Warm weather is on the way and you need to stay hydrated. As a start, take a sip of water every time you hear the phrase "in the 90's." This week we're learning about Interactive Fiction - its history, communities, and transformations over the years - from living archive of the medium, Andrew Plotkin. As a bonus, Stephen discovers that he isn't the only one who is wrong about things!
Credit for this episode's extra-thorough show notes goes to Andrew. Thanks, Andrew!
Inform IF language launched around 1993 (https://www.inform-fiction.org/). You can find the modern version at https://inform7.com/
This allowed people to create games for Infocom’s original Z-machine, which was invented as a proprietary system in 1979 but is now open-source.
Andrew's Interactive Fiction and Game recommendations
- IFcomp 2025 winners
- Type Help
- Roottrees are dead
- Return of the Obra Dinn
- Murder at the Birch Tree Theater