Playing computer games is an extremely popular leisure activity for children. In fact, the computer games market in the UK is now double that of the video rental market, and substantially larger than cinema box office sales, and under people under the age of 18 make up 38% of these game players. Based on the popularity and strong motivational effect of computer games among young people, educators have started to consider how games can be used in educational settings. This paper goes beyond the state of the art by considering the benefits which can be gained from enabling children to create stories in the medium of interactive 3D virtual reality computer games, with reference to previous research and currently available software packages. The authors provide some background on the development of interactive narrative in computer games and describe a study in which ten teenagers created their own stories using the computer game authoring tool available in a commercial role-play game, NeverWinter Nights. The games creation process, including preparation work away from the computer, is explained with emphasis on the narrative aspects of the games. In addition findings are reported from analysis of the games produced by the young people, and interviews in which the workshop participants reflect on their experiences. Implications of these findings are explored and the authors conclude with some suggestions for future research directions. (Contains 14 figures.)