My last development diary entry looked at the origins of Babyface, my submission to the 2020 Interactive Fiction competition (IFComp). This dev diary entry looks at one of the first things reviewers say about Babyface: that it’s mostly linear. Usually this comes as a simple description of the game’s format, rather than a criticism. Because… Continue reading Babyface Dev Diary #2 – Choices
Tag: interactive fiction
Babyface Dev Diary – Origins
So, Babyface is a thing I made. It's a creepypasta-style Southern Gothic horror story. I've entered the game into the 26th annual Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp for short). You can play Babyface right now! I've followed IFComp for years—since at least 2007—but this is the first time I've made anything for the competition. Not that I… Continue reading Babyface Dev Diary – Origins
An End of Tarred Twine, a Monstrous Moby-Dick Hypertext
In my previous post I listed all the digital creative/critical works I've released in the past 12 months. (Whew, it was a lot, in part because I had the privilege to be on sabbatical from teaching in the fall, my first sabbatical since 2006. I made the most of it.) Now, I want to provide… Continue reading An End of Tarred Twine, a Monstrous Moby-Dick Hypertext
AI Dungeon and Creativity
In early January I joined a group of AI researchers from Microsoft and my fellow humanist Kathleen Fitzpatrick to talk at the Modern Language Association convention about the implications of artificial intelligence. Our panel was called Being Human, Seeming Human. Each participant came to this question of "seeming human" from a different angle. My own focus… Continue reading AI Dungeon and Creativity
The Maze and the Other in Interactive Fiction
On Labyrinths, the Infinite, and the Compass
I'm spending July in Cádiz, Spain, with my family and a bunch of students from Davidson College. The other weekend we visited Granada, home of the Alhambra. Built by the last Arabic dynasty on the Iberian peninsula in the 13th century, the Alhambra is a stunning palace overlooking the city below. The city of Granada… Continue reading The Maze and the Other in Interactive FictionOn Labyrinths, the Infinite, and the Compass