The Process
Being very new to hypertext writing and HTML, I initially tried to create my game entirely on paper. However, as the complexity of my story was increasing, the limited affordances of a pencil and eraser quickly became apparent. Thus, I was forced to switch to the computer, which became my ‘clerk’ helping me to externalize my thoughts in “symbolized concepts” (Englebart, 1963, p. 6). Not only I was able to focus on little steps without having to remember every iteration I already had written in my game, but due to the permanence of the computer text, I was also able to test-run, revise, and edit the game as many times as I wanted. It is hard to argue with Englebart (1963) that such use of technology increased the level of the information I could handle, shortened the time, and thus, turned me into an “augmented” story designer.
I wrote a game about myself and the choices that I make every day, representing these choices through hyperlinks. Twine makes these choices visible to myself, the author, and you, my reader, who is invited to take a journey into that space (Bolter, 2001).
The Game
Readings, assignments, deadlines – they are a part of every graduate student’s life. Many struggle with balancing school, career, family, and self-care.
What choices would you make if you were a graduate student? Try the game to understand what choices and decisions students face. There are several options, but only one path leads to the successful completion of the game.
Click the link below to download the game on your computer. Extract the HTML file and run it in your browser. Good luck!
References
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Hypertext and the Remediation of Print. In Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. Routledge.
Englebart, D. (1963). A conceptual framework for the augmentation of man’s intellect. In Hawerton, P.W. and Weeks, D.C. (Eds.), Vistas in information handling, Volume I: The augmentation of man’s intellect by machine. Washington, DC: Spartan Books.