Why Do We Write Interactive Fiction?
Why do we write interactive fiction? When you think about it, it's a pretty pointless exercise. The commercial aspect fell out of the market years ago*, so no matter how good your game is, you're never going to see any financial comeback for your time and effort. If this was twenty years ago, when the interactive fiction - or text adventures as they were called back then - market was at its peak, you could in theory write a simple text adventure (and some were simple indeed) on your home computer and sell it. You might not make a fortune out of it but the possibility was always there that you would make something. Even if you didn't make any profit at all, the idea that you had had a game published was probably reward enough for your efforts.
* Not counting the likes of Future Boy or any of the Malinche games here. The first was written by a team of people and this article is based more on the games written by individuals. The second? No one really seems to like the games and how much money they make isn't something Malinche seems willing to disclose.
These days? Not a chance. If you're writing interactive fiction with the hope of being able to sell it for some vast unspecified profit one day… well, you're living in a dream world. But, hey, if you make it, be sure to let me know how you did it, okay?
So what is the point in writing interactive fiction? It takes time, it takes effort, it costs money (the registration fee for ADRIFT if you're using that, electricity, wear and tear on your computer, extras if you're planning to buy clipart or the like to include in your game) and it takes you away from something else you could be doing that might, just might, actually make you some money. Myself, I've been trying to write a novel for years. I've never actually succeeded and the rejection slips I've received from publishers have been almost as crushing as seeing my own name on a death warrant. But if I could write a novel, and a damn good one besides, and if it did get published, then I'd make more money from the sale of a single novel than I ever would in an entire lifetime of writing interactive fiction. Heck, I could quit my job and live the life of luxury. Something all the IF games in the world would never do for me, no matter how good I got at writing them.
So why write it?
A number of reasons spring to mind:
1. I'm writing them because it's a hobby. Some people play football, others gaze at the stars, some go train spotting. Me? I write text adventures.
This is probably the reason most people start out with. But how long does the appeal of the hobby keep you writing? Sooner or later, if you're doing this purely as a hobby and nothing else, you're likely to find yourself getting pretty restless. Unless of course you're one of those people (I'm raising a guilty hand here) who has hobbies that last for years and years and years and…
2. I'm a born optimist. I'm convinced one day that the commercial side of the market will pick up and, when it does, I want to be at the forefront of it. If I start now, and get really good at writing games, then when the commercial side kicks in once more, I'll have an advantage over everyone else.
Nice dream. But, seriously, is the commercial market ever likely to come back? Graphical extravaganzas like Half-Life 2, The Sims 2 and Doom 3 seem to be the current flavour of the month and while the actual quality of the games in question might not be as great as the hype surrounding them would indicate, they're still the ones all the computer magazines are talking about. Can a text adventure ever compete with the likes of Half-Life 2 in the eyes of the majority of computer users? Those games cost money and yet despite most text adventures being completely free, it's still the graphical extravaganzas that get the most coverage. How many times does a computer magazine dedicate a few pages to the latest text adventure? Not since the 80's I bet…
3. I like hearing what people think about them.
Good reason. But who are you writing the games for - yourself or your audience? Is a few people occasionally telling you "great game, mate!" enough to keep you writing them?
4. I want to be one of the shining lights of the IF world. I want people to speak of me one day in the same kind of hallowed tones as they speak of Scott Adams. I might not get rich from this lark but, damnit, at least I'll be famous.
Nice idea, but if you're writing IF purely to be famous, you're probably doing it for all the wrong reasons. Yes, we all want to be famous and we all want people to remember our games in years to come, but is writing text adventures the best way to become famous? Why not find a cure for cancer or bring about world peace instead? You'll have an easier job of things.
5. It passes the time and when I get bored, I'll quit and move on to something else.
This is probably true for the majority of people who write and play IF. It's there, it's easy to do (particularly if you're using ADRIFT) and it fills a gap in your time. It won't ever make you rich or win you the undying admiration of countless thousands across the globe, but it'll do till you find something else to waste your time on.
6. I've played some IF and, man, it's awful! A chipmunk on steroids could do a better job. I'm gonna show the poor saps how it's done.
I've seen this happen more than a few times. Usually there'll be an announcement by someone - generally a complete newbie to the scene who happened on the text adventure market all of ten minutes ago - saying they're working on a true masterpiece of a game that will blow all the other games out of the water with its sheer brilliance. The newbie will make several different announcements about his project which he claims is the finest thing to hit the world if interactive fiction ever and then, abruptly, either go very, very quiet or post a quick message saying he's decided to try something else and so the world will have to go without his resounding masterpiece after all. And then he'll never be heard from again. This will no doubt come about because he's finally taken a good long look at the competition (as he should have done in the first place before making his announcement but which he didn't because he was too eager to show everyone how amazingly great he is) and realised that his meagre skills aren't quite up to the job of getting the better of them.
Yes, a lot of IF is awful and some of it could probably be bettered by a chipmunk on steroids but writing a decent game is a lot harder than it looks. You don't just sit down and decide to write a masterpiece of a game and, a week later, your masterpiece is finished. That's the way it happens in your dreams. In real life, it tends to be somewhat different. And announcing your arrival on the scene by saying you're going to write the best damn IF game ever is just asking for trouble.
Unless, of course, you're that one in a million writer who is just as good as he thinks.
7. The chicks dig a guy who's great at writing text adventures.
Not heard that one before but we can always hope…
8. I like writing them. Pure and simple.
The best reason of them all. You write them because you enjoy writing them. Is there a better reason to write them than that?
Eight reasons for writing IF, although I'm sure there are dozens of other ones. I can well imagine people deciding to have a go at it just to see how easy/difficult it is, or perhaps they've spent a life playing IF games and figure it might be interesting to see how they are from the writing side of things, or…
Of course, why we write interactive fiction is pretty much down to the individual. For me, it's a mixture of 3 and 8: I like hearing what people say about my games (amazing how the opinion of someone you've probably never met in real life and most likely never will meet can mean so much when they say a few kind words about a game you've written) and I also like writing them full stop. Then again, 2 is also a reason for me and while I'm realistic enough to accept that the idea of me ever managing to sell a text adventure in a market increasingly dominated by the likes of Half-Life 2 and The Sims 2 is unlikely in the extreme, it's still nice to dream. After all, it could happen. In a world where someone like George Bush can become the most powerful man in the world, I'm prepared to believe anything can happen. 4 would also be nice but if you're writing IF just for the sake of becoming famous for it, you're going about it for the wrong reasons.
Option 8 is my favourite. You write IF because you like writing it. All the others should be a secondary concern because, unless you do manage to become one of the lucky few who can make a real living out of it, you're doing all this for no other comeback than the great feeling you get for having written a truly amazing game.