Here is my first attempt at a Twine game, which I have titled “Pandemic Haircut!”:
Creating this game and using Twine was actually quite easy and fairly fun to do. The layout and functionality mimics both basic html programming, which I have some basic knowledge in, as well as the general structure of word processors and layout processors. The layout of a Twine game is essentially a concept map or flowchart, and anyone with basic experience with that should understand it. Some quick Googling gave answers to allow some slightly more involved Twine mechanics like revealing text on the same page when clicking on other text. The linking system between pages of the game is also essentially the same as what many blogs use (including WordPress that this blog uses).
I found that the ability to branch and link the story naturally leads to a kind of ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ type of game, although one could easily make a more linear and traditional ‘turn-the-page’ type of story. The ability to link back to previous pages, and link several outcomes to the same page leads one to make certain types of decisions and structure the story in a certain way – I found it leading me towards a certain type of humor. It makes me wonder what the structure of a traditional book, or older non-computerized games, does to the type of stories being written and told? How much of our writing and it’s inherent structure is dependent on the medium and the assumptions it causes?