Leah Case (she/her) is a writer and game developer who specializes in absurd Twine hacking. In our chat, she digs into why she loves Twine so much, how she approaches writing branching interactive fiction, and how collaborating as part of snotwurm lets her focus in on system building (in Twine, of course). She closes the show out by teasing a forthcoming visual novel strategy game, and recommending some further listening.
Read MoreFreya Campbell (she/they) is an interactive fiction writer, designer, and game engine combiner. Her games focus on small interactions in fantastical settings, emphasizing pacing and being incredibly queer. They joined me on this week’s episode to discuss writing interactive fiction, putting engines inside each other, and using engine constraints to inform pacing.
Read MoreElliot Herriman (she/her) is an interactive fiction author and developer who makes games about being queer and engines to help you not have to code. She spent some time chatting about falling into game dev, the struggle to get your work in front of people as an author, and the importance of accessible tools. We discuss many unspeakable games so make sure there aren’t any cops around before you pop this one on.
Read MoreTaylor McCue (choosing not to disclose pronouns) is a game developer whose work explores trans identities, bodily autonomy, and the dehumanizing impact of institutions. We discussed the flawed act of asking for pronouns, what led Taylor to make games, and the using Gameboy ROMs as a form of preservation.
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It took awhile for me to understand where Swan Hill’s melancholy was attempting to take me. It is at once a story about magic (or something greater than that, what is here known as philosophy), about jealousy, responsibility, and keeping up appearances. But it struck me as going deeper than that, past its fantasy roots and royalty to tap into a very human need to feel valued.
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Whether as a witty cyberpunk detective tale or a deeper commentary on our tendency to conform to society’s wishes and expect the same of others,Gwaltney and Horrorshow’s Twine excursion gave me cause to think and further appreciate a genre which seems unequaled in its ability to simultaneously exist as entertaining escapism and thoughtful commentary when given to the right artist.
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