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I made a video game last night.
It wasn’tRed Dead Redemptionor anything, but it was a video game alright.
The game I made was incredibly simple.
More powerful than writing fiction the normal way - chronologically, single-mindedly - and I soon realised why.
As gamers, we like to explore every possibility.
It’s why we replay games to get different endings.
It’s why we save scum before picking a risky dialogue option.
Writing a game allows you to take that to the extreme, not just exploring every option butcreatingevery option.
Don’t like where a conversation is going?
Add another branching path.
If nothing else, I’ve found the process a great way of exploring dialogue options for regular fiction.
Ive found that I dont like deleting my progress, though.
A screenshot from 80 Days
The process has been extremely cathartic.
It’s like playing a narrative game with complete freedom.
If I reach a dead end, I wrap that thread up.
If a conversation turns sour, that’s the bad ending.
That is a true statement.
I learned the rules of Inky in about 30 minutes, thanks to a bunch of YouTube tutorials.
A screenshot from 80 Days
From there, I just started writing.
Im nottrying to make a functional doorhere.
What I have is a single scene of a text adventure.
There are multiple endings, too, including one that involves paying 8 for an airport pint.
(Thats the bad ending.)
What is that, if not a rudimentary game?
I love choices, especially when they feel like theyre meaningful.
I havent implemented any world-changing choices in my airport trialogue, but the decisions feel impactful.
On the other hand, forging a brief friendship feels natural.
And most importantly it all feels natural.
Im not offering one brave choice and one evil choice before sorting you into Gryffindor or Slytherin here.
In the short time since finishing this scene, Ive noticed these dialogue quirks in other games Ive played.
It becomes incredibly complex when you add in all the other elements that make a game a game.
If yes, then Y mentions Z) is a gargantuan task.
But its all extrapolated from one evenings work.
That makes sense, given I was using the studios proprietary scripting editor to write it.
Mine is nothing like that.
Nowhere near as complex, nowhere near as riveting.
Where does it go from here?
Maybe I’ll add visuals, probably still images.
Maybe I’ll add another scene.
Maybe I’ll release it.
Maybe Illadd 2D JPEGs of dogs.
Maybe I’ll do none of that.
Once again, there are possibilities.
Once again, it feels good.
A genius reverse murder mystery from the creator of 80 Days.
