The past, present, and future of interactive fiction

Or, maybe in a more click-generating sub-heading, “how to combine creative writing and programming to create interactive fiction”. In this post and the accompanying video version, I look at how people have created works of fiction where you have a degree of control over the narrative for the past 60 years. This includes paper-based books, computer games, and much more. I realise that the history may go further back than the 1970s, but that’s where I chose to start my adventure, and maybe I’ll look further back in the future. I also look at the modern generation of interactive fiction and story-led games and the tools that people use to create them. OK. Pencil ready? Turn to page one.