interactive fiction- Hannah S.

 I had no idea that computer games could be considered a form of E-lit. Early IF games were text based and did not have visuals. The player was given instructions to follow to get through the game. This typer of E-lit was made primarily outside of formal/academic environments. Instead, it is developed by the people making it interacting and sharing within the community. IF products are considered games since the player is working toward a goal of winning or solving a certain puzzle. However, some are more story driven and the puzzles are there to enhance the user Experience instead of it being the focal point. There may be some limits to the storytelling since the text can have a limited vocabulary. The creator may also choose to take on and interact with real world political issues in their games. Through the reading I learned how big Twine is to the IF community. We have briefly touched on it in class but I did not know how widely used it was for the development of IF and hypertext literature. It is great that there is a beginner/user friendly way for people to get into interactive fiction without having and extensive background in coding or game development. It was also interesting that in group games and social spaces, these can be performances. I did not know how involved these games could be. 

I explored Adam Cadre's Photopia. Honestly, I was a little confused by it because I am not very tech savvy. However, like the book mentioned, it is more story based with less interaction. It is more linear than some of its other IF counterparts which I did appreciate. The commands were pretty simple, 'Talk' to talk, 'W' to walk, 'x' for examine. The game would get a little sassy with me when I tried to use the wrong command, but honestly it was entertaining for the character to think they were mentally deteriorating when I asked them to talk to no one. When I looked into it, some people were unhappy with the lack of interactivity in the game. I can understand that for those who are more advanced players and are looking for a challenge. However, for the inexperienced or those of us who fight with technology daily, this would be a good place to start.