The USM Game Studies Group is excited to announce the launch of “Texts & Twine,” our first annual interactive writing contest. Using Twine, a digital platform for writing interactive texts and branching narratives, we invite students to write, design, and submit an interactive text in any genre they wish—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scholarship, game, memoir, creative nonfiction, interactive narrative, etc. Selected submissions will be featured here on Quest Log and compete for a few small prizes. Judges will consist of the editorial board of Quest Log and select members of the USM Game Studies Group.
Find everything you need to participate (Twine tutorials, articles and resources, etc.) here. Submission details are below.
The Game Studies Group will also host an introductory Twine tutorial led by Dr. Craig Carey on Wednesday, February 16, 12:15 - 1:00pm via Zoom (email us for the Zoom info if you would like it). No prior knowledge of Twine is necessary to attend the workshop or to participate in the contest. Twine can be learned quickly, and thus we encourage you to come to the workshop or spend 30 minutes reading and watching the tutorials below.
Submission Deadline
Submissions are now open, and will be accepted until April 12. Submissions should be emailed to usm.lit.games@gmail.com. When submitting, please include your full name and student ID in the body of the email, and then attach your Twine project as an html file. Twine games export and download as html files, which can be opened and played on any web browser.
Deadline: April 12, 2022
Entry Fee: $0 (free)
E-mail address: usm.lit.games@gmail.com
Submission Requirements
All Twine works should open with a title page that includes a brief “artist’s statement” (50-100 words) in which you introduce the work and provide a brief description. Author credits can be left out or included, but all submissions must start with a title and short description. Make this the first Twine passage in your work. At the bottom of this passage, you can include a link such as “Begin” or “Start,” which takes the player to the opening of your project. Write the artist’s statement in the first or third person, addressing it to a general audience; for some examples, click on any project in Electronic Literature Collection: Volume 3. They all include an artist or editorial statement introducing the work.
Eligibility for Awards
All submitted works must have been created during the student’s time at The University of Southern Mississippi.
All submitted works must have been created and submitted by a current student at The University of Southern Mississippi.
Submitted works must be accompanied by an artist statement and follow the submission guidelines
Submitted works incorporate the basic interactive features of Twine.
Twine works in any genre are encouraged, ranging from fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scholarship, game, memoir, creative nonfiction, interactive narrative, etc.
If you have any questions about submission guidelines, eligibility, or the contest itself, feel free to contact usm.lit.games@gmail.com
For more information about Twine resources, tutorials, and tips, check out our Twine Resources post!