Versu looks interesting. Created by Linden Labs, the outfit behind virtual world Second Life, the free app enables users to actively engage stories. “Readers” assume various characters and determine the course of the narrative through a menu of choices. The story is further directed by the interaction between characters, which, through artificial intelligence, are endowed with unique motivations and emotional reactions as you interact with them.
In her latest screencast, School Library Journal contributor Linda W. Braun test drives Versu in an assessment that considers the potential of interactive platforms that blur the lines between reader and creator—a particularly compelling concept when it comes to kids and teens.