While I must admit, and agree with other like comments for blog #3, I found the idea and process of Interactive Fiction to be quite odd at first discussion. Pared with this, I was not really sure what the point of this genre of writing was. My opinion on this will be discussed at the end of this post, but for now I would like to discuss Lost Pig and Shade.
I personally found these two “games” harder to navigate than ones discussed in our last class (Aisle). Especially in Shade, it seemed as though the program did not recognize items that it should have. For example, the background and beginning scene describes the room: telling us there is a window, desk, bathroom and luggage by the door. Why, if these items are mentioned in the description, are they not recognized in commands? I find this very discouraging for the program.
I found Lost Pig slightly more entertaining. Perhaps this is because I found it easier to navigate and the commands more recognized (after a few annoyances) or perhaps its because I am from a small farm town and can relate to the farm life and way of speaking. Also, one of the reasons I think I found this more interesting is because we were given a point. In Lost Pig, we are to find the pig and bring it back to the farmer; in Shade we are simply bumming around the apartment waiting for our ride to come. What exactly are we supposed to be doing?
Finally, my opinion on the IF genre as a whole. Again, I did not understand the purpose and the reasoning. However, now I see (and remember) that the whole purpose of writing is self expression and creativity. IF def does just this. Not only are the authors able to write what they want, but they are able to do it in a way that is beyond just writing. They show their creativity and playful side. This is the purpose of Interactive Fiction.