Theory: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:24, 9 March 2024

Theory articles listed here attempt to define terms, eg: "What is X?"; sort things into categories, and make comparisons between things, eg: "How does X compare to Y?"

For articles that are more hands-on and attempt to answer "How do I do X?", see Craft.

For articles about the history of interactive fiction, see History.

General Theory

The Rosebush - Online magazine featuring articles on interactive fiction theory and criticism. Articles are from 2023-present.
Gold Machine - Drew Cook's blog. Features literary readings of Infocom games. Posts are from 2021-present.
Renga in Blue - Jason Dyer's IF blog. Contains several entries on IF theory topics. Posts are from 2005-present.
Toward a Theory of Interactive Fiction by Nick Montfort appears in the book IF Theory Reader (PDF version). Published 2011. An older version of this article is available at Nick Montfort's website.
A Writer's Guide to Interactive Fiction by Andrew Plotkin. July 2010.
Discussions about IF theory on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup. Linked discussions are from 1990-2007.
An Annotated Bibliography Of Interactive Fiction Scholarship by Dennis G. Jerz. September 2001.
Why Write IF? (archive) by Emily Short. 2000.
Interactive Fiction as Literature by Mary Ann Buckles. An early literary analysis of interactive fiction. Originally published in the May 1987 issue of BYTE magazine.
The Meta-Puzzle of Interactive Fiction: Why We Like What We Like (archive) by Marnie Parker.

Comparisons

A Comparison of TADS 3 and Inform 7 by Eric Eve, © 2008-2009. Very useful (but long).
TADS vs. Inform - a (vaguely) in-depth comparison by Dan Shiovitz.
Discussions about different authoring systems on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup. Linked articles are from 1999-2007.
Choosing a Language for Interactive Fiction (2004), by Liza Daly for O'Reilly ONLamp.com.
Character Gender in Interactive Fiction, Part I (archive) and Part II (archive) by Doug Atkinson for XYZZYnews issues #3 and #6. 1995. Compares how a variety of games handled PC gender.

Design

On Chris Crawford and Interactive Storytelling by Emily Short.
Multilinear Interactive Fiction by Emily Short. Afterthoughts on concept and reactions to Galatea.
Discussions about game design on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup. Linked discussions are from 1993-2007.

Taxonomy

(In other words, lists and categories.)

The different schools of recent twine-adjacent interactive fiction by Autumn Chen. April 9, 2022.
Standard Patterns in Choice-Based Games by Sam Kabo Ashwell. January 26, 2015.
An Alternative Taxonomy for Interactive Stories by Emily Short. May 3, 2011.
Discussions about game genres on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup. Linked discussions are from 1993-2006.
Categories of Interactive Fiction by Jason Dyer. February 4, 2005.
NPC Conversations: Ask/Tell Theory by Jim Fisher. 2004. Discusses four NPC models: Librarian, Rambling Idiot, Lecturing Professor, and Conversationalist.
The Player Character's Role in Game Design by Duncan Stevens for Brass Lantern. 2001. Discusses certain key techniques in creating a meaningful PC and certain gimmicks that have been used to bring PCs to life.
Player Character Identity in Interactive Fiction (archive) by John Wood for XYZZYnews #9 (May/June 1996). Associates types of PCs with types of IF and genres.
List of things that may get a player stuck by Jan Thorsby - Contribute!
List of things that causes automatic playing by Jan Thorsby - Contribute!

Terminology

(See also: FAQ, Glossary.)

What is IF? by Jim Fisher (2004).
What's IF? by Emily Short.
Eric on Interactive Fiction by Eric.xyzzy.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ''For articles that are more hands-on and attempt to answer "How do I do X?", see [[Craft]].''
-<div style="border:solid black 1px;text-align:center">
+''For articles about the history of interactive fiction, see [[History]].''
-[[#General_Theory|General Theory]] - [[#Comparisons|Comparisons]] - [[#Design|Design]] - [[#History|History]] - [[#Taxonomy|Taxonomy]] - [[#Terminology|Terminology]] - [[#See_also|See also]] __NOTOC__
-</div>
 ==General Theory==
-===Websites===
+* [[The Rosebush]] - Online magazine featuring articles on interactive fiction theory and criticism. Articles are from 2023-present.
-* ''[[The Rosebush]]'' is an online magazine featuring articles on interactive fiction theory and criticism. 2023-present.
+* [http://golmac.org/ Gold Machine] - [[Drew Cook]]'s blog. Features literary readings of Infocom games. Posts are from 2021-present.
-* [http://golmac.org/ Gold Machine] is [[Drew Cook]]'s blog. Features literary readings of Infocom games. 2021-present.
+* [http://bluerenga.wordpress.com/ Renga in Blue] - [[Jason Dyer]]'s IF blog. Contains several entries on IF theory topics. Posts are from 2005-present.
-* [http://bluerenga.wordpress.com/ Renga in Blue] is [[Jason Dyer]]'s IF blog. Contains several entries on IF theory topics. 2005-present.
+* Toward a Theory of Interactive Fiction by [[Nick Montfort]] appears in the book [[IF Theory Reader]] ([https://www.ifarchive.org/if-archive/books/IFTheoryBook.pdf PDF version]). Published 2011. [http://nickm.com/if/toward.html An older version of this article] is available at Nick Montfort's website.
-* [[Past_raif_topics: IF Theory|Discussions about IF theory]] on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup. Linked discussions are from 1990-2007.
+* [http://eblong.com/zarf/essays/if-for-writers.html A Writer's Guide to Interactive Fiction] by [[Andrew Plotkin]]. July 2010.
-===Articles===
+* [[Past_raif_topics: IF Theory|Discussions about IF theory]] on the [[rec.arts.int-fiction]] newsgroup. Linked discussions are from 1990-2007.
-* Toward a Theory of Interactive Fiction by [[Nick Montfort]]:
+* [https://jerz.setonhill.edu/if/bibliography/index.html An Annotated Bibliography Of Interactive Fiction Scholarship] by [[Dennis G. Jerz]]. September 2001.
-** The 2011 version of this article is available in the [[IF Theory Reader]].
-** [http://nickm.com/if/toward.html December 19, 2003 version of this article.]
-* [http://eblong.com/zarf/essays/if-for-writers.html A Writer's Guide to Interactive Fiction] by [[Andrew Plotkin]], July 2010.
 * {{link | archive=http://web.archive.org/web/20050209203241/http://emshort.home.mindspring.com/why.htm |Why Write IF?}} by [[Emily Short]]. 2000.
-* [http://www.ifarchive.org/if-archive/articles/byte87_buckles.html "Interactive Fiction as Literature"] by [[Mary Ann Buckles]] is an early literary analysis of interactive fiction originally published in the May 1987 issue of [[Byte Magazine|BYTE magazine]].
+* [http://www.ifarchive.org/if-archive/articles/byte87_buckles.html Interactive Fiction as Literature] by [[Mary Ann Buckles]]. An early literary analysis of interactive fiction. Originally published in the May 1987 issue of [[Byte Magazine|BYTE magazine]].
-* {{link | deadurl=http://www.iffydoemain.org/theory/index.html | The Meta-Puzzle of Interactive Fiction: Why We Like What We Like. Interactivity Is The Message}} by [[Marnie Parker]].
+* {{link | deadurl=http://members.aol.com/doepage/theory.html | archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20000419005715/http://members.aol.com/doepage/theory.html | The Meta-Puzzle of Interactive Fiction: Why We Like What We Like}} by [[Marnie Parker]].
 ==Comparisons==
+* [http://www.brasslantern.org/writers/iftheory/tads3andi7.html A Comparison of TADS 3 and Inform 7] by [[Eric Eve]], © 2008-2009. Very useful (but long).
 * [http://inky.org/if/tads-vs-inform.html TADS vs. Inform - a (vaguely) in-depth comparison] by [[Dan Shiovitz]].
-* [http://www.brasslantern.org/writers/iftheory/tads3andi7.html A very useful (but long) TADS vs Inform7 comparison] by [[Eric Eve]].
+* [[Past_raif_topics: Development#Authoring_systems_in_general|Discussions about different authoring systems]] on the [[rec.arts.int-fiction]] newsgroup. Linked articles are from 1999-2007.
-* {{link|deadurl=http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.3h.html|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701022648/http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.3h.html|Character Gender in Interactive Fiction, Part I}} and {{link|deadurl=http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.6f.html|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510180923/http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.6f.html|Part II}} by [[Doug Atkinson]] for XYZZYnews issues #3 and #6. Compares how a variety of games handled PC gender.
 * [http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2004/11/24/interactive_fiction.html Choosing a Language for Interactive Fiction] (2004), by [[Liza Daly]] for O'Reilly ONLamp.com.
-* [[Past_raif_topics: Development#Authoring_systems_in_general|Discussions about different authoring systems]] on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup.
+* {{link|deadurl=http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.3h.html|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701022648/http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.3h.html|Character Gender in Interactive Fiction, Part I}} and {{link|deadurl=http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.6f.html|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510180923/http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.6f.html|Part II}} by [[Doug Atkinson]] for XYZZYnews issues #3 and #6. 1995. Compares how a variety of games handled PC gender.
 ==Design==
-* [http://emshort.home.mindspring.com/multi.htm Multilinear Interactive Fiction] by [[Emily Short]]. Afterthoughts on concept and reactions to ''Galatea''.
+* [https://emshort.blog/how-to-play/writing-if/books-and-other-resources/chris-crawford-on-interactive-storytelling/ On Chris Crawford and Interactive Storytelling] by [[Emily Short]].
-* [http://emshort.home.mindspring.com/CCReview.html On Chris Crawford and Interactive Storytelling] by [[Emily Short]].
+* {{link | url=https://emshort.blog/how-to-play/writing-if/my-articles/multilinear-if-older/| Multilinear Interactive Fiction}} by [[Emily Short]]. Afterthoughts on concept and reactions to ''Galatea''.
-* [[Past_raif_topics: IF Theory#Game design|Discussions about game design]] on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup.
+* [[Past_raif_topics: IF Theory#Game design|Discussions about game design]] on the [[rec.arts.int-fiction]] newsgroup. Linked discussions are from 1993-2007.
-==History==
-''See also: [[:Category:History of Interactive Fiction]].''
-* [http://inform-fiction.org/manual/html/s46.html A short history of interactive fiction] by [[Graham Nelson]]. This section of the [[The Inform Designer's Manual]] describes IF history up to the year 2000.
-* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060517204734/http://www.retina.net:80/liza/games/if.shtml About Interactive Fiction] (1996, 2001), by [[Liza Daly]]. Very short.
-* [http://brasslantern.org/community/history/timeline.html A Brief History of Interactive Fiction] by Misty and Stephen Granade. Timeline created in 2002, with events from 1945-2000.
-* [[Past_raif_topics: Miscellaneous#History|Articles about the history of IF]] on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup.
-* [http://maher.filfre.net/if-book/ Let's Tell a Story Together]. A History of Interactive Fiction, &copy; 2006 by [[Jimmy Maher]]. Long.
-* [http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/features/503/ Interactive fiction, from birth through precocious adolescence: a conversation with Jimmy Maher] by [[Harry Kaplan]] and [[Jimmy Maher]] for [[Adventure Classic Gaming]], 16 July 2009.
-* [[Get Lamp|Get Lamp: The Text Adventure Documentary]] - 2010 documentary by [[Jason Scott]].
-* [https://mediarep.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/36be4ef4-add5-4262-9fef-e2a3259c31c7/content Interactive Fiction Communities: From Preservation through Promotion and Beyond] by [[Nick Montfort]] and [[Emily Short]] in ''Dichtung Digital''. 2012.
-* [https://emshort.wordpress.com/2016/04/02/brief-bibliography-about-if-history/ Brief Bibliography about IF History] - by [[Emily Short]]. April 2, 2016.
-* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=bx5ZLGBZAWs The Past, Present and Future of Interactive Fiction] - Presentation by [[Emily Short]] at AdventureX 2016. Goes through IF history describing various games that experimented with the form, what people at those points in time thought the future of IF might look like, and what actually happened.
-* [[Mathbrush|Mathbrush's page on IFWiki]] links to many essays, including a 2017 series of essays about the history of IFComp.
-* [[50 Years of Text Games]] by [[Aaron Reed]]. Series of articles published in 2021, examining one text game per year from 1971-2020. [[50 Years of Text Games]] was later released as a book.
-* [http://www.filfre.net/category/interactive-fiction/ The Digital Antiquarian] - [[Jimmy Maher]]'s blog with many very detailed articles about the history of interactive fiction (and some other game genres).
 ==Taxonomy==
 ''(In other words, lists and categories.)''
-* {{link|url=https://heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/standard-patterns-in-choice-based-games/ |archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316030612/https://heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/standard-patterns-in-choice-based-games/ |Standard Patterns in Choice-Based Games}} by [[Sam Kabo Ashwell]]. January 26, 2015.
+* [https://www.tumblr.com/cyberpunklesbian/681100807594295296/the-different-schools-of-recent-twine-adjacent The different schools of recent twine-adjacent interactive fiction] by [[Autumn Chen]]. April 9, 2022.
+* {{link|url=https://heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/standard-patterns-in-choice-based-games|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316030612/https://heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/standard-patterns-in-choice-based-games/|Standard Patterns in Choice-Based Games}} by [[Sam Kabo Ashwell]]. January 26, 2015.
+* [http://emshort.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/an-alternative-taxonomy-for-interactive-stories/ An Alternative Taxonomy for Interactive Stories] by [[Emily Short]]. May 3, 2011.
+* [[Past_raif_topics:_IF_Theory:_part_2#Genres_/_themes_/_types_of_IF | Discussions about game genres]] on the [[rec.arts.int-fiction]] newsgroup. Linked discussions are from 1993-2006.
 * [http://bluerenga.blogspot.com/2005/02/categories-of-interactive-fiction.html Categories of Interactive Fiction] by [[Jason Dyer]]. February 4, 2005.
-* [http://www.onyxring.com/InformGuide.aspx?article=74 NPC Conversations: Ask/Tell Theory] by [[Jim Fisher]] (2004). Discusses four NPC models: Librarian, Rambling Idiot, Lecturing Professor, and Conversationalist.
+* [http://www.onyxring.com/InformGuide.aspx?article=74 NPC Conversations: Ask/Tell Theory] by [[Jim Fisher]]. 2004. Discusses four NPC models: Librarian, Rambling Idiot, Lecturing Professor, and Conversationalist.
-* [http://emshort.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/an-alternative-taxonomy-for-interactive-stories/ An Alternative Taxonomy for Interactive Stories] by [[Emily Short]]. May 3, 2011.
+* [http://brasslantern.org/editorials/pcrole.html The Player Character's Role in Game Design] by [[Duncan Stevens]] for [[Brass Lantern]]. 2001. Discusses certain key techniques in creating a meaningful PC and certain gimmicks that have been used to bring PCs to life.
-* [http://brasslantern.org/editorials/pcrole.html The Player Character's Role in Game Design] by [[Duncan Stevens]] for Brass Lantern. Discusses certain key techniques in creating a meaningful PC and certain gimmicks that have been used to bring PCs to life. © 2001.
+* {{link|deadurl=http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.9d.html|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204120834/http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.9d.html|Player Character Identity in Interactive Fiction}} by [[John Wood]] for [[XYZZYnews]] #9 (May/June 1996). Associates types of PCs with types of IF and genres.
 * [[List of things that may get a player stuck]] by [[Jan Thorsby]] - <b>Contribute!</b>
 * [[List of things that causes automatic playing]] by [[Jan Thorsby]] - <b>Contribute!</b>
-* {{link|deadurl=http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.9d.html|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204120834/http://www.xyzzynews.com/xyzzy.9d.html|Player Character Identity in Interactive Fiction}} by [[John Wood]] for [[XYZZYnews]] #9 ( May/June 1996). Asssociates types of PCs with types of IFs and genres.
-* [[Past_raif_topics: IF Theory#Genres / themes / types of IF|Articles about game genres]] on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup.
 ==Terminology==
@@ Line 69: / Line 49: @@
 ==See also==
-* [[IF Theory Book]]
+* [[IF Theory Reader]]
 * [[Theory Club]]
+{{Template:TheoryCraftHistoryNavBox}}
 [[Category:Basics]]

Theory, Craft, and History Resources
Theory	General Theory • Comparisons • Design • Taxonomy • Terminology
Craft	Game • Making-Of Articles • NPCs • PCs • Promotion • Puzzles • Setting • Story • Use of Medium • Writing
History	History of Interactive Fiction