Worksheet for GDV talk by Heather Albano
1. In your own words, explain the difference between a parser interactive fiction game and a choose your path interactive fiction game.
Even though parser games and “choose your path” games fall under the interactive fiction game genre and allow players to play these games according to their actions, they have distinct differences in terms of their gameplay.
A parser interactive fiction game is a game in which its story is told through a series of textual accounts and developed through the choices of the player. When a chunk of text is given to the player, the player can respond to the text by typing in anything that relates to the current situation. If the response is valid, another series of text will appear that shows the result of the player’s action. This routine will continue until the player reaches the end of the game.
A “choose your path” interactive fiction game has a similar concept to a parser interactive fiction game, but the story of the game is developed through choices that the game offers to the player. After the player is given a textual account, the game will present a certain amount of decisions that the player can make. The player will then see the result of his or her actions and a new set of choices will be made available. The player will go through a series of multiple scenarios, choices, and results in this matter until the player comes to the end of the game.
2. Name an example of a parser game.
An example of a parser interactive fiction game is Planetfall. Planetfall is a game made by Infocom in 1983 that recalls the adventures of a low-rank patrol soldier through space.
3. Name an example of a choose your own path game.
An example of a “choose your path” interactive fiction game is any game from the Ace Attorney series. The Ace Attorney games are courtroom-style games that are owned by Capcom in which the player controls an attorney named Phoenix Wright through dramatic, comical, and creative court cases.
4. Why does she say interactive fiction virtually died out in the mid-1990s?
With the acquisition of Infocom by Activision, the production levels of interactive fiction games began to decline in the 1990s. Also, the overwhelming challenge that branching narrative provided for developers and the demanding nature of some interactive fiction games led to the decline of interactive fiction in the 1990s.
5. Why does she say poetry is an important element of interactive fiction writing? What example does she use?
Games that belong to the interactive fiction genre rely on text to tell their stories, describe their characters, and generate mental images of their environments. For this reason, every word and every phrase needs to be carefully chosen and placed within the structure of the text in order to create a descriptive narrative that makes the game come alive in the mind of the player. According to Heather Albano, poetry in interactive fiction relates to the descriptive quality of the prose. She also explains that the descriptive prose of an interactive fiction game gives the player the ability to investigate the world of the game through text alone. Heather utilizes a few excerpts from a game titled With Those We Love Alive as examples of poetry in interactive fiction. In the excerpts, certain words are highlighted within the text. When a highlighted term is selected, more information is given to the player about that term.
6. Why does she say that ambiguity is not only unavoidable but also necessary?
Since interactive fiction games majorly rely on text to tell a story, it is impossible for the developers to describe every detail of the game’s atmosphere. For this reason, Heather Albano explains that developers utilize ambiguity to give short descriptions that can provide a sufficient mental image of the game’s world to the player. Aside from inevitable ambiguity, Albano states that ambiguity is imperative in the development of interactive fiction games because it allows players to use their imaginations, create their own stories, draw their own conclusions, and immerse themselves in the world of the game in their own way. In other words, ambiguity provides interactive fiction games with replay value.
7. What’s important about complicity?
When an interactive fiction game possesses complicity, it transfers the responsibility of telling the story of the game to the player. Complicity allows players to take ownership of their gaming experiences and gain the ability to change the story according to their interests.

Worksheet for GDV talk by Heather Albano

1. In your own words, explain the difference between a parser interactive fiction game and a choose your path interactive fiction game.

A parser interactive fiction game shows a wall of text and players would type in actions such as “Go to place”, “Interact with item” and so on in response to whatever was said in the text. If the typed in action was in the games database, a new wall of text would appear showing the result of this action. Meanwhile a choose your path interactive fiction game shows a wall of text and provides the player with a set of choices that they can respond to the text with. A player would then choose one choice and move on to the next wall of text showing the results of this choice.

2. Name an example of a parser game.

Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (game, not the movie.)

3. Name an example of a choose your own path game.

The Zero Escape series.

4. Why does she say interactive fiction virtually died out in the mid-1990s?

The main seller of these games, Infocom, was bought by Activision which then shut down the division for Interactive fiction gaes.

5. Why does she say poetry is an important element of interactive fiction writing? What example does she use?

Poetry is an important element of an interactive fiction usually these games consist mostly of words. As such these words need to convey what exactly is going on in the game and let the player have a better mental image of what cannot otherwise be seen. For examples, the speaker uses a game in which certain words are highlighted and clicking on them reveals more information pertaining to whatever the word was.

6. Why does she say that ambiguity is not only unavoidable but also necessary?

Ambiguity is unavoidable but necessary as it is impossible to describe every little detail of something but is possible to tell the player just enough about something so that they can picture it and wonder what important it might serve in the grand story.

7. What’s important about complicity?

Complicity gives the player the feel as if it means something whenever they make a decision. It makes them feel like their every choice will effect the plot in some way.