Tips and Tricks for Teaching an Interactive Fiction …math.pugetsound.edu/~mspivey/IFCourse.pdfI Tips and tricks from all of you! I IF speed dating exercise (if time) I Final questions/comments

Tips and Tricksfor

Teaching an Interactive Fiction Course

Mike Spivey

NarraScopeMay 28, 2020

Workshop overview

I My interactive fiction course

I BackgroundI StructureI Successes, failures, and lessons learnedI Questions?

I Learning the rudiments of Inform 7 for students in a generalwriting course (Brendan Desilets)

I Tips and tricks from all of you!

I IF speed dating exercise (if time)

I Final questions/comments

Workshop overview

I My interactive fiction courseI Background

I StructureI Successes, failures, and lessons learnedI Questions?





Workshop overview

I My interactive fiction courseI BackgroundI Structure

I Successes, failures, and lessons learnedI Questions?





Workshop overview

I My interactive fiction courseI BackgroundI StructureI Successes, failures, and lessons learned

I Questions?





Workshop overview

I My interactive fiction courseI BackgroundI StructureI Successes, failures, and lessons learnedI Questions?





Workshop overview






Workshop overview






Workshop overview






Workshop overview






My IF Course: Background

I University of Puget SoundI Small, liberal arts collegeI Tacoma, Washington, USA

I MeI Math professor

I Typical courses: Calculus, mathematical modeling,optimization

I IF player and authorI Played my first IF game in the 1980sI IF communities: intfiction.org, IFDB, Interactive Fiction

CompetitionI Written A Beauty Cold and Austere, Junior Arithmancer,

Sugarlawn, contributed to Cragne Manor


I University of Puget Sound

I Small, liberal arts collegeI Tacoma, Washington, USA







I University of Puget SoundI Small, liberal arts college

I Tacoma, Washington, USA















I Me

I Math professorI Typical courses: Calculus, mathematical modeling,

optimization






















I IF player and author

I Played my first IF game in the 1980sI IF communities: intfiction.org, IFDB, Interactive Fiction







I IF player and authorI Played my first IF game in the 1980s

I IF communities: intfiction.org, IFDB, Interactive FictionCompetition

I Written A Beauty Cold and Austere, Junior Arithmancer,Sugarlawn, contributed to Cragne Manor






Competition

I Written A Beauty Cold and Austere, Junior Arithmancer,Sugarlawn, contributed to Cragne Manor









I Connections graduation requirement

I Students must take a course that “connects” two academicdisciplines.

I It’s better if the two disciplines aren’t normally related.

I Why not a Connections IF course, connecting computerscience and literature?


I Connections graduation requirementI Students must take a course that “connects” two academic

disciplines.

I It’s better if the two disciplines aren’t normally related.




disciplines.I It’s better if the two disciplines aren’t normally related.










CONN 311 Interactive Fiction: Overview

I Computer science

I Learn Inform 7I Write IF works in Inform 7

I A short work, earlier in the term (at least 2000 words)I A long work, later in the term (at least 5000 words)

I Discuss Inform 7 as a programming languageI For example, its natural language and declarative features

I LiteratureI Read/play over 20 works of IFI Analyze them as textsI Compare/contrast with static works of fiction

I Example: Emily Short’s Bronze vs. “Beauty and the Beast”

I Write a paper comparing two IF works or a work of IF with astatic work of fiction

I No prerequisites!


I Computer scienceI Learn Inform 7

I Write IF works in Inform 7I A short work, earlier in the term (at least 2000 words)I A long work, later in the term (at least 5000 words)





I No prerequisites!


I Computer scienceI Learn Inform 7I Write IF works in Inform 7






I No prerequisites!








I No prerequisites!




I Discuss Inform 7 as a programming language

I For example, its natural language and declarative features




I No prerequisites!








I No prerequisites!





I Literature

I Read/play over 20 works of IFI Analyze them as textsI Compare/contrast with static works of fiction



I No prerequisites!





I LiteratureI Read/play over 20 works of IF

I Analyze them as textsI Compare/contrast with static works of fiction



I No prerequisites!





I LiteratureI Read/play over 20 works of IFI Analyze them as texts

I Compare/contrast with static works of fictionI Example: Emily Short’s Bronze vs. “Beauty and the Beast”


I No prerequisites!








I No prerequisites!








I No prerequisites!








I No prerequisites!








I No prerequisites!

CONN 311 Interactive Fiction: Structure

I Introduction to IF (two weeks)

I History and conventions of parser-based IFI Inform 7 as a programming languageI Play a few parser-based IF works

I IF Genres (five weeks)I Mystery, fantasy, comedy, horror/suspense, dramaI Mondays: Read a work of IF aloud in classI Wednesdays: Discuss Monday’s work, a similar assigned IF

work, and often a static short storyI Example: Toby’s Nose, An Act of Murder, “The Adventure of

the Speckled Band”

I Fridays: Learn more Inform 7

I IF as Education, IF as Argument (two weeks)I Same structure as with IF genres

I Craft of IF (three weeks)I Characterization, puzzles, narrative structure and choices

I Large IF project presentations (three weeks)


I Introduction to IF (two weeks)

I History and conventions of parser-based IFI Inform 7 as a programming languageI Play a few parser-based IF works









I Introduction to IF (two weeks)I History and conventions of parser-based IF

I Inform 7 as a programming languageI Play a few parser-based IF works









I Introduction to IF (two weeks)I History and conventions of parser-based IFI Inform 7 as a programming language

I Play a few parser-based IF works









I Introduction to IF (two weeks)I History and conventions of parser-based IFI Inform 7 as a programming languageI Play a few parser-based IF works










I IF Genres (five weeks)

I Mystery, fantasy, comedy, horror/suspense, dramaI Mondays: Read a work of IF aloud in classI Wednesdays: Discuss Monday’s work, a similar assigned IF









I IF Genres (five weeks)I Mystery, fantasy, comedy, horror/suspense, drama

I Mondays: Read a work of IF aloud in classI Wednesdays: Discuss Monday’s work, a similar assigned IF









I IF Genres (five weeks)I Mystery, fantasy, comedy, horror/suspense, dramaI Mondays: Read a work of IF aloud in class

I Wednesdays: Discuss Monday’s work, a similar assigned IFwork, and often a static short story

I Example: Toby’s Nose, An Act of Murder, “The Adventure ofthe Speckled Band”








work, and often a static short story

I Example: Toby’s Nose, An Act of Murder, “The Adventure ofthe Speckled Band”





























I IF as Education, IF as Argument (two weeks)

I Same structure as with IF genres



















I Craft of IF (three weeks)

I Characterization, puzzles, narrative structure and choices




















CONN 311 Interactive Fiction: Successes

I Overall structure

I Reading IF aloud in class

I Pairing IF works and relating them to works of static fiction

I IF speed dating exercise

I Some really good student projects!I Students with no programming experience generally learned

Inform 7 and created some interesting IF works.

I Positive student responsesI English major: I had a bad experience with programming in

high school. I probably would never have touchedprogramming again if not for this course.


I Overall structure









I Overall structure









I Overall structure









I Overall structure




I Some really good student projects!

I Students with no programming experience generally learnedInform 7 and created some interesting IF works.




I Overall structure









I Overall structure






I Positive student responses

I English major: I had a bad experience with programming inhigh school. I probably would never have touchedprogramming again if not for this course.


I Overall structure








CONN 311 Interactive Fiction: Failures, Lessons Learned,and Places to Improve

I Reading before writing

I Puzzle-heavy games are difficult to experience fully because oftime limitations.I Exception: Puzzle games with an intriguing mechanic, like

Counterfeit MonkeyI By contrast, story-heavy games generally work quite well.

I Aristotle reading on Zeno’s paradoxes - too complicated

I Students need more Inform 7 coding instruction

I More comparison of IF writing and mainstream storytelling

I Another language: Twine?











I Puzzle-heavy games are difficult to experience fully because oftime limitations.

I Exception: Puzzle games with an intriguing mechanic, likeCounterfeit Monkey

I By contrast, story-heavy games generally work quite well.








Counterfeit Monkey

I By contrast, story-heavy games generally work quite well.













































Questions?

IF Speed Dating Exercise

I How it works

I Break students into pairsI One student describes an idea for an IF work, while the other

student listens (maybe a minute or two).I Then the second student asks questions of the first, who

responds (also a minute or two).I Then they swap roles, for the same amount of time each.I Then they swap partners and do it again.

I Student responseI At first, students are a bit tentative and don’t have much to

say.I By the third or fourth “date,” though, I often have to push

them to get them to stop talking to each other and move on.I Their feedback was that this process was really helpful: It

helped them refine their ideas, consider new ones, and thinkabout aspects of their projects that they hadn’t consideredbefore.


I How it worksI Break students into pairs

I One student describes an idea for an IF work, while the otherstudent listens (maybe a minute or two).

I Then the second student asks questions of the first, whoresponds (also a minute or two).

I Then they swap roles, for the same amount of time each.I Then they swap partners and do it again.






I How it worksI Break students into pairsI One student describes an idea for an IF work, while the other

student listens (maybe a minute or two).

I Then the second student asks questions of the first, whoresponds (also a minute or two).









responds (also a minute or two).









responds (also a minute or two).I Then they swap roles, for the same amount of time each.

I Then they swap partners and do it again.

















I Student response

I At first, students are a bit tentative and don’t have much tosay.

I By the third or fourth “date,” though, I often have to pushthem to get them to stop talking to each other and move on.

I Their feedback was that this process was really helpful: Ithelped them refine their ideas, consider new ones, and thinkabout aspects of their projects that they hadn’t consideredbefore.






say.

I By the third or fourth “date,” though, I often have to pushthem to get them to stop talking to each other and move on.








them to get them to stop talking to each other and move on.










Works studied

I IntroductionI Sam Barlow, AisleI Marc Blank and Dave Lebling, Zork I

I MysteryI Chandler Groover, Toby’s NoseI Christopher Huang, An Act of MurderI Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”

I FantasyI Admiral Jota, Lost PigI Emily Short, BronzeI Madame de Villeneuve, “Beauty and the Beast”

I Suspense/HorrorI Andrew Plotkin, ShadeI Elizabeth Smyth, BogeymanI Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

Works studied

I ComedyI Buster Hudson, The Wizard SnifferI J.J. Guest, Alias ‘The Magpie’I P.G. Wodehouse, “Leave It to Jeeves”

I DramaI Stephen Granade, Will Not Let Me GoI Victor Gijsbers, De Baron

I IF as EducationI Harry Giles and Joey Jones, The Chinese RoomI Mike Spivey, A Beauty Cold and AustereI Aristotle, Physics VI, Part 9, on Zeno’s Achilles paradox

I IF as ArgumentI Jonathan Laury, OstrichI Zoe Quinn, Patrick Lindsey, and Isaac Shankler, Depression

Quest

Works studied

I Bonus: Pace Smith, Limerick Heist

I CharacterizationI Emily Short, GalateaI Stephen Bond, Rameses

I PuzzlesI Emily Short, Counterfeit MonkeyI Arthur DiBianca, The Wand

I Narrative, the Parser, and ChoiceI Victor Gijsbers, Terminal Interface for Models RCM 301-303I Serhii Mozhaiskyi, I.A.G. Alpha

Works studied (nonfiction)

I Kevin Jackson-Mead and J. Robinson Wheeler (eds.), IFTheory Reader (selections)

I Don Knuth, “Literate Programming”

I Aaron Reed, Creating Interactive Fiction with Inform 7

Documents

Tips and Tricks for Teaching an Interactive Fiction …math.pugetsound.edu/~mspivey/IFCourse.pdfI Tips and tricks from all of you! I IF speed dating exercise (if time) I Final questions/comments