Task 5: Twine Task
To date, this has been my favourite task so far. It was challenging, engaging, and insightful. This is a tool I will be incorporating into my lesson plans as either a way to instruct material and for student activity.I found this task challenging as I am new to Twine and coding all together, although, I am fortunate to have explored Twine in order to dip my toes in the world of coding.
Reflection on Strategy:
Overall:
My strategy for this task was to understand the software more than focusing on the story I wanted to create. I wanted to be able to explore the different options Twine offers, for example, putting a link that lead to one option and eventually leading back to the original page. I learned this through the YouTube video posted on the module. This technique took some trial and error as I would go to test my game and realize it would accidentally lead me to a dead end due to a mistyped code.
The Process (The Up’s):
I was motivated to make my Twine comical as I found the sample Twine, “The Temple of No”, quite entertaining with the wit and randomness embedded into the game. Although I didn’t shoot for a clear path for my Twine, I was able to allow my participants to click on different hypertexts to bring them to new and or “wrong” option. My goal was to make my Twine engaging and inevitably, with the software, I was able to do so by creating hypertexts to manage my game. Bolter (2001) describes the e-book as an “authentic” and “immediate” experience for the readers, whereas, Twine uses hypertexts to create just that. It allows for players to identify words and interact with them, for example, an e-book could take you to the definition, whereas Twine brings you to the next interaction in the game. Twine is immediate as when you click on the hypertext, it simultaneously brings you to the next page. Twine’s interactivity allows readers to identify keywords that are needed to evaluate the game.
Additionally, after listening to Helen Zaltzman’s (2019) interview with Gretchen McCulloch, I paid more attention to the punctuation I would use to incorporate suspense and excitement. Zaltzman and McCulloch describe the use of a period and whether or not it signals to something within instant text messaging. For example, they discuss whether adding a period while texting means you are angry or wanting to end a discussion or if it just means you are following proper punctuation. While I was creating each page, I would add multiple periods or capital letters to signal suspense or excitement. However, I did wonder if it will portray that way to my potential players. Will I be the only one to identify these emotional signals or will my audience understand my intentions?
The Downs:
I found the attached YouTube link in Canvas extremely helpful as the language on Twine was difficult for me to understand. Although I enjoyed the creation process, it was challenging at times. For example, researching ways to try and add photos and or different font and ending up unsuccessful. Unfortunately, after multiple YouTube videos and research through Google, I was unable to come up with the correct code to input my pictures. I wanted to put in a picture of a ghost, however, I was unable to get the correct format of picture to work with the instructed code. In the end, I chose to keep it simple and work on the different options for the hypertexts rather than aesthetic appeal. In the future, I plan to incorporate visuals and auditory options to make it more exciting to play.
Click on my Twine game below:
References:
Bolter, J. (2001). Writing space: computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. New York, NY: Routledge.
Zaltzman, H. (Executive Producer). (2019-Present). The Allusionist [Audio podcast]. Lingthusiasm Podcast. https://www.theallusionist.org/new-rules