Theory

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.

General Theory - Comparisons - Design - History - Taxonomy - Terminology - See also

General Theory

Websites

The Rosebush - Online magazine featuring articles on interactive fiction theory and criticism. 2023-present.
Gold Machine - Drew Cook's blog. Features literary readings of Infocom games. 2021-present.
Renga in Blue - Jason Dyer's IF blog. Contains several entries on IF theory topics. 2005-present.
Discussions about IF theory on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup. Linked discussions are from 1990-2007.

Articles

Toward a Theory of Interactive Fiction by Nick Montfort:
- The 2011 version of this article is available in the IF Theory Reader.
- December 19, 2003 version of this article.
A Writer's Guide to Interactive Fiction by Andrew Plotkin, July 2010.
Why Write IF? (archive) by Emily Short. 2000.
"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.
The Meta-Puzzle of Interactive Fiction: Why We Like What We Like. Interactivity Is The Message (dead link 🔍) 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.

History

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.
About Interactive Fiction (1996, 2001), by Liza Daly. Very short.
A Brief History of Interactive Fiction by Misty and Stephen Granade. Timeline created in 2002, with events from 1945-2000.
Articles about the history of IF on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup.
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: The Text Adventure Documentary - 2010 documentary by Jason Scott.
Interactive Fiction Communities: From Preservation through Promotion and Beyond by Nick Montfort and Emily Short in Dichtung Digital. 2012.
Brief Bibliography about IF History - by Emily Short. April 2, 2016.
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'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.
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.)

Standard Patterns in Choice-Based Games by Sam Kabo Ashwell. January 26, 2015.
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.
An Alternative Taxonomy for Interactive Stories by Emily Short. May 3, 2011.
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.
List of things that may get a player stuck by Jan Thorsby - Contribute!
List of things that causes automatic playing by Jan Thorsby - Contribute!
Player Character Identity in Interactive Fiction (archive) by John Wood for XYZZYnews #9 ( May/June 1996). Asssociates types of PCs with types of IFs and genres.
Articles about game genres on the rec.arts.int-fiction newsgroup.

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.