Games and Literature

Chapter 4 in Electronic Literature is titled "Interactive Fiction and Other Gamelike Forms". The start of the chapter Rettburg explains the connection between computer games and electronic literature, stating how computer games are "... the dominate form of comtemporary entertainment produced within digital environments" (87). Rettburg then explains the history behind "text-adventure" games and how they became popular around the world. One of the main ideas within this chapter is the connection between interactive fiction and the reader. Rettburg explains how the reader within interactive fiction acts as a player who acts as the navigator throughout the world. Interactive fiction revolves around the interaction of environments and characters with the ultimate goal of an interactive fiction having a definitive outcome.


Colossal Cave Adventure was created in 1975 and is considered the first work of interactive fiction. It was created by Will Crowther, a programmer who developed the game for his children. The gameplay focused on collecting objects and solving puzzles while trying to find all of the object within the cave. The game was only suppose to be for his children, but he posted it on a ARPANET forum that allowed others to modify the code. The game would keep track of your score as your would progress throughout the game with a maximum score of 350. The player would have three lives and the game would reset if the player lost all three. Crowther described his game as "just some rather simplistic logic and a small table of known words" (92). Colossal Cave Adventure is considered one of the most influential works in interactive fiction because it spawned a new genre of electronic literature.


https://www.amc.com/shows/halt-and-catch-fire/exclusives/colossal-cave-adventure

Tim W