Interactive fiction

I’ve always enjoyed “choose your own adventure” books. The very first one I read was a Goosebumps story – ages ago – which featured a mummy.

I found it fascinating as I flipped between the pages to all the different endings (I think there were six of them?) that featured death, destruction, mayhem, and mummification. Fun times!

Now that I’ve been commissioned to write an interactive fiction story of my own, the circle feels complete.

My story, Trust me, I’m lying is part of Trust Fall, a collection of digital artworks presented at the Digital Writers’ Festival 2018.

Happening in hyperspace from Oct 30-Nov 3 2018, #DWF18 is an online-first writers’ festival dedicated to celebrating the work of writers from Australia and across the world.

Trust Fall  examines the concept of trust in relation to user interaction. With advances in digital technology raising concerns over privacy, safety, and authenticity, audience members are encouraged to play with the concept of trust in the digital form.

My work, Trust me, I’m lying is an interactive experience that explores the theme of trust in the digital age. 

As with all interactive fiction, the choices the reader makes during the story affects the outcome of the narrative. The reader’s decisions to trust, betray, lie or tell the truth during the course of the story will affect the way things play out.

Set in a cyberpunk world where technology has advanced but the quality of life has faded, human relationships are fleeting, rare – and mostly online.

But the need to connect persists, even if the other person on the line is anonymous. 

As a survivor of this lonely world, you think you’ve found a friend in your online chat buddy. But there’s one question you need to answer before you can truly trust them.

Are people on the internet ever who they say they are?

My story, Trust me, I’m lying is part of Trust Fall, a collection of digital artworks presented at the Digital Writers’ Festival 2018.

With dangers lurking around every dark corner on the internet, your choices can have deadly consequences.