Interactive fiction: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:27, 14 August 2022

In the past, the term interactive fiction referred mainly to parser-based IF: computer programs that generate textual narrative in response to user input, generally in the form of simple natural-language commands (e.g. "take keys" or "headmaster, tell me about Malcolm"). Following instructions encoded by the designer, a computer sends typed input through a parser to identify its grammatical structure, then respond by describing, in a few lines or paragraphs, whether or to what extent the game world has changed in response to the action requested by the player. The game might also announce that the input was not understood, or ask the player for additional clarifying input.

In chapter 1 of Twisty Little Passages, Nick Montfort writes that the term "was apparently coined by Robert Lafore and popularized by Scott Adams of Adventure International more than 20 years ago... and was then used widely by Infocom to designate their canonical works." (See Lafore, 2002.)

In recent years, the IF community has expanded its definition of interactive fiction to include choice-based works (also called CYOA) as well. In choice-based IF, players navigate through the story by selecting hyperlinks, or by periodically choosing from a list of options to determine how the story will progress.

Links

Frequently Asked Questions About Interactive Fiction at the IFTF website.
Interactive Fiction at TV Tropes Wiki.
Interactive fiction at Wikipedia.

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-A form of computer-mediated textual [[narrative]] that responds to [[user]] input, generally in the form of simple natural-language [[command]]s (e.g. "take keys" or "headmaster, tell me about Malcolm"). Following instructions encoded by the [[designer]], a computer sends typed input through a [[parser]] to identify its [[grammar|grammatical]] structure, then respond by describing, in a few lines or paragraphs, whether or to what extent the [[game world]] has changed in response to the action requested by the player. (The game might also announce that the input was not understood, or ask the [[player]] for additional clarifying input.)
+In the past, the term [[interactive fiction]] referred mainly to [[parser-based interactive fiction|parser-based IF]]: computer programs that generate textual [[narrative]] in response to [[user]] input, generally in the form of simple natural-language [[command]]s (e.g. "take keys" or "headmaster, tell me about Malcolm"). Following instructions encoded by the [[designer]], a computer sends typed input through a [[parser]] to identify its [[grammar|grammatical]] structure, then respond by describing, in a few lines or paragraphs, whether or to what extent the [[game world]] has changed in response to the action requested by the player. The game might also announce that the input was not understood, or ask the [[player]] for additional clarifying input.
-In chapter 1 of <i>Twisty Little Passages</i>, Nick Montfort writes that the term "was apparently coined by Robert Lafore and popularized by Scott Adams of [[Adventure International]] more than 20 years ago... and was then used widely by Infocom to designate their canonical works." (See [http://www.studiob.com/content.asp?cID=183 Lafore, 2002].) (In academic contexts, the term is often applied more generally to literary hypertext and other computer-mediated works.)
+In chapter 1 of ''[[Twisty Little Passages]]'', [[Nick Montfort]] writes that the term "was apparently coined by Robert Lafore and popularized by [[Scott Adams]] of [[Adventure International]] more than 20 years ago... and was then used widely by [[Infocom]] to designate their canonical works." (See [http://www.studiob.com/content.asp?cID=183 Lafore, 2002].)
+In recent years, the IF community has expanded its definition of interactive fiction to include [[choice-based]] works (also called [[CYOA]]) as well. In choice-based IF, players navigate through the story by selecting hyperlinks, or by periodically choosing from a list of options to determine how the story will progress.
-Return to [[Glossary]]
+==Links==
+* [https://iftechfoundation.org/frequently-asked-questions/ Frequently Asked Questions About Interactive Fiction] at the [[IFTF]] website.
+* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InteractiveFiction Interactive Fiction] at TV Tropes Wiki.
+* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_fiction Interactive fiction] at Wikipedia.
+[[Category:Glossary]]
-== Discussion ==
-* DGJ - 19 Aug 2002
-* DGJ - 20 Aug 2002 (after RF)
-* MGH  - 05 Nov 2002
-* DGJ - 25 Jan 2004 (integrating NM's suggestions)
-----
-Well?  :)  --DGJ
-----
-Nice try ;-) I think I'd expand that "what happens next", since it
-currently suggests that something positive always happens, thus
-downplaying the "don't understand", "can't do that" and "nothing
-happens" responses that are pretty common (especially if the designer
-hasn't done too good a job).
-Also, did something go wrong with that last sentence?
-[RF 19Aug02]
-----
-OK, thanks Roger-- I've revised to reflect your comments.
-DGJ - 20 Aug 2002
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-Removed the (hesitant, tentative) beginning phrase "For the limited purposes of this glossary." Removed "or menu selections" since while some IF has such, this is not "generally" the way commands are entered. I think DGJ, ES, and I all agree that a parser is essential to IF, and I'd be surprised to find anyone who didn't think a parser was generally part of IF. I'm less certain that everything has to be "textual," although what IF Theory talks about is indeed all text-based. I left this in place, but concluding with the comment about "conventional literary hypertext" is not really relevant and does not help to define what IF is. Besides, many computer programmers consider anything that accepts input from a user to be interactive (as opposed to batch), so it may not be true.
-NM - 18 Feb 2003
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-In response to NM: Brian Whittaker appended a comment (below) in which he argues that a parser is not required. It seems to me that making some comparison between hypertext and command-line IF is justifiable, since I can imagine someone who considers hypertext literature to be "interactive fiction" might appreciate some statement of the difference between IF and hypertext. DGJ - 19 Feb 2003
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-I read the appened comment, and I was writing specifically in response to it. The part about hypertext is probaby "justifiable," I just didn't think it was important to a definition, and it seems to elevate hypertext in importance a great deal. Why not distinguish specifically between CYOA books and IF, or between Myst and IF? People are more likely to confuse those. But it seems a pretty good definition as is.
-NM - 20 Feb 2003
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-Nick has raised some good points, which I've addressed by making more explicit what I see as the biases of those of us who enjoy and study IF. For more on what IF is and what it is not, see [http://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/differs_from.htm Interactive Fiction -- How Is It Different?], which does attempt to differentiate IF from several other computer genres, but which is too detailed for this definition. My sense is that the new media theorists who would be interested in this bibliography would probably appreciate knowing this particular community's take on the term; the gamers would probably already know enough about the genre to find the distinctions Nick mentions to be largely unproblemmatic. At any rate, I tried to keep the first paragraph relatively simple, and reserved the eggheaded stuff for the second paragraph. -- DGJ - 13 May 2003
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-Dennis, I didn't want to change anything, but the term "interactive fiction" doesn't originate with Infocom as the sentence citing the DM4 suggests. As I write in chapter 1 of Twisty Little Passages, it "was apparently coined by Robert Lafore and popularized by Scott Adams of Adventure International more than 20 years ago (Liddil 1981, Lafore 2002), and was then used widely by Infocom to designate their canonical works." I can get you the page number for that if you like, but more importantly, the sources I cite are:
-* Liddil, Bob. 1981. "Interactive Fiction: Six Micro Stories." Byte 6:9, 436, September.
-* Lafore, Robert. 2002. Interview. Studio B. Available online at http://www.studiob.com/content.asp?cID=183
-NM - 11 June 2003