During my time as a graduate student at UALR, I've been introduced to a variety of different concepts and technologies. One program that immediately caught my attention was Twine, an open-source tool for creating interactive fiction. After being introduced to Twine, I knew that I wanted to make interactive fiction a focus during my time in the Rhetoric and Writing program. I spoke to Professor Greer and we created an independent study that focused on the theory of game design and its connections to narrative and storytelling.

The idea for my interactive narrative came from my research into adapting existing fables and folk tales for other mediums. There are many stories and games that use fables as the basis for their narrative. I spent a few days reading folktales and myths, and was eventually drawn toward Native American creation myths.

My goal for the project was to ensure that the information and details were accurate, so I reached out to the Sequoyah National Research Center for some context and guidance. Because each creation myth is associated with a specific tribe, I decided to select one version of the myth to focus on. I chose the "Coyote Brings Fire" version of the myth from the Karuk (also known as Karok) tribe.

The details I learned about the Karuk shaped the story, characters, and decisions. In the end I was able to craft a narrative outline for my game, tentatively named Firebringer, that reflects my research into both the Karuk and game theory as a whole.

Throughout the course I wrote several blog posts about my journey into the world of game design. They show how my research impacted my growing game design and narrative:

Week 1: The Beginning

Week 2: Finding an Idea

Week 3: All the Reasons Why

Week 4: Stealing Fire

Week 5: Back to the Drawing Board

Week 6: End of an Era