Interactive fiction facts for kids

Interactive fiction, often called IF, is a special kind of computer game where you control the story using only words! Instead of clicking a mouse or using a controller, you type commands on your keyboard to tell the main character what to do. It's like reading a book where you get to decide what happens next. For example, you might type:

take lamp

This command would make your character pick up a lamp in the game. It's all about using your imagination and solving puzzles with text!

What is Interactive Fiction?

Interactive fiction games are like digital "choose your own adventure" books, but much more open-ended. You read descriptions of places and objects, and then you decide what to do by typing simple sentences. The computer understands your commands and tells you what happens next. This makes every game unique, as your choices directly affect the story's path.

How Do You Play?

Playing interactive fiction is quite simple. The game describes a scene, like "You are in a dark room. There is a wooden door to the north and a rusty key on the floor." Then, it waits for your command. You might type:

• look key (to get a closer look at the key)
• take key (to pick it up)
• open door (to try and open the door)
• go north (to move to the next area)

The game will then respond, telling you if your action worked or if something else happened. It's a bit like talking to the computer, and it talks back to you!

Early Days of IF

Interactive fiction games became popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Back then, computers didn't have fancy graphics, so text-based games were a great way to tell exciting stories. One of the very first and most famous IF games was called Zork I. It was so popular that it helped start the whole computer game industry!

Graphics in IF

While most interactive fiction games rely only on text, some early games started to add simple pictures. Mystery House, released in 1980 for the Apple II computer, was one of the first adventure games to include graphics. These pictures helped players imagine the game world even better, combining the power of text with visual clues.

Why is IF Still Fun?

Even today, with amazing graphics in modern games, interactive fiction remains popular. Here's why:

• Imagination: IF games make you use your imagination a lot, which is a great way to build your creative thinking skills.
• Reading Skills: They encourage reading and understanding, as you need to pay close attention to the game's descriptions.
• Problem Solving: Many IF games are full of puzzles that require clever thinking to solve.
• Storytelling: You become a part of the story, influencing how it unfolds with every command you type.

It's a unique way to experience a story, where you are both the reader and the hero!

Images for kids

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  Zork I is one of the most famous early interactive fiction games. Here it is shown running on a modern program called Gargoyle.

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  Mystery House was one of the first adventure games to use graphics, seen here on an Apple II computer.

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  This robot is thinking about adventure!