I have been interested in Twine for ages, yet I have never sat down to just play with it. My goal for this task was to explore Twine and integrate different components such as external links, video and images to start with. I wanted to get a better sense of the flow and structure of Twine and how one passage can lead to another (or in some cases, many other passages). In addition, I wanted to see if I could find a way to make the adventure playable within WordPress, so I learned how to use Github (Twine Task on Github) to ‘package’ Twine and was able to post it directly to WordPress (see Twine activity below). Two new tools in one week: awesome!
Immediately, I noticed how similar Twine is to what I imagine Bush’s memex might’ve been had it been more than a thought experiment at the time. Like Bush’s memex, I created a series of trails a participant can follow; one can opt to go through the task through a fairly streamlined/simple path, or one can explore all avenues of the Twine activity by hopping from one passage to the next.
The task itself is a reflection of my creative process which is similar to Twine in that it can be quite meandering and branching, however, it ultimately all leads to the same (odd?) conclusion. I really enjoyed this first attempt with Twine and though my focus was on the mechanics of Twine and the connections between each passage (and so perhaps my adventure might seem silly), I can see how useful Twine can be in conveying meaning through not only the text and available trail you can take, but the options available for you to take as well. Allowing an audience to explore and create their own path through text can be a powerful experience!
Tamara, that was fun! And amidst the light atmosphere you embedded some relevant content. I think that’s probably one of the great things about Twine, you can traverse through absurdity and then move along into important points and back to silliness, and it works. I like your connection to the memex, as you can easily see how a Twine path can relate to that technology. I don’t think the Memex had the zoom out feature that Twine has, where we can visualize the story. I don’t have a good sense of how those Memex pathways and documents were tracked, it seems like it could become convoluted fairly easily.
Hi Janice,
I really enjoyed this task! My emphasis this time ’round was the mechanics, structure and flow to Twine. I wanted participants to be curious about the options I included so I tried to make it light and fun, but what I was really interested in, is how the different passages could connect together. What would that final path look like? The answer: it depends! That was the really cool part of this experience. I was able to create enough connections and interconnections that (I hope) a participant was able to carve out their own path and find their way to the inevitable ending through whatever works best for the participant. That’s when I also made the connection with the memex. Twine is a fantastic tool because you, the author, can see the various potential paths a participant can choose, however, it’s up to the participant to decide what is meaningful to them!
I believe the memex was actually a thought experiment and was never created by Bush (though some have created what they imagine the memex would look like and how it would function). But you’re absolutely right! Had Bush been able to create an actual memex, I don’t think the technology would have existed in order to allow him to view the different trails he was creating in order to see the ‘whole’ of the journey he was creating for his viewers/participants.
First of all,
You are a wizard for figuring out how to embed your TWINE tale into wordpress. Big Deal. I tried and gave up. I could not even get a zip file version to settle into my post!
When you mentioned that your thoughts meander but “ultimately all lead to the same (odd?) conclusion” , I realized the power of Twine as a learning tool. We are giving people a choice and letting them move along a path, but like an Ikea store, we all end up at the same place by the end.
Great Job.
I’ve never been called a wizard before, but I’ll take it! Thanks, Ryan!
It took me a while to figure out how to encapsulate the Twine activity in GitHub, but when it actually worked, I was pretty excited. (Feeling pretty geeky at the moment).
I also enjoyed your comparison between Twine and IKEA: absolutely! You can wander around wherever you want, but in the end, you’ll always find yourself at the cash or…rooster? 🙂