Welcome to the world and adventures of Space Frog! (npckc, n.d.) – a wholesome, interactive, non-linear narrative; a fun fusion between digital literature and gaming.
Students love to exercise some control over their learning and decisions. Recently in class while introducing democracy to year 6 students, one posed the question, “So if we are in a democracy in Australia, can we choose what we do next?”
The literary genre of gamebooks, commonly known as ‘choose your own adventure’, were a staple in school libraries during the 1980s and 90s. Montgomery’s original Choose Your Own Adventure series (1979-1998) and Stine’s Give Yourself Goosebumps collection (1995-2000) were the flagships of the popular genre. As a teacher librarian, bringing these texts out to highlight and share during book talks with students, always brings another wave of interest in the genre.
Interactive fiction takes this text-based adventure format and revamps it through digital platforms.
Comparably to the choose your own adventure print format, readers take control of the central character’s destiny by becoming the protagonist in the adventure. However, interactive fiction adds videos, sound, and mouse or keyboard inputs, allowing more audience autonomy and interactivity. Quality digital literature promotes multimedia comprehension and composition, language learning, personalisation and motivation (Yakota & Teale, 2014), and these characteristics are abundant in digital interactive fiction. Additionally, interactive fiction has an inherent link to gaming, with the reader/user taking on the fantasy character role and moving through a storyline or world, solving problems along their journey (Gee, 2003). Reading comprehension is supported through the genre, as interactivity and manipulation drive metacognition of content, strategies and problem-solving (Kozdras et. al., 2006). These features and the participatory environment ensure optimal engagement with interactive fiction, enriching both reading and writing motivations of students (Kucirkova, 2018).
In Space Frog!, it is the personalised aspect of choice, the autonomy, that draws the audience; providing the opportunity of personalising what they experience as they navigate through the story. The focus is on the narrative, with defined characters and settings manifested through simple sentences and clickable text on command to produce additional story details. Each page offers a short snippet of the storyline, with multi-variant options provided to the reader as they transverse through the text. Its pixel art and typography create a light-hearted and innocent atmosphere.
This is a fun, short model text to introduce students to the interactive fiction genre. In the Australian Curriculum, digital technologies focus on process and production skills in both Years 3-4 (The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2010 to present-b) and Years 5-6 (ACARA, 2010 to present-c). By creating their own interactive fiction text, students are sequencing steps and designing and modifying simple algorithms. Using platforms such as Microsoft Slides, Sites or Scratch, students can plan, write and communicate their ideas within visual interfaces. The Digital Literacy (ACARA, 2010 to present-a) and Literacy (ACARA, 2010 to present-d) capabilities are also supported. Simple example resources are Spy Adventure (Campbell County Public Library, 2021) and Going to the Park (Digital Technologies Hub, n.d). However, these aids lack interactivity and are quite simplified, so are to be used as a springboard for teaching and learning.
Space Frog! is modest in complexity with a functionable design, which can be a positive and a drawback (McGeehan, et. al, 2018). It is not overwhelming, supports a diverse range of learners with the captions and simple ‘one-click’ design, and the fantasy character and setting adds engagement. The digital characteristics could be enhanced for building interconnections, such as the multimediality and further variability of the tangible items such as the animations and text, by adding three-dimensionality through AI tools or the inclusion of AR features that create a more diverse range of user commands or immersive experience.
Space Frog! appeals to a wide audience, from primary school aged students to the young at heart. It is a valuable and playful model text for introducing interactive fiction to the classroom. It allows readers to become a part of the action, actively thinking about the story and making choices for their characters as they engage in epic experiences.
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010 to present-a). Digital Literacy (Version 9). Australian Curriculum: F-10 Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/digital-literacy
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010 to present-b). Digital Technologies – Years 3 and 4 (Version 9). Australian Curriculum: F-10 Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/digital-technologies/year-3_year-4
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010 to present-c). Digital Technologies – Years 5 and 6 (Version 9). Australian Curriculum: F-10 Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/digital-technologies/year-5_year-6
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010 to present-d). Literacy (Version 9). Australian Curriculum: F-10 Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/literacy
Campbell County Public Library. (2021). Spy Adventure. https://sites.google.com/view/ccplchooseyourownadventure/home/spy-adventure
Digital Technologies Hub. (n.d). Going to the Park. Education Services Australia. https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/media/fy4mrqns/acara-classroom-ideas-3-6-choose-your-own-adventure-story.pdf
Gee, J. P. (2003). What Video Games have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy. Palgrave Macmillan.
Kozdras, D., Haunstetter, D. M., & King, J. R. (2006). Interactive Fiction: ‘New Literacy’ Learning Opportunities for Children. E-Learning and Digital Media, 3(4), 519–533. https://doi.org/10.2304/elea.2006.3.4.519
Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners. UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787353473
McGeehan, C., Chambers, S., & Nowakowski, J. (2018). Just because it’s digital, doesn’t mean it’s good: Evaluating digital picture books. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 34(2), 58-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2017.1399488
Montgomery, R. (1979-1998). Choose Your Own Adventure series. Bantam Books.
Npckc. (n.d). Space Frog! [Story game]. Itch.io. https://npckc.itch.io/space-frog
Stine, R. L. (1995-2000). Give Yourself Goosebumps. Scholastic Press.
Yokota, J., & Teale, H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: Educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577-585. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1262