Additionally, placing links after the narration forces the reader to read the exposition, pause to consider the choices, and ultimately choose which link to follow. By using two different styles of lexia I can maintain the user’s attention because the links don’t appear in the same place each time. To honor this my project has a mix of links that are embedded within the exposition, and some links that come after the narration like text-based adventure games. Porpentine uses links that are embedded inside the narrative text. These two ideas combine to create an incredibly immersive atmosphere and motivates the user to fully explore the piece.įor my own project I drew heavily on Porpentine’s With Those We Love Alive to make my own “Porpen-twine”.
Users navigate the space by clicking on links but also must complete certain function such as “sleeping” or “breathing” to advance the story in several cases. Porpentine creates spaces in the style of classic interactive fiction games for the reader to explore using links like classic hypertext works. Twine hosts many treasured works such as Porpentine’s With Those We Love Alive. Many people would classify interactive fiction as “games” because interactive fiction often includes graphic components which evolved into contemporary video games. Interactive fiction generally delivers a linear story focused on exploring a space or completing any number of objectives or puzzles. Traditionally hypertext is known for non-linear storytelling by creating highly descriptive, brief, sections of a larger story the user must explore to piece together the larger narrative. Twine is an interesting intersection of hypertext and interactive fiction.