesting to talk about some adventure stories, such

as “ the wsstem ioumey”?
A: It’s fun.

70

 

Q16. Do you think it is interesting to introduce some historical stories, such as
“Shui Hu”?

A: Yeah, she will be interested in historical stories if they have been
translated into English. Recently she read some historical storybooks, and
they are in English. Plus, animation or cartoon elements can maintain her
attention more.

Close-up Questions

Q17. Do you have any further ideas or guestions about this project?
A: I am glad that she likes reading, but I have started to worry about her near-

sight degree. Anyways, I hope she can learn more Chinese from this project.

71

APPENDIX D: STORY SCRIPT

Start (Character Profile)

VO:

Journey to the West is a mythology story that takes place in ancient China.

In this story a monk named Tang San Zung is sent by the emperor of the Tang
Dynasty to the west to get the Buddhist sutra.

The Buddhist sutra is a very important and spiritual scripture. This journey is long
and dangerous spanning across the desserts of central China all the way into
India!

However, monk does not have to face this journey alone. Along the way, he
meets several interesting individuals that join him on his journey, including
Monkey, Pig, and Shawu. But, these individuals are not necessarily the best
traveling companions.

Click on each to hear a little about them. When you are ready to watch this
exciting adventure unfold, click on “Begin”.

Monk:
Hi, my name is Tang San Zung. I am a peaceful Buddhist monk on a very
important journey for the emperor.

Monkey:

Hey, I am the most magnificent monkey in the world! I know you have heard me
before, haven’t you? I am going to help Monk complete his journey, but I am
going to have fun along the way!

Pig:

Hello, my name is Pig. I used to be a deity in heaven but I was cast down to the
earth. The gods said I was harassing some fairies, but I think they were just
jealous of my good looks.

Shawu:

My name is Shawu. I used be a fairy in Heaven. But, don’t let that fool you. When
I loose my temper, I can get pretty fierce!

72

Chapter 1: Monkey’s Birth

[Scene 1]

VO:

Once upon a time, on top of the Mountain of flowers and fruits sat a giant rock.
The giant rock had been absorbing the essence of the heavens and the earth for
thousands of years. On one stormy night, lightning struck the rock and it split
open. Lo and behold, out jumped a golden monkey with sparkling eyes.

[Scene 2]

VO:

As the golden monkey strolled down the mountain, he came across a group of
monkeys arguing with each other. They were deciding who should jump down the
waterfall to check what’s on the other side. The argument went on as no one
wanted to take on the task.

Golden Monkey:
I will go!

Small Monkey:
who are you and where did you come from?

Golden Monkey:
I am a product of nature," laughed the golden monkey. “If I go down the waterfall,
you shall crown me your leader!

VO:

As the group of monkeys was laughing at the golden monkey, he made stretch
and down he jumped, into the dangerous waterfall.

[Scene 3]

GM: Wow, what a paradise!

V0: The golden monkey swam across the waterfall and saw clusters of fruit and
beautiful flowers in front of him. A marble sign caught his eye. The sign said,
“Blessed Cave of the Water Curtain, the path to Paradise”.

He was excited about his discovery and rushed back to inform the other

monkeys.

73

All the monkeys were extremely pleased by the result and all moved to the Cave
of the Water Curtain. They honored the golden monkey’s bravery and crowned
him their leader.

[Scene 4]

V0:

Before he knew it, the golden monkey lived a carefree life in paradise as the
leader of monkeys for five hundred years. However, there was one thing that
worried him.

GM:

I am afraid lwon’t live much longer.

VO:

All the monkeys got down on their knees and cried.

Other Monkeys:
That can’t be true!

VO:
One brilliant monkey stepped out and said, “fairies are immortal! Why doesn’t
your majesty go to the fairy and ask him for the secret of living forever?”

The Golden Monkey thought it was a brilliant idea. He left the cave and took off in
search for the answer to immortality.

Chapter 2: Monkey Learns about Magic
[Scene 1]

V0:

The Golden Monkey walked for a very long time through the deserts and the
woods, but could not find the fairy. One day, he came upon a cave as he was
becoming exhausted. As he was climbing up the tree to rest, the giant stone gate
opened up and took the monkey by surprise

It turned out that Master Bodhi had been expecting the monkey. He took the
monkey in as his apprentice. He wanted to pass on the philosophy of Buddha and
magic power to the Monkey. The monkey was a fast learner and took on skills
such as the ‘thousand-league-vision”, “Cloud-riding” and “the 72-ways of
transformation”. One day, Master Bodhi called the Monkey over and said to him,

74

Master Bohdi: I have taught you everything I know and it is time for you to leave.
Remember only to use your power for a good cause, othenrvise you will regret it.

[Scene 2]

V0:

The Monkey jumped on the clouds and shortly arrived at his old cave and
announced his return, “fellas! I’m back!” He looked around and found everything
in ruins.

“Our king is back!” several monkeys peeked out cautiously from behind the rocks
and trees. They were excited to see their king return to the cave but was sad to
inform him about their home being attacked by the Evil Havoc and several of
them had been kidnapped.

The Golden Monkey was furious and set off for his revenge.
[Scene 3]

V0:

The golden monkey came to the Evil Havoc’s cave and started a fight. With his
newly acquired skills, He plucked his golden hair and blew them into the air. “
Alalalatola!” each hair turned into hundreds of tiny monkeys. These tiny monkeys
swarmed all over the demon -- pulling, kicking, and even tickling him. They
knocked the demon down and he couldn’t get up again.

[Scene 4]

VO:

From this experience with the Evil Havoc, Monkey could not stop thinking about
getting a more powerful weapon to protect his fellows. He decided to go to the
Eastern Sea to borrow one from the Dragon King who lived there underwater.

Underwater was beautiful. “Wow! How beautiful!” muttered Monkey. The palace
was made of white coral and studded with thousands of gleaming pearls!
Hundreds of crabs mounted on the backs of seahorses stood guard.

Monkey used his magic to pass through the entrance while Dragon King was
enjoying a Seaweed Dance.

Monkey:

I am the Magnificent Monkey King! I need a suitable weapon. l was told you had
many magical weapons to spare.”

75

VO:

Dragon King was so scared when he heard Monkey’s sonorous voice. He didn’t
have the guts to say no to this crazy Monkey. Dragon King showed some
weapons to Monkey.

“Too light!” Monkey tossed the weapons away. He grabbed Dragon King’s beard
and Dragon King cried out loud.

At this moment, Monkey’s eyes were immediately drawn to a thick iron pillar right
at the center of the treasure hall. It was a hundred feet long and it glowed with
beams of golden light.

Monkey:
Give me that!

V0:

“No! It is the magic pillar that holds the Sacred Island above the sea level. It
weighs thirteen thousand five hundred pounds!” said Dragon King. Monkey lifted
the pillar easily and said..

Monkey:
Does it? It would be a perfect if it weren’t so long and thick!

V0:
The weirdest thing happened, the pillar suddenly became shorter and thinner.
“Wow, it’s a magic pillar! Bigger! “, then the magic pillar grew bigger!

Monkey:
This is just perfect! Hahahaha .....

VO:

Monkey tested it with several thrusts and passes. It could even change its size on
demand!

Monkey turned and disappeared. Dragon King cried out with sadness. He
decided to report this incident to Heaven!

Chapter 3: Monkey Messed Around the Sea and Heaven
[Scene 1]

VO:

While Jade Emperor was having his breakfast, Dragon King rushed in. After
Dragon King reported what Monkey had done to him, Jade Emperor was
shocked. He asked an official, Thousand- League Eye, “ where is this monkey
from?” Thousand League— Eye answered...

76

Thousand League Eye:

Your majesty, I think the strange light we once saw a long time ago was the sign
of this monkey's birth.

VO:
Jade Emperor shook his head and said.

Jade Emperor:

It would be better not to mess with this monkey, since he is the product of
Heaven and Earth, I would rather give him an offer to come to Heaven to work
with me.

VO:
Everybody thought Jade Emperor’s strategy was great. Thousand League-Eye
went to the Cave of Water Curtain to inform the Monkey about this invitation.

[Scene 2]

VO:
Monkey was so excited about this good news. He leaped up happily” Haha! I
must be brave and intelligent for the Jade Emperor to want me to work for him!”

[Scene 3]

VO:

Heaven is a marvelous place to live. Monkey was so happy to see so many
magnificent mansions and beautiful gardens. However, Monkey was assigned to
feeding horses. He started to get bored pretty soon so he decided to play
around. He sneaked in the Peach Garden to steal peaches and drank wine on the
trees. Besides that, he even intruded to Taishan Senior Master's room and ate
his magical pills, which developed his body to be more powerful. After hearing
about Monkey’s rebellious behavior, Jade Emperor was extremely angry, and he
decided to Send Buddha RuLai to punish Monkey.

[Scene 4]

VO:

Monkey and Buddha Ru Lai had an intense fight. Buddha Ru Lai transformed
into a giant who extended his arm and grabbed the Monkey, “ the only place you
have to hide is in my palm!”

Monkey laughed and climbed up to a cloud and flew over a thousand leagues and
thought he had left Buddha RuLai far behind. So, he stopped to pee peed on the
ground. He plucked a hair and cried “ Alalalatolal” The hair turned into a
paintbrush. He wrote -- Magnificent Monkey King was here.

77

“Silly Monkey,” Buddha RuLai said with laugh. “You never left my palm!” Monkey
looked down and finally realized that he still stood on Buddha’s hand.

Buddha Ru Lai gently flipped over his hand and trapped Monkey in his grip.
Buddha’s five fingers transformed into a mountain range with five snow-capped
ridges. “ You will stay here until you regret what you have done and learn to use
your power wisely!"

Monkey:
No

 

[Scene 5]

VO:

Since Monkey was trapped under the Five Snow-capped Mountain, he flashed
back to his good old days. Thinking of Master Bohdi’s wise guidance and his
fellow monkeys, he regretted what he had done.

Chapter 4: Monk’s Mission

[Scene 1]

VO:

Time went by, Monkey had been imprisoned for five hundred years. It was now
the time of the Tang Dynasty. One day, the emperor of Tang Dynasty thought of
sending an eminent monk to the west, to get the Sacred Sutra, from today’s
India, to improve the Ethics of the society. Through a careful examination, there
was a monk called “ Tang, San-Zung” selected to be the candidate. This monk
undertook this important mission heading for the west.

[Scene 2]

VO:
While walking across a desert, Monk got to the Five Snow-capped Mountain.
Suddenly, he heard something awkward.

Monkey:
Master! Help me! Help me!

VO:
Monk turned around and lookedu—nobody was there. Monk was scared to death.
Suddenly, a monkey’s head appeared under the mountain, “ Master! I was the

78

monkey imprisoned by Buddha Ru Lai for five hundred years! If you tear off the
magical fingers on the mountain tops, I will do everything to serve you!”

Monk’s kind heart could not but help save this little poor thing. He tore off the
fingers. All of a sudden, the mountain exploded into pieces. Monk dropped to the
ground and wet himself.

“Ahaaaa~” Monkey was so excited to get his freedom back. He held Monk’s
hands and danced around.

Monkey:
You are my master from now on!

V0:
Monk thought, “it seems dangerous on the road. It is good to have such a
powerful partner to keep me company”.

[Scene 3]
VO:

After a short travel, they meta group of robbers. But before they could be robbed,
Monkey beat them to death. Monk was very angry upset about it, and said...

Monk:

It is bad to kill! Bad monkey!
VO:

Monkey exploded,

Monkey:

If I didn’t kill them, they would have taken your life, you stubborn Monk!

VO:

Monk felt insulted. He ran and cried. Suddenly, Buddha Lotus appeared with
hundred of golden beams, “ Have the monkey wear this hoop. When you read
this spell, it will give the monkey a terrible headache!”

Monk thought it’s a gift from Heaven. He came back and asked Monkey to wear
that golden hoop. Monkey seemed confused at this, but he put it on anyway.
Monk started reciting the magic spell, and Monkey got a sharp pain and rolled
over onto the ground.

Monk:
Now you will listen to me, won’t you?

79

Chapter 5: Pig and Shawu Joined the team
[Scene1]

VO:

After a long trip, Monkey and Monk started to get hungry. They came to a
thatched cottage. They knocked on the door. A kind old man and a pretty girl
answered the door. They invited Monkey and Monk inside to have a dinner.

While having the delicious dinner, the old man suddenly burst out in tears.
“ What is wrong?” Monk worried.

Old man said ” One day, a pig passed by our house and saw my pretty daughter.
Ever since then, he came here everyday nagging my daughter. He has some
magic power, and there’s nothing I can do to send him away...”

“ Shameless!” Monkey asked the old man when that pig would come again. The
old man said the Pig would come later that day. Then Monkey plucked his hair
and turned into the image of the beautiful daughter.

Just as expected, Pig came by later. Pig harassed the fake daughter and tried to
lift her skirt.

Monkey:
See who I am!

VO:
Monkey transformed back and used his golden bar to beat upon Pig's head. Pig
knelt down and cried.

Pig:
Who are you? You are good at fighting...

Monkey:
I am the most magnificent monkey in the world!

VO:

“Oh~ I know you! I used be a deity in Heaven as well! Since I harassed some
fairies, I was cast down to earth as a pig. I know magic as well! Please forgive
me and take me as your servant.”

8O

[Scene 2]

VO:
“Good. Good~” Monk chanted. He was moved by what Pig said. Monk decided to
accept Pig as a disciple. The Pig joined the team heading out west.

[Scene 3]

V0:

After a few days, this group of people came to a river called “Drifting Sand River”.
All of a sudden, a red-eyed, purple-haired monster appeared with a swirl trying to
eat Monk alive.

Pig dragged balls, a handkerchief and flowers from his magic hat, and tried to
beat the monster off. But he failed.

Monkey angrily pulled out his golden bar and beat the monster to make it
transform into its original form. It turned out this monster was a female. She
kneeled down and cried “ My name is Shawu. I used to be a fairy in the heaven. I
had a bad temper, and I killed some people. That’s how I got cast down to be a
monster on earth.

Monk said, “A wrongdoer may become a man of virtue once he does good.”
“Are you willing to leave your past behind and join us?”

Shawu said yes in tears.

Chapter 6: Ginseng Tree Fruit

[Scene 1]

V0:

The team of four came to a Taoist temple in which Grand Yuan Master has a
magical Ginseng Tree. This tree blossoms every three thousand years, and
produces fruit another three thousand years later. Once you eat the Ginseng
Fruit, you can live for over thirty seven thousand years.

Grand Yuan Master was glad to have an opportunity to have Monk and his
disciples over. However, he needed to go out to handle some business. So, He
told his own disciple, “ they are very important guests, you can give them two of
the ginseng fruits as a treat. No more than two, remember?” Then the Master left
his house.

81

[Scene 2]

VO:
Master’s disciple got on a ladder and carefully picked two fruit off the tree and
placed them on a tray to serve Monk and his disciples. Monk was stunned...

Monk: The fruit look like infants! My Gosh, I will never eat them!

V0:

The disciple was upset, and he went back to tell other the students that Monk
didn’t know anything about the goods. “Ginseng fruit tastes like peach, and they
extend your life for over thirty seven thousand years! What a fool!”

[Scene 3]

V0:

However, Pig overheard their dialogue. Pig went back to tell Monkey about the
secret of Ginseng Fruits. They happily went to the garden, shook the tree
heavily, and caught all of the Ginseng fruit in their mouth.

[Scene 4]

V0:
The next day, when Grand Yuan Master came back and found out what had
happened, he was so angry that he captured all of them.

He heated up a wok with boiling oil to deep fry Monkey. Monkey plucked a hair,
blew it, and then turned into a donut floating on the oil to make fun of the master.
Grand Yuan Master got even angrier. He decided to grab Monk and Pig and
throw them into the wok as well.

At this moment, Monkey transformed back to his original form. He asked Grand
Yuan Master for forgiveness. He promised to find Buddha Lotus to help revive
the Ginseng Tree.

[Scene 5]

VO:

Monkey hopped on his cloud and found Buddha Lotus. He asked for some

Sacred Dew.

[Scene 6]

82

VO:

Monkey got back to Grand Yuan Master’s garden and sprinkled the Sacred Dew.
Ginseng Tree suddenly revived and it bore fruit again! Grand Yuan Master was
very happy about it, so he picked a few Ginseng fruit to have a picnic with the
troublemakers. Monk started reading the magic spell to give Monkey a
headache. ” Don’t be naughty againl”. Monkey rolled on the ground.

Monkey: Oww~

Chapter 7: Iron Fan Princess and Bull King

[Scene 1]

VO:
They traveled continuously, and came upon a mountain called Flame Mount,
which was extremely hot.

“Why is it so hot here!” Shawu took out her handkerchief to wipe off her sweat.
Pig rolled on the ground and complained. “ Too hot!”

Monkey doubted it was usual to be this hot at the top of this mount. He pulled his
golden bar from his ear and knocked the ground to call for God of the Earth.

God of the Earth: (Coughing...) How can I help you, Monkey?”

VO:

Monkey asked the god of the earth, “why is this place is so hot? God of the Earth

said “ it was because you messed around in Heaven and you split Taishan Senior
Master’s stove to eat his magical pills. The fire fell down to the Earth and resulted

in such a disaster here.” You have to go ask Iron Fan Princess to help.

[Scene 2]

VO:
Monkey jumped from the cloud and took Iron Fan Princess by surprise.

Monkey: Excuse me, mam, can I borrow your fan?

Princess: (Screamed)

VO:

Princess screamed at Monkey, “ Where did this ugly monkey come from?”

Princess grabbed her giant plantain fan and wave at him and it blew Monkey far
away.

83

Monkey thought, “ Wow! That fan is unbelievable!”

But, he didn’t give up. He returned to Iron Fan Princess’s place knocking on her
doors. Monkey plucked his hair, blew it, and became a mosquito flying into
Princess’ place.

Plantain Fan Princess was drinking a cup of tea, so Monkey took the chance to fly
in her cup. Princess didn’t know she had swallowed Monkey with her tea.

[Scene 3]

VO:
Once getting in Princess’ stomach, Monkey jumped around and made Princess
miserable.

“ Please give me the fan!!” Monkey said. Princess rolled on the ground with
stomach pain and finally passed the fan over.

[Scene 4]

VO:

After Monkey got the fan, he came back to Flame Mount. He waved the fan
several times, but nothing happened. “She must have given me a fake!” Monkey
exploded. Shawu said” What if you transform into Princess’s husband and
borrow that fan again?”

Monkey thought this idea was awesome, and he transformed himself to be Bull
King going back to see Iron Fan Princess. Princess was very happy when Bull
King showed up. “My sweetie, did you hide that fan well?” Fake Bull King said.

Princess:
Why do you ask? A monkey came and asked to borrow it earlier but I have sent
him away!

VO:

Fake Bull King said, " Good. Then why don’t you show me that fan. I would like to
know for sure that it is safe.”

Princess didn’t have a doubt and opened her mouth. A tiny plantain fan was
hidden beneath her tongue.

Monkey was secretly stunned. He asked.” Smart girl! But, how can such a tiny
fan bring down the flame of the mount?”

84

 

Princess (laughed):
My dear, what is wrong with you today? Just read this spell and it can get back to
its normal size --- Alalala baby fan!

VO:

Monkey transformed back to his original form, robbed Princess’s fan and went
back to find Monk. Princess was astonished. Later on, the real Bull King got back
home. He was furious about what Monkey had done to his wife. He grabbed his
sickle and ran out with Princess.

[Scene 5]

VO:

Monkey, Pig and Shawu used all of their power while fighting with Bull King. Bull
King was a monster that could manage magic as well. After a few rounds, Bull
King revealed his original form — a big white bull and held Monk in his teeth.
Monkey jumped on Bull’s back and attacked his head. Princess and Shawu were
wrestling. Pig was a wimp who peaked out from behind the rocks and cheered
them on.

Eventually, Bull King and the Princess were taken down. At this moment, Buddha
Lotus showed up in the sky and said...

Buddha Lotus:
Bull King and Iron Fan Princess, do you guys regret seeing people in danger and
not lifting a finger to help?

VO:
Bull King and Plantain Fan Princess regretfully replied...

Bull King and Prlncess:
We were wrong!

VO:
Buddha Lotus smiled, thanked Monkey and his partners’ effort, and took Bull King
and his wife back to the Heaven.

[Scene 6]
VO:
Monkey happily grabbed the real fan and waved it heavily, which put out the

flame and brought up a rain shower. All of the residents knelt down and thank
them.

85

 

Chapter 8: Spider She-devils
[Scene1]

V0:

The four of them continued on their journey and came across a wide road.
Everybody was hungry. Monk got down from his horse and said, “There is a
house up ahead. Let me go over and ask for some food. I will be right back.”

[Scene 2]

VO:

Monk approached the house and knocked on the door. All of a sudden, the door
opened automatically. He saw three beautiful girls knitting. Monk felt
embarrassed, “ Excuse my rudeness, would you be kind enough to feed me and
my disciples some food?”

 

Spiders:
Not a problem! Hehehehe. ..

VO:

Three girls smiled strangely and brought up some plates. Monk saw the dark-
colored tofu on the plates, but he smelled something strange “it’s not vegetable, I
can’t have this. ”

Spiders:
You don’t have a choice! Hahahaaaaaaa!

VO:
Suddenly, the door shut. These girls’ belly blew up and they turned into three
spiders and captured Monk in their webs.

[Scene 3]
VO:
Monk was gone for a long time. Monkey climbed up a tree to see what was going

on. Shawu was torturing Pig for his annoying behavior. " Stop that! Master must
be in danger. Let me go check it out!” Monkey said.

86

[Scene 4]

VO:

Monkey came to the house and found there were some white sticky shreds of
fabric on the walls. He turned into a bird and flew into the house. A few girls
were taking a bath.

One girl said, “I heard that Monk’s flesh can improve our health and extend out
lives! Let’s steam him, or stir-fry him later on?”

“Monsters!” Monkey hurried back to tell Pig and Shawu about this discovery.

 

Once Pig heard that these girls were undressed. He volunteered to save Monk. !
[Scene 5]

V0: ,2.
Pig came to the house, jumped into the pond, and tried to act like a swimming t
fish. -

The girls transformed to become spiders to wrap Pig with their threads. One
spider placed Monk and Pig into a steamer.

[Scene 6]

VO:

After a long wait, Monkey knew something must have gone wrong. He rushed to
the house and saw that spiders were waiting at the steamer with watering
mouths. Monkey quickly pulled out his golden bar and smashed one spider.
However, more spiders and a centipede appeared and bit his leg!

Monkey cried, “ Ow~”, and he thought he was finished this time. Unexpectedly,
an old grandma showed up, “ Hey! I am Bi-Lan Buddha, I am here to help you!”

Suddenly, this old lady turned into a chicken and ate the centipede alive!
Monkey, now free, took this sweet chance and killed all the other spiders.
However, it was too late, he was poisoned by the centipede!

Bi-Lan Buddha switched back to her original form and gave Monkey the cure.
“Your master and Pig were also poisoned. Here are some medicine for them.”
Then Bi-Lan Buddha left

Shawu arrived after that, Monkey shouted, “ where have you been? Shawu
embarrassedly said,...

Shawu:
On the toilet.

87

 

Chapter 9: The Goal Achieved

[Scene 1]

V0:

The team had travel more than six months. One the way to the west, Monk,
Monkey, Pig and Shawu encountered lots of danger, but they all overcame the
obstacles. Monkey remained naughty, and Monk had to use the spell on him
over and over; Pig was lazy as usual and was tortured by Shawu all the time.
However, they grew into a team that helped and loved each other.

In the end, they got to the destination in the West. A small child came to
welcome them, and led them to the Magnificent Buddhist Master’s temple.

The Magnificent Buddhist Master knew exactly why they were there, and brought
up a sutra.

“Sigh~ This Sutra that shows no handwriting is the best one. You have to use
your wisdom to see through what is behind each blank page.

Monk and his fellows kneeled down and thanked to the Magnificent Buddhism
Master.

These four people were glad to accomplish their mission. They returned to the
central China and presented the Sutra to the Emperor of Tang Dynasty.

[Scene 2]

V0:

The emperor was very happy about this result. While Monk was asked to read
the Buddhism Scripture, Jade Emperor, Buddha Ru-Lai and Buddha Lotus
revealed themselves in the sky.

“You all contributed a lot of effort to accomplish this mission, which improved your
spirituality and ethics. All of you were once immortals in Heaven, made mistakes
and were cast down to Earth. Now you’ve learned your lesson and it’s time for
you to return to where you came from! " They then ascended into the heavens
with Buddha Ru-Lai .

Jade Emperor was very pleased to see that all four of them showed such
progress. Monk, Monkey, Pig and Shawu were reborn as immortals.

The end

88

 

 

 

APPENDIX E: CHARACTER DESIGN- SUPPORTIVE CHARACTERS

 

Master Bodhi ‘ Dragon King

 

 

 

 

89

 

 

 

 

Grand Yuan Master

God of the Earth

 

 

 

 

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; Evil Havoc l Iron Fan Princess and Bull King
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_ ; Spiders
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90

 

APPENDIX F: GAME DESIGN CONCEPT SHEETS

Game 1: Monkey Flying

 

r7Goal

To enhance the impression of the stories in Chapter Two 7
(Monkey got the power to ride clouds) and Chapter Three 3

I

(Monkey and Buddha Rulai’s fight).

 

: Rules

From a bird view angle, players will see Monkey riding on 7
the cloud at the center of the screen. Players should use '
left-and-right arrow keys to help Monkey to reach the

destination without hitting any obstacles: Buddha Rulai, .
Buddha Lotus and mountains. Catches are thought of as
spills when Monkeyhits the obstacles.

 

Challenge

The speed will go faster and faster, and more obstacles
will appear.

 

Outcome and
gFeedback

 

Players who pass the trail without hitting any obstacle are
considered successful. The game ends earlier if too
many spills occur. On the last page, players will watch a
short movie clip: Buddha Rulai flips his hand over and
trapped Monkey in his grip.

 

 

Game 2: Monkey Chase

 

Goal

‘2

To emphasize the relationship between Monkey and
Monk (Monk obtains a magical spell for punishing
Monkey whenever Monkey behaves rebellious).

 

; Rules

The concept comes from the PacMan Game. Players use
left-and right arrow keys to move the object-Monkey. The
bananas on the screen will disappear as Monkey passes
over them. Monkey can jump from one side of the screen
to the other by passing though the tunnel on either side.
The player got three lives. Once Monk catches Monkey,
the player loses a life. When the player loses three lives,
the game is over. j

 

 

Challenge
l

Monkey has to avoid Monk while getting all the bananas. g

 

Outcome and
gFeedback

 

On the game-over screen, a short movie appear: Monk ,
scold Monkey by his spell, and Monkey will have a painful
headache rolling over the ground. =

 

91

Game 3: Ginseng Fruit Catch

 

Goal

7 To engage with the story of Chapter Seven (Ginseng

Fruit Tree)

 

 

Rules

l
!

Pig holds a basket riding on a ball, and left -and right -
arrow keys control his movement. Pig would stop
automatically before going beyond the left and right side
of the screen. If Pig catches one ginseng fruit, the player
will earn one point. There are 20 fruit for a player to
catch/ The game ends when the 20 fruit have been
distributed.

 

; Challenge

Ginseng fruit fall from a random place on the top of the
screen. The speed of falling will get faster and_faster.

 

70utcome and
gFeedback

 

The score will be equal to the number of Ginseng fruit 7

that Pig has caught. A short movie clip will show up on
the ending screen: Pig’s mouth is full of Ginseng fruits.
His belly becomes bigger and bigger and finally ewlodes.

l
l
l
l

 

 

Game 4: Hunt the Spiders

 

‘ To enhance users’ impression toward Monkey’s fighting

skills; to engage with the story of Chapter Nine (spider

. she-devils).

 

l
I
r
l
l
l

Monkey is placed at the lower part of the screen holding
his iron bar to aim at the target, spiders.

Spiders appear randomly at different places and times in
the forest. Players can scroll left and right through a
larger scene to hunt the target. They can click on the left
key of the mouse to trigger the fireball to hit the targets.
Players will have 50 bullets to spare. Every time the
player hit the target, there will be one reward point. The
game will end till they spare their bullets.

 

3 Challenge

The targets move randomly. The nearby objects will
move faster than the distant objects.

 

rOutcome and
fFeedback

 

 

A calculated result will show on the right top of the

screen. A short movie will show up on the ending-screen: '

sgders are steam-fried by monkey.

 

92

BIBLOGRPHY

United States Census Bureau. (2000). Asian Population.
[Online]. Available: (http://www.censusgov/prod/2002pubs/c2kbr01-16.pdf)

Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (2003). Connected to the Future: A Report
on Children’s lntemet Use. [Online]. Available:
(http://www.cpb.org/odfs/ed/resources/connected/03 connect reportpdf)

Cheskin. (2002). Designing Digital Experiences for Youth.

King, Christy Lynn. (2000). A Garden Symphony: The Creating of a Multimedia
Musical Composition Toll for Children.

Ruth A ___P_eters. (2003). Helping Your Kids Learn and Play Online- Safely.
Consumers' Resssrph Magazine. Washington. Nov 2003. Vol. 86, Issue 11

John Wiley & Sons Inc. (2001 ). Interaction Design- beyond human-computer
interaction.

Cooper. (1999). The Inmates Are Running the Asylum.
Wei-Ming Chao. (2000). Journey to the West (Teenager Edition).
Jeniffer W.J.F. (2001). Journey to the West.

Jiang, Ji-Li. (2002). The Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven.

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