//The Rift// by Matthew Gunn, as part of a UBC //CRWR 312// deliverable.

How did you define what a story is for this assignment?

//For this assignment, I defined a story as a thematic narrative that uses specific key events to drive a plot. The means and methods by which a player reaches the key events will differ, as will their intentions: One of the key components of effective interactive storytelling is meaningful choice in the narrative. However, the story begins and ends the same. In addition, there are key events throughout the story that are triggered not by linear reading, but by the amount of testing that the player chooses to complete.

The story in the piece is not traditional prose. Rather, it is of a form that simulates technical writing, with enough flexibility to convey story devices. The greater theme of the story is revealed not only in the choices that the player makes, but also the details that they must investigate when reading between the lines of their overly formal test reports.

//What components influenced your creative choices as you made this piece? Cite specific books, articles, moments, or play reflections and point to exactly where we can see their influence in the final project.

//A number of sources influenced this piece:

Microscope (Lame Mage Productions) - Specifically our 312 play session, was the base of my story development, particularly regarding portals.

Craft of Play (self) - Specifically the portions I have written on effective interactivity and meaningful choice, were the basis of development for game mechanics. I don't believe that the choices in this game are fully meaningful yet, due to it's short length, but the underlying framework that I developed for //Rift// was very strong, so this could easily be fixed by adding more entries at a later date.

SCP Foundation (scp-wiki.wikidot.com/) - SCPwiki was a strong source of inspiration for the concept of using scientific writing as a vessel for nonscientific narrative. Some overall themes were inspired from the SCP writing project as well.

UBC CIVL 430 (Design of Concrete Structures - Civil Engineering) - The labs and lab reports that I wrote in 430 this term was a direct inspiration for some of the specific excerpts of writing on this project. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qwZOeNZEyY&t=1m12s

UBC CIVL 402 (Civil Engineering Ethics and Law) - This was a key source of inspiration for the professional ethics and safety themes of the project.

Portal 2 (Valve) - The humor, as well as some of the technobabble, inspired me to take a lighter tone on player choice, compared to the darker themes that I explored in the reports themselves.

//What thematic arguments is this piece making and how do you hope the piece is received by readers? How does interactivity play a role in these thematic arguments?

//This game has two main themes. It is a game about exploring the moral decisionmaking of a researcher. And it is a game about the inevitability of certain choices and actions.

As the player chooses to conduct different tests, a tracker counts each test that the player completes, and inserts additional health and safety risks, hazards, and incidents into the conclusion of each subsequent test report. The player may order a shutdown of testing... or they may choose to continue with the testing program. 

When testing is finally shut down, the player finds themselves standing alone, with no one to heed their dire warnings. Regardless of the order or severity of testing completed, resignation - and a final warning - become the only option. The player signs their name on the letter of resignation to finish the game.//

Beta Playtesters:

(CRWR students) Laury-Ann, Diego.

(Engineering students) Queenie, Jack, Zoe, Arshad.

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