Play
Serious Games
Queers in Love at the End of the World by Anna Anthropy
- Demonstrates how text-based games can be both short and personal.
- Additional coding can be utilized to add features to text-based games like timers.
SPENT by McKinney
- Shows how media can be combined with text to enhance experience.
- Simulate experiences and improve understanding of difficult choices.
- Illustrates how text-based games can give players various experiences through role play.
- Gives players situational empathy for others facing various life-choices.
Syrian Journey by BBC
- Shows how games can engage players in current political topics.
- Artwork can dramatically enhance the game experience.
What You Can Save by Jennifer Malkowski
- Uses prompts to let players submit information to use during the game.
- Great example of what can be built in our timeframe (a XP example!).
Playful Games
Escape from the Man-Sized Cabinet by Stephen Colbert
- Shows how media can be combined with text to enhance experience.
- Text-based games can be used to express humor.
Seedship by John Ayliff
- Deep Sci-Fi game based on risk and reward that is heavily replayable.
- Relies on randomly generated events and coding to create rich story variety.
Faculty Made Games
- Anne Boleyn by Kathleen Crowther
- Biochem Adventures by Christina Bourne
- Contain-Gen by Annemarie Mulkey
- Las medias rojas by Julie Ward
- Lingu by Mark Norris
- Sanctuary by Lauren Horn Griffin
- Units by Eric Abraham
- Even More! by UMass/5 Colleges Faculty
Student Made Games*
- University English Class of Twine Games
- Twine Games by Middle School Students
- 7th Grade Social Studies Games
- Twine Websites by Middle School Students
*List from this blog post.
Additional Games
- CAPITALISM The Role Playing Game by Soda51
- Depression Quest by Zoe Quinn, Patrick Lindsey, & Isaac Schankler
- Election Simulator 2016 by Keegan Long-Wheeler
- Enthymeme by Alayna M Cole
- Healing Words by Keegan Long-Wheeler & John Stewart
- June 2013, You Clean Your Room by Jimmy Evans
- Lisa vs. the Tornado by Lisa Brown
- Mission US by These People
- Moments by David Jagneaux
Discussion – Meaningful Play
What is Meaningful Play?
- What makes these games educational? Valuable? Critical?
- What narratives did you like best?
- What game mechanics were most fun/interesting/challenging/memorable?
