I had never tried to write a “digital story” before. Only because I was never quite sure of what one was. When looking through the tools list of what sites, apps, or programs we could use to create our digital story, I was surprised to find Plotagon Studio on the list. I had used Plotagon before, with friends, to make dumb joke videos.

Plotagon is a mobile and desktop platform that can be downloaded onto your desktop computer through Windows, or on your phone as long as you have access to the Apple Store or to the Google Play Store. It’s free to download and use for the first 7 days, you just have to sign up with an e-mail and password to create an account. To download the software on your computer requires a bit of space, at about 6GB. After creating an account, Plotagon will send you a verification code that you have to access through your email.

After the 7 day period, they suggest setting up a subscription which will allow access to more content, more voice options to voice your characters, and allows you to download and use your stories with no water marks. There are no ads that you’re required to watch to access content. While Plotagon is free to create an account with and free to use at first, if you wish to acquire more scene options or character customization accessories, you can buy them individually or purchase a subscription.

              Plotagon is fairly easy to use. It’s basically a movie creator with digital scenes and characters. You can select a certain scene from Plotagon’s options (you can only select one of a certain few unless you pay to unlock more), build a character (also with limited customization options unless purchased), type up a script that the characters speak, and have Plotagon act it out for you. In addition to choosing scenes and creating characters that look the way you want them to, Plotagon also gives its users choices of behaviors or facial expressions that you can have your characters act out so that they portray the emotions you want them to get across better.

              Traversing the program is pretty simple, especially from a mobile screen. There are limited options to choose from when beginning to create a video, in that it simply says “Create Video” or “Import Project.” Once you click on “Create Video” it comes up with options to choose a scene or to type text. The options Plotagon gives you as you create your story always come with pretty simplistic buttons so that users have less difficulty accessing its features.

              Plotagon doesn’t require any type of materials other than a computer or a phone on which to download the program. While you can use headphones, Plotagon has its own automated voicing options which gives the characters a voice so that the user doesn’t have to. Likewise, Plotagon has its own scenes and character options so that not only is a microphone not required, but neither is a camera.

              There is no age requirements to use Plotagon, though it does seem that the target audience is supposed to be younger, like children and teenagers, possibly young adults too. The simplistic style of the program shows that it doesn’t take much technological requirements or knowledge to know how to create stories on their software. Similarly, the cartoon-y type of graphics that Plotagon uses in its characters and scenes has an entertaining appeal to younger people.

              Plotagon can do a fair amount of things when it comes to creating a story on their program. Allowing users to create characters gives them the option to produce a stronger image of the story they want to get across. Being allowed to design a character means the users can put symbolism into the appearances of their characters or even use the design to portray whether a character is supposed to be rich, poor, messy, clean, young, old, etc. This is also true for the scene feature, which allows users to choose from a certain panel as to what scene their characters should be in. When creating my story, I chose a “teenage bedroom” to place my character in, because the room was messier than the other options that Plotagon provided and I wanted my character to come across as young and messy, like typical teenagers.

              Plotagon also allows users to select where their character is in regards to the scenes, such as whether their sitting on the right side of the room, or standing on the left side. This gives users more freedom and selection in their scenes and provides a break from repetitive, monotonous scenes where your character is stuck in the same area of the same room.

              Plotagon allows for smooth transitions between scenes, but it doesn’t quite have a lot of effects to switch from one to another. While this cuts down on the complete customization of a users story, I think it keeps the overall story from seeming too cartoon-ish and movie-like.

              What Plotagon doesn’t do is allow users to give their characters a voice of their own which they can record themselves. At least, this isn’t allowed in the free trial version of the program. Likewise, Plotagon doesn’t allow any other media to be inputted, such as photographs or videos. I also don’t like how Plotagon only gives selected options without paying for them. With a program so simple and fun to use, I wish they would give users more freedom to create for free.

              Overall, I really enjoy using Plotagon because it almost feels more like a game than a tool. Allowing users to change the appearance of their characters or scenes, as well as making the characters cartoon-based simulators, makes the program super appealing to kids and young adults. Giving the characters a monotone, computer-generated voice makes the speech almost humorous regardless of the situation. Additionally, I love the expressions that Plotagon allows users to give to their characters because they seem almost over-dramatic.

              I like how simple Plotagon is to use and how fun it is to create a story on. Because of this, even with the creation restrictions and the free trail without a paid subscription, I will still continue to use this app/program. In fact, it’s one of the few software programs I would actually be willing to pay money for.