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!