One of the main things that I think about when I read about Interactive Fiction games, or seeing the games themselves is the appreciation for them.  I feel that with most other game genres, the appreciation for the game comes from the players.  The designers are generally tired of looking at the game (not that Interactive Fiction designers are not), but it is the fans of the game that go through and talk about their favorite parts of the game.  With Interactive Fiction games, I feel that it is the designer of the game who gets the most appreciation out of the game.  The player might find some responses and design features funny or clever, but the designer gets the best kick out of how he designs and plans out the path the player will want to pursue.  The designer can shape the environment completely and ultimately holds control over what options the player has been left with.

One counterexample to this opinion would be of one of the most famous designers in the beginning of the game industry, William Crowther.  Crowther designed Adventure for the sole purpose of helping connect with his daughters after a tough divorce with his wife.  The game spread quickly among colleagues and everyone with a PDP-10.  Everyone loved his game, where he found it as a simple text adventure to grow closer with his family.  Nevertheless, Adventure meant more to Crowther than anyone else.  Designing these game is no small task, like all other games in the industry, but I feel that it is the genre where the designer knows everything that went into the game: his thought process, his choices, your choices, your thought process, and even what could go wrong.  I have the up-most respect for the creators of these types of games.  Even though Nick Montfort doesnt express this message directly in his article, I can tell he shares similar thoughts based on his video.