My process of completing this task reminded me of Bolter’s (2001) description of hypertext:

“A hypertext is like a printed book that the author has attacked with a pair of scissors and cut into convenient verbal sizes” (p.35).

Bolter (2001) describes how the electronic hypertext creates order out of this chaos, so slips of paper are linked to create meaning.

As I created my Twine story, more often than not I felt like I couldn’t piece the slips of paper back together.  Instead they were often scattered, disconnected, or misconnected.  Passages didn’t make sense once connected, or attempts at embedding coding to add different audio or visual features failed.

While challenging, some interesting observations came out of this process:

• Twine is a digital storytelling platform which encompasses so many features of hypertext – its elements are interconnected and layered, and it exists as a concrete visual in the design space.
• Twine represents how hypertext has become the “remediation of print” (Bolter, 2001, p.42), as you still need to use traditional storytelling elements to create an effective digital story.
• For a code to work it needs a clear path, which can be challenging if trying to embed more complex features.  This is much like the challenge of reading online, where hypertext has the potential to take the reader in so many different directions it can be difficult to capture the intent of the message.

So after reflecting on this process, I would have to say it was very worthwhile.  Having ZERO coding experience I decided (translation: to survive) to take a simple approach.  My Twine story is a game that could be played by high school students, possibly in a Careers class.  The purpose of the game is to have students think about the different choices they will have to make after high school, and where these choices will lead.  I hoped to show them that there are many different paths to success, but the common trait on all paths is the willingness to work hard to achieve goals.

I hope you enjoy my game!

Game of Life

References

Music for Twine story:  https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Images for Twine story: https://pixabay.com/

Bolter, Jay David. (2001). Writing space: computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. New York, NY: Routledge.