“You are standing on a vast empty field with a single boarded door and a mailbox next to it.” Thus begins one of the most popular games of all times, ‘Zork’, a text-based adventure game or interactive fiction.
Of late, these have become a popular way of teaching a variety of content and skills to learners across all ages.
Online interactive fiction is like a digital version of the traditional board game ‘Dungeon!’ which is set in a medieval world of make believe. There were also other games of choice like ‘Choose your own adventure’ series in the 1970s which was written in the second person, allowing the reader to make choices which determine the plot of the story.
There is now a resurgence of this kind of fiction in digital form. They are in the form of text-based games, mobile application-based fiction and now, Artificial Intelligence powered texts as well.
All of them have the same purpose: to enable users of all ages to enjoy and learn through interaction in a digital space, often in real time with players from other parts of the world.
For example, developers Telltale Games adapted popular television series like ‘Walking dead’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ into a game with dialogue choice. The direction of the story is thus dependent on the decisions that the player makes, making their stake in the story deeper and more consequential.
‘Pepi Wonder World: Islands of Magic Life’ is another immersive experience where children go on a journey that takes them to new places in a make believe world and where they follow instructions to complete a specific quest or purpose. All these fiction-cum-games develop much needed skills in learners.
Digital interactive fiction has been known to help in cognitive development. It also helps in the improvement of emotional and social markers.
For example, ‘Minecraft Story Mode’ and ‘Last Kids on Earth’, both available on OTT platforms, are very useful ways to develop listening comprehension skills as there is a choice of dialogue that determines the direction of the plot, and eventually the ending. Such games thus empower the learner with a sense of independence, giving them a stake in the outcomes of the narrative.
Also, as the choices made by the player-learner changes the narrative, interactive fiction also teaches soft skills like empathy – understanding another person’s emotions and dilemma before deciding on a course of action. For example, ‘Begscape’ puts the reader in the role of a beggar having to make ethical choices.
We all love a good story. Interactive fiction, when used in a classroom, helps to hone skills like close reading and logical thinking. It also helps in critical thinking, and finally writing. It makes older learners aware of digital storytelling, potentially making some of them interested in this form.
As the internet continues to dominate our lives, we can only learn to leverage it for its advantages. Combining software with traditional stories is one of the best ways in which the old and new could be combined to provide positive learning outcomes.
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