Create Interactive Fiction Using Twine

Create Interactive Fiction Using Twine

Wednesdays 6:00 - 9:00pm
7 class sessions from Sept 28 - Nov 9
Student Exhibit on Nov 12

$250 per student

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Are you a writer seeking to explore interactive non-linear stories? Or a performer interested in exploring a new interface with your audience? Have mainstream video games that recycle the same old tired storylines and gory gimmicks left you hungry for new kinds of narratives?

This course focuses on the use of Twine to create live, choice-based performances guided by your audience’s votes. We will combine live performance with radical ideas about what game experiences can be.

Imagine creating a choose-your-own-adventure performance in which the audience determines the fate of your characters and every ending is a surprise! Or a performative horror piece where your audience must navigate twists and turns in a complex story while it unfolds onstage.

This class is a unique opportunity to dive into indie games—known for their innovation, creativity, and artistic experimentation—while creating an expressive artform.

ABOUT TWINE

Discover the game creation platform Twine—the simplest game-making tool around! Twine has been lauded as cultural force in the NY Times, The Guardian, Rhizome, and many more.

If you're interested in making interactive fiction then there's no better place to start than Twine. Embraced by creatives from every walk of life, Twine is accessible to all; you don’t need to be an experienced coder to create your first game. 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Master the ins and outs of the Twine software

• Construct interactive and non-linear stories

• Hone your storytelling skills

• Enhance live performances with audience interaction

• Discover how (and why) minority communities have embraced Twine

• Perform your creation at the class exhibition!

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Chelsea Hostetter is a Senior Interaction Designer at frog design. Initially trained in fine arts and linguistics from Carnegie Mellon University, she went on to study interaction design at the Austin Center for Design based on her love of designing video games and web sites. When not researching or designing, she can be found creating her own video games for hackathons like the Global Game Jam.

REQUIREMENTS

• No prior coding experience is necessary

• A personal laptop (no matter how old) and access to Google Docs

• Curiosity, love of stories, collaboration, interactivity, and stage hijinks

RECOMMENDED READING

Videogames for Humans: Twine Authors in Conversation edited by Merritt Kopas

Sign up to take your first foray into the world of creative coding in a supportive learning environment!