Interactive Story Designer (Narrative for Games & Apps) (Volunteer)

Interactive Story Designer (Narrative for Games & Apps) (Volunteer)

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: Storytelling & Media / PromisePress / PromisePlay

Location: Remote via Google Meet and/or New York City (as needed)

Type: Volunteer (Unpaid)

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability. Through mentorship, literacy development, social-emotional learning, creative expression, and storytelling, MAP creates safe, consistent, and empowering spaces where young people are seen, respected, and valued.

MAP’s digital storytelling work—particularly through PromisePlay—uses interactive narrative to promote engagement, empathy, and learning across game-based and app-based experiences.

Purpose of the Role

The Interactive Story Designer creates narrative experiences for games and digital tools that center choice, consequence, and emotional engagement. This role writes branching narratives and choice-based stories that support learning outcomes while remaining grounded in empathy, identity, and lived experience.

Working closely with game designers, educators, and product teams, this role helps ensure that interactive stories are both compelling and developmentally meaningful for MAP youth.

Key Responsibilities

• Write branching narratives and choice-based storylines for games and apps
• Design story paths that reflect consequence, growth, and emotional learning
• Collaborate with game designers, UX designers, educators, and developers
• Align narrative elements with learning objectives and SEL outcomes
• Ensure stories are engaging, age-appropriate, and trauma-informed
• Integrate empathy, reflection, and ethical decision-making into gameplay
• Participate in design sprints, narrative reviews, and iteration cycles
• Maintain clear documentation of story logic, branches, and outcomes
• Check and respond to emails daily, with responses within 48 hours
• Take responsibility for continuous improvement by incorporating playtesting feedback

Qualifications

• Experience in interactive storytelling, narrative design, game writing, or UX writing
• Strong understanding of branching narrative structures and player choice
• Ability to balance engagement, empathy, and educational intent
• Sensitivity to trauma-informed and culturally responsive storytelling
• Strong collaboration and communication skills
• Commitment to ethical, inclusive, and mission-driven digital storytelling

Bonus (Not Required)

• Experience writing for educational games or youth-focused apps
• Familiarity with game engines, interactive fiction tools, or narrative design software
• Background in SEL, education, or learning sciences
• Bilingual or multilingual abilities (Spanish or Haitian Creole preferred)

Commitment

• Volunteer role, approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment preferred
• Remote collaboration via Google Meet, with optional NYC-based participation
• MAP prioritizes consistency, care, and respect for creative labor

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience designing interactive narratives with real educational impact
• Portfolio-ready branching stories and narrative design documentation
• Collaboration with game designers, educators, and product teams
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• The opportunity to help young people learn through choice, story, and play

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist.

Design stories that invite choice, reflection, and growth—where play becomes a pathway to learning.