Why We Love MAPs
By the Scratch Community Team
This post is part of a blog series about what young people are sharing in the Scratch online community.
First things first, what is a MAP?
A MAP is a short, collaborative project made up of numerous animations by different creators. MAP stands for multi(ple)-animator project.
MAPs are typically set to music or audio clips which have been sliced into shorter segments. Each project member is responsible for animating their assigned part. Once all of the animators have completed their parts, the “host” creator edits the individual parts into a final MAP.
Scratcher forever- created a handy Guide to Hosting a MAP, which breaks the MAP process down into six easy steps.
MAPs have grown in popularity on Scratch, probably because they bring community members together in fun, creative, innovative ways.
Here are a few reasons why we love MAPs:
1. MAPs are collaborative — a way for Scratch community members to connect, interact, and work together.
2. They allow creators to showcase different animation and drawing styles in a single project.
3. MAPs are a great way to add your voice to a cause or theme.
4. The reveal of the completed project is always worth the wait.
5. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” When Scratchers come together for a project, they can experiment, iterate, and inspire one another — many times creating something different or better than they could have accomplished alone.
See what we mean?
Check out the Completed MAPs! studio for inspiration for creating your own MAP, or contribute to a project in the Open MAPs studio.