Interactive Fiction workshop for Goldsmiths, University of London, Library on 22nd March 2018 by Stella Wisdom

1. Get Interactive With Fiction
Workshop at Goldsmiths University Library
22 March 2018
Stella Wisdom, Digital Curator
@miss_wisdom
Blog: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digital-scholarship/

2. www.bl.uk 2
What I’ll cover today:
• Introduction to the British Library’s Digital
Scholarship Department & Digital Research Team
Plus what we do
• BL Labs
• What is Interactive Fiction?
• Where to read it
• How to create it
• How to share it

3. www.bl.uk 3
The British Library is the
national library of the UK
We receive a copy of every
publication produced in the UK and
Ireland
From 6 April 2013, legal deposit
covers e-books, e-journals and
other types of electronic
publication
Plus other material that is made
available to the public in the UK on
handheld media such as CD-
ROMs and microfilm, on the web
(including websites) and by
download from a website.
http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/legaldeposit/

4. www.bl.uk 4
Over 150 Million items
are stored in London and in
Yorkshire
If you saw 5 items a day
it would take you 80,000
years to see the whole
collection
Digitisation is crucial for
opening up access to
this content and collections
http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/quickinfo/facts/

5. www.bl.uk 5
The UK Web Archive
http://www.webarchive.org.uk
• Three collections:
– Open Archive (since 2004)
– Legal Deposit Archive (since 2013)
– JISC Historical Archive (1996-2013)
• Statistics:
– Over eight billion resources
– Over 160TB compressed data
• Goals:
– Preserve UK web history
– Support access
– Enable research

6. www.bl.uk 6
The Conservative Party deleted speeches and press releases
published on its website between 2000 and the 2010 general election.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24924185
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/13/conservative-party-archive-speeches-internet

7. www.bl.uk 7
Born-Digital Manuscripts
Personal Digital Archives

8. www.bl.uk 8
The Wendy Cope Archive
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-05/10/british-library-digital-archives

9. www.bl.uk 9
Who am I?
Founded in 2010, the Digital
Scholarship Department at British
Library supports researchers and
staff to make innovative use of our
digital collections and data.
We are a group of cross disciplinary
experts in the areas of digitisation,
librarianship, digital history &
humanities, computer and data
science, looking at how technology is
transforming research, and in turn,
our services.
@BL_DigiSchol

10. www.bl.uk 10
Meet the Digital Scholarship Team
Main Activities:
• Staff training
• Promoting Digital Scholarship within BL
• Curating digital research data
• Project management
• Engagement with users
• Creating and sharing online content with
other libraries and research centres
• Communication: events, blogging, social
media

11. www.bl.uk 11

12. www.bl.uk 12
Mechanical Curator
What can68,000
books tell us?
Image: Artwork by Alicia Martin

13. www.bl.uk 13
Microsoft Partnership Digitisation
2006-8
• 68,000 volumes (47,000+ titles) published in the 19th
century mostly in English
• Excluded authors active 1850-1901 and who died after
1936
• Output: 25 million pages
• Digitised content is public domain

14. www.bl.uk 14
Extracting Images from OCR
14
<?xml version="1.0"
encoding="UTF-8" ?>
- <mets:mets
xmlns:xsi="http://ww
w.w3.org/2001/XML
Schema-instance"
xmlns:mets="http://w
ww.loc.gov/METS/"
xsi:schemaLocation=
"http://www.loc.gov/
METS/
http://www.loc.gov/
standards/mets/ver
sion18/mets.xsd
info:lc/xmlns/premi
s-v2
Image snipped out
Algorithmically
From ALTO XML
Image taken from page 207 of 'London and its Environs. A
picturesque survey of the metropolis and the suburbs ...
Translated by Henry Frith. With ... illustrations'
ALTO XML

15. www.bl.uk 15
http://mechanicalcurator.tumblr.com/ https://twitter.com/MechCuratorBot

16. www.bl.uk 16
Flickr albums created through crowd-sourced tagging

17. www.bl.uk 17
David Normal
http://www.davidnormal.com/

18. www.bl.uk 18

19. www.bl.uk 19

20. www.bl.uk 20
David Normal created light boxes around the
Burning man, using the British Library’s Flickr Images
The Crossroads of Curiosity Installation
at Burning Man Festival

21. www.bl.uk 21
The Crossroads of Curiosity Installation at the British Library
June to November 2015
The installation featured an “augmented reality” self-guided tour enabling viewers
to explore the meaning and origins of the painting’s symbols using Blippar.
www.crossroadsofcuriosity.com
http://www.bl.uk/events/the-crossroads-of-curiosity-installation

22. www.bl.uk 22
Sarah Cole, Poetic Places
Creative-Entrepreneur-In-Residence
http://www.poeticplaces.uk/

23. www.bl.uk 23
What is Poetic Places?
• A free, native app for Android and iOS devices.
• Bring poetic depictions of places into the physical world,
helping people to encounter literature and heritage in
relevant locations, accompanied by materials drawn from
cultural heritage collections.
• Brings literature and heritage into everyday life in
unexpected moments. Serendipitous discovery; not tours.
• Browse the poems and places without being in situ.

26. https://www.badgicalkingdom.co.uk/

27. Odyssey Jam 2017
https://itch.io/jam/odysseyjam
Writing challenge tied in with Read Watch Play, a partnership of libraries
worldwide encouraging themed discussions of books, films, music and games,
each month they have a theme and for March 2017 it was #waterread.

28. Odyssey Jam 2017 entries
https://itch.io/jam/odysseyjam/entries
We encouraged entrants to make use of the digitised images on Flickr that The
British Library had released under a creative commons license.
Some games used these images, e.g. No One and 108 suitors.

29. Gothic Novel Jam 2018
https://itch.io/jam/gothic-novel-jam
It is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein and the birth of Emily
Bronte. So the a perfect opportunity to run a gothic novel themed challenge this July.

30. The Infinite Library
InteractiveFictionSummer School
17– 21July2017
www.bl.uk/courses
http://blogs.bl.uk/english-and-drama/2017/07/first-steps-into-interactive-fiction-.html

31. www.bl.uk 31
Infinite Journeys
Interactive Fiction Summer School
23 – 27 July 2018
https://www.bl.uk/events/infinite-journeys-interactive-fiction-summer-school

32. www.bl.uk 32
http://handeyesociety.com/wordplay/
WordPlay is a free
festival celebrating the
most interesting uses of
writing and words in
contemporary games.
Each year there is a
curated game showcase,
talks by creators, and
ways for the public to
learn about making
games.
WordPlay usually takes
place at the Toronto
Reference Library in
Canada.

33. www.bl.uk 33
http://handeyesociety.com/event/wordplay-london-photo-video-recap/
WordPlay 2016 was held on the 19th of
November at the British Library in
London as part of International Games
Day @ your Library.

34. www.bl.uk 34
4-10 November 2018
http://games.ala.org/international-games-week
http://games.ala.org/gaming-at-the-british-library

35. www.bl.uk 35
http://www.librarycamp.co.uk/

36. www.bl.uk 36
https://www.bl.uk/events/game-library-camp
http://gamesandglams.blogspot.co.uk/

37. www.bl.uk 37
Game Library Camp 2017
https://artefacto.org.uk/game-library-camp-2017

38. www.bl.uk 38
https://twitter.com/games_glams
https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/games-and-glams

39. www.bl.uk 39
What is Interactive Fiction?
“Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, is software simulating
environments in which players use text commands to control characters
and influence the environment.
Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives, either in the
form of Interactive narratives or Interactive narrations. These works can
also be understood as a form of video game, either in the form of an
adventure game or role-playing game.
In common usage, the term refers to text adventures, a type of adventure
game where the entire interface can be "text-only", however, Graphical
text adventure games, where the text is accompanied by graphics (still
images, animations or video) still fall under the text adventure category if
the main way to interact with the game is by typing text.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_fiction

40. www.bl.uk 40
What is Interactive Fiction?
What is Hypertext fiction?
“Hypertext fiction is a genre of electronic literature, characterized by the
use of hypertext links that provide a new context for non-linearity in
literature and reader interaction. The reader typically chooses links to move
from one node of text to the next, and in this fashion arranges a story from
a deeper pool of potential stories. Its spirit can also be seen in interactive
fiction.”
“Hypertext fiction is characterized by networked nodes of text making up a
fictional story. There are often several options in each node that directs
where the reader can go next. Unlike traditional fiction, the reader is not
constrained by reading the fiction from start to end, depending on the
choices they make. In this sense, it is similar to an encyclopaedia, with the
reader reading a node and then choosing a link to follow. While this can be
done more easily on paper, it is quite a different experience on a screen.
The reader can be thrown into unpredictable loops because not all of the
links are explained by their title. The fiction can contain text, quotes, and
images.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext_fiction

41. www.bl.uk 41
Where to read it
The Interactive Fiction Database is an IF game catalogue and recommendation
engine. IFDB is a Wiki-style community project: members can add new game
listings, write reviews and exchange recommendations.
http://ifdb.tads.org/
textadventures.co.uk is a community of interactive fiction game makers and players.
All games are either playable in your web browser, or as an app for your
smartphone or tablet. Almost all are free.
http://textadventures.co.uk/
Interactive Fiction games on itch.io
https://itch.io/games/tag-interactive-fiction
The Electronic Literature Organization, an international organisation dedicated to
the investigation of literature produced for the digital medium.
https://eliterature.org/
The New Media Writing Prize showcases exciting and inventive stories that
integrate a variety of formats, platforms, and digital media.
http://newmediawritingprize.co.uk/

42. www.bl.uk 42
Where to read it
Twine games made with Wellcome Library Collection materials
https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/playing-games-in-the-digital-library
They asked three games designers to write interactive narratives using their
collections using Twine.
Alice Maz’s Feminine Aspect uses images from a 1930s German book, Die Erotik in
der Photographie, to ask the player questions about how we look at photographs,
and the judgements we make about the people in them. It’s also a deeply personal
work that tells its story through and around these images from another place and
time.
Nina Freeman’s Table Talk dives into a single painting by Frederick Cayley
Robinson from his Acts of Mercy series, using it as a jumping-off point for a story
about female friendship and puberty.
Prolix by pyun-pyun tells a curious story about psychology and mind control. Images
from the Library collections are used as artefacts within the game world, shown and
discussed by the protagonists.

43. www.bl.uk 43
Where to read it
http://www.storysmash.co.uk/
Storysmash is a project
delivered by Nottingham
City Libraries in partnership
with National Videogame
Foundation and Nottingham
UNESCO City of Literature,
funded by Arts Council
England.

44. www.bl.uk 44
Where to read it
https://storysmash.itch.io/horizon-chapter-1

45. www.bl.uk 45
Where to read it
Some examples
Depression Quest, by Zoe Quinn
http://www.depressionquest.com/
The Spare Set, by Rob Sherman
http://bonfiredog.co.uk/thespareset/
Hana Feels, by Gavin Inglis
http://hanafeels.com/
Galatea by Emily Short
http://textadventures.co.uk/games/view/emrhyy7pp0c8bjkjeuhs-g/galatea
Queers in Love at the End of the World, by Anna Anthropy
https://w.itch.io/end-of-the-world
Cat Petting Simulator 2014, by neongrey
https://neongrey.itch.io/pet-that-cat

46. www.bl.uk 46
How to create it
Free tools

47. www.bl.uk 47
How to create it
Squiffy
http://textadventures.co.uk/squiffy
Squiffy is a tool for creating interactive fiction - that is, multiple choice
games that focus on text and story. Players navigate through the game or
story by clicking links.
Squiffy is free and open source. It creates HTML and JavaScript, so you
can upload it to your own website, or you can upload your games for free to
textadventures.co.uk.
You can also turn your game into an app using PhoneGap
(https://phonegap.com/).

48. www.bl.uk 48
How to create it
inklewriter
https://www.inklestudios.com/inklewriter/
inklewriter helps writers tell interactive tales with the minimum of fuss.
It keeps your branching story organised, so you can concentrate on
what’s important – the writing.
inklewriter is a free tool designed to allow anyone to write and publish
interactive stories. It’s perfect for writers who want to try out interactivity,
but also for teachers and students looking to mix computer skills and
creative writing.

49. www.bl.uk 49https://www.inklestudios.com/80days/

50. www.bl.uk 50
How to create it
Twine
http://twinery.org/
Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories.
You don't need to write any code to create a simple story with Twine, but you
can extend your stories with variables, conditional logic, images, CSS, and
JavaScript.
Twine publishes directly to HTML, so you can post your work nearly anywhere.
Anything you create with it is completely free to use any way you like, including
for commercial purposes.

51. www.bl.uk 51
How to create it
Twine
http://twinery.org/wiki/twine2:guide

52. www.bl.uk 52
How to create it
Twine
http://twinery.org/forum/

53. www.bl.uk 53
How to create it
Twine
https://twinery.org/cookbook/

54. www.bl.uk 54
How to create it
Twine
http://twinery.org/
Time to have a go!
Open “Get interactive with fiction” handout and follow the instructions on there.

55. www.bl.uk 55
How to share it
Philome.la

56. www.bl.uk 56
How to share it
Itch.io
itch.io is a simple way to distribute indie games online for free. Upload your game
files and screenshots all to one place.
https://itch.io/

57. www.bl.uk 57
Oxford and London Interactive Fiction Group
Meet to play and discuss interactive fiction of all kinds, from classic Zork-style
text adventures to Twine games to interactive ebooks. And if you're an IF writer
as well as reader and player, this is a chance to find fellow authors, trade
experiences, find beta-testers and get help with commonly used IF tools.
https://www.meetup.com/Oxford-and-London-Interactive-Fiction-Group

58. www.bl.uk 58https://ifcomp.org/
The Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp) welcomes all kinds of
text-driven digital stories and games, making them freely available in order
to encourage the creation, play, and discussion of interactive fiction.

59. www.bl.uk 59
Web: http://www.bl.uk/subjects/digital-scholarship
Blog:
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digital-scholarship/
Email: stella.wisdom@bl.uk
Twitter: @miss_wisdom #bldigital