L&M 3 - Hypertext is Hyperstrange

Hypertext – a form of database setup that involves the ability to cross-reference extensively many texts on a given subject, as well as associated materials like graphics - and interactive fiction – that is, fiction with which a “reader” or “player” must directly interact with to drive the story forward - are interesting subjects. There seems to be a lot of debate about whether these qualify as games or not - whether those taking part are "playing", or merely "reading." I think it's more complicated than saying it's one or the other - back in the early days of video games, "text adventures" were a prominent genre of game. The technology at the time was a limiting factor, and so this was the only real medium in which to tell interactive stories. As graphical technology evolved, games generally went one of two ways - graphically intensive (for the time) without a narrative to speak of, or remaining simpler and prioritising telling a story over looking good. It is a relatively recent phenomenon where games can do both at the same time. Whilst hypertext is not strictly speaking a medium for games, many games do feature a sort of hypertext within them – Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord, a medieval conquest simulator, allows the player to pick a particular faction – say, the Celtic-inspired Battanians to the North – and read up on many topics related to this faction, such as their ideology, what generals and nobles make up its armies, the fiefs these lords own, and even details such as their economic policy. This information can be cross-referenced, returned to at will, and used to the player’s advantage in gameplay.

The spirit of text adventures was kept alive first by point-and-click games, and then saw a resurgence in the form of Telltale's interactive narratives that peaked in the early 2010s. We would generally say text adventures were games, as were these point-and-clicks, as are Telltale's - so what makes media like Galatea or Luminous Airplanes so debatable, I wonder? Perhaps it is the intent behind the media that matters, ultimately, in deciding its fate.

Works Cited

TaleWorlds Entertainment, Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord, March 2020

Short, Emily, Galatea, 2000

La Farge, Paul, Luminous Airplanes, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, September 2011