Adventure, it grabs your attention right from the beginning. Adventure is the game title of an interactive online game. The word “game” may mislead people when referring to Adventure because there is absolutely nothing game-like about it. There is no action, just simple commands the user types in to a text bar. When the user types in the right action command the game responds with a line or two of text, explaining the outcome of the action.
This type of game is known as interactive fiction, meaning that the user takes part in the story. With Adventure, or Colossal Cave, the user’s actions and inputs control the “plot” of the story, and eventually the ending. The question whether Adventure is true literature is a debatable one with both sides having ample support for their claims. On the side of Adventure being literature are the facts that although the story is interactive, the user is able to follow a specified plot and story line. Looking at Adventure as a game and not a piece of literature are the facts that the story is impossible to get to unless the user inputs the right commands. Putting it simply the story is completely hidden from the user unless the user “plays” the literature, and with this criterion can it really be considered true literature?
| Introduction | My Experience | Exploring Adventure | Is It Literature? | Conclusion |