It's a game played in person, not online. #Storytags brings back the face-to-face practice of storytelling.
It's a game played in person, not online. #Storytags brings back the face-to-face practice of storytelling. Photo: Alyse Capaccio
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#Storytags the game: Brings the face-to-face back to gaming

Photo of Alyse and Danny Capaccio

Alyse Capaccio and her husband, Danny, took their love for gaming and a desire to preserve family stories to create #Storytags.

by Carole Johnson, university news and communications

With a name like #Storytags, it’s understandable to think this game needs some kind of mobile device. But, think again. A room, friends, family and stories set the stage for this new interactive card game ready to burst into the market. 

Created by Miami employee Alyse Capaccio and her husband, Danny, #Storytags the game is their attempt to encourage people of all ages to tell more stories.

Photo shows the deck of cards.

#Storytags is played with a deck of cards, not a computer.

Alyse Capaccio said the idea came to them after visiting with family and not knowing how best to approach her grandparents about their past.

That’s when the Capaccios' love of games sparked the idea that brought together the age-old tradition of storytelling and the old-fashioned card game, but with a modern twist.


Each card in the deck comes with a story idea prompt. A simple point system fosters friendly competition among players. The goal is to tell the best story. The twist is the use of the modern hashtag culture by “tagging” stories. Just like in social media, #Storytags encourages people to share in the storytelling by interjecting “hashtags” into the conversation — such as “#social media.”

“We created the game to be played in a room with other people. Stories are so much better when you can interact,” Alyse Capaccio said.

That is why a plan for an online version is not in the immediate future. The couple did, however, develop a website, storytagsgame.com, to help market the game. In fact, a PDF version of a 108 card starter set will be soon available free for downloading.

However, mass production of physical sets of cards is their mission. They launched the game Feb. 4 with Kickstarter, a website that helps creative projects find financial support through crowdfunding. They are seeking startup funds to help with production costs.

Each printed deck includes 300 cards. Additional themed sets are in the works for players to add to their card collections based on their interests. For instance, the couple is looking at family-friendly additions, adult additions and more.

The Capaccio duo likes to think of this as their give back to the gaming world. The two participated in Miami Global Game Jams and admit to “an ever-growing collection of games” in their closet at home.

Testing the game with their friends and family, the couple discovered stories never heard, laughed and enjoy more and more evenings together.

*Alyse Cappacio is a Web design specialist in university communications and marketing. The Capaccios run the Oxford-based design studio Polyrhythm.