Research Journal

#3

I have been “playing” different types of video interactive fiction of different varieties to get a feel for what the layout would look like. I have been experimenting with the “freedom” of choices and the actions of giving the reader that much choice. While I want to invoke this feeling of freedom I debate whether or not I want to give complete freedom with the choices. With playing a version of the first interactive fiction, “Adventure” by Willie Crowther and Don Woods, where the is a place to enter any word combination of two words, I felt overwhelmed. While I was free to travel as though I was there my mind was taken over by making the “right” choice almost. I did not know where to go from my first choice. Maybe it was because this is my first time playing such a game and with more experience I would know where to go from there but I stopped playing the game because it was too much. On the other hand I played an independent version that had specifically two to three choice for the play to play, almost like a fork in the path. Being a noob at this style of literature, and knowing that my audience is in the same shape as myself, I am thinking that I will limit the choices to be max three per path divide. I think it will give the illusion that the common core standards give, they will act as bumpers for the reader so that the person who has no experience will know where to head but the more advanced reader will still enjoy the story.

I have also started to think about the genre within the genre. While most take place in a known place, so the author can describe the scenery with the reader knowing where they are located, I battle with having it take place unknown. Because my idea of this educational world is unknown should I place in a world that is more fictional as well. Yes I will have more fictional characters to face the hero but will having it in an unknown world push it to far? Will it lead the reader to the same place as having too many choices? Using unknown words like Doctor Seuss works in the sense of taking preconceived ideas out of the use of the character stereotypes, but when there is no visual to help convey how the character looks is it smart to use that? How will I make sure the reader is seeing the same room that I see when I am reading it? Because this genre is so based on the tools of the senses through imagery I struggle with seeing how I can create sense that don’t exist. Yet I really want to have this idea already formed in someone’s mind just because of my word choice. I want my beliefs and concepts to seem fresh as I am presenting them. I chose this genre because anyone could be placed within the role of the hero because no details are given to describe him/her. I hope to find some way to carry that through the rest of the work.