Info: interactive fiction, authoring tool is most likely twine, short narrative game, available online
Tags: Branching narrative, choice, mystery, humor, personification / animal perspective, lighthearted / relaxed
[Raj Chitre]
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progress in work by Bruno Ministro (https://collection.eliterature.org/4/progress-in-work)

In progress in work, the player is tasked with clicking a button to earn $0.05 per click. The work is meant to be a critique of the Amazon Mechanical Turk website, where simple activities such as identifying images are crowdsourced. Companies can use this website as a way for cheap labor and giving simple tasks to other people rather than doing it themselves. As the player clicks a button to earn the money, images that show the Amazon Mechanical Turk workplace are shown. The game overall emphasizes the downsides of capitalism and the exploitation of underprivileged workers.

Info: made in 2021; short + simple; mouse clicking; vol 4 of Electronic Lit Collection
Tags: workplace, social hierarchy, exploitation, work conditions
[Nathan Skroupa]

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Please, don't touch me! by Rene Bauer and Beat Suter (https://collection.eliterature.org/4/please-dont-touch-me)

In this game, the player uses their mouse to touch an avatar and move it around. The avatar tries to resist what the player is doing, but the player has complete control of the avatar's movements. The avatar and player will speak through dialogue on the screen, and this dialogue further shows the power that the player has over the avatar.

Info: made in 2019; mouse dragging; interactive; player-controlled; in vol 4 of Electronic Lit Collection
Tags: manipulation, bullying, power dynamic, control, resistance, emotional response
[Nathan Skroupa]

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Sort the Court by Graeme Borland
(https://graebor.itch.io/sort-the-court)

In this game, the player plays as the king or queen to settle problems and make decisions within the kingdom by selecting yes or no. The player's end goal is to successfully build up their kingdom through their support of the kingdom and its people. As the game progresses, the player has to make sacrifices of their own wealth in order to keep the people content and strengthen the kingdom. This game mainly focuses on the dichotomy of sharing vs. greed.

Info: made in 2015; long + simple, interactive fiction, simulation, made in twine, available online
Tags: wealth, power, choice, humor, friendship, trust, sacrifice, simulation
[Justin Moy]

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I'm Better by Jeremy Lonien (Ludonaut)
(https://ludonaut.itch.io/i-am-better)

This game explores the internal experience of managing mental health, focusing on the ambivalence that comes from convincing oneself and others that everything is fine when they are not. The narrative continuously repeats the phrase "I'm Better" to reinforce the white lies, which ends up hurting the narrator more than the people around them. Like other mental health games, this one helps the players understand the experiences of those affected by mental health. 

Info: made in 2016, text-heavy, short, narrative-driven, psychological horror, interactive fiction, thriller
Tags: depression, mental illness, suicide trauma, white lies, self-delusion
[Justin Moy]

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The Temple of No by Crows Crows Crows (https://crowscrowscrows.itch.io/the-temple-of-no)
"The Temple of No" is a minimalist game created with Twine in which players click different options to navigate the story. In it, players are an explorer (a woman, a bloke, or a frog) looking for "the map that sees all things that ever have been or will be (but in map form)" which is in the Temple of No. Players traverse a forest, find the temple, and confront the "Great Leader". The game as a whole strives to allow players to be fun and silly without worry of what others think, even scolding them for thinking too hard or being self-conscious. The lighthearted and storybook aesthetic all aide in this overall immersion and goal of the game. 
Info:  made in 2016; lighthearted adventure game/story; authoring tool: Twine; on Itch.io (Twine Games)
tags: spatiality, navigation, orientation, exploration, relieving of expectations
[Lilly Bordelon]

____________________________________

Please Tell Me I Love You by Andy_Mantis (AMoodyBun) (https://amoodybun.itch.io/please-tell-me-i-love-you)
"Please Tell Me I Love You" is a narrative Twine game in which players choose responses in a conversation with the main character's partner. The game highlights the complexities of human emotions within a relationship and the difficulties that may arise when trying to convey them, resulting in different endings where the problem is understood to the problem festering into the partner leaving. The gameplay itself is very simple, but options aren't clear until after they're chosen, emulating the uncertainty when trying to express one's emotions to another.
Info:  made in 2016; simple conversation game; authoring tool: Twine; on Itch.io (Twine Games)
tags: narrative, communication, relationships
[Lilly Bordelon]

____________________________________

Zorlok (https://gamesbyalbie.itch.io/zorlok) by albie

In Zorlok, you take the role of a demon that was summoned by Tommy, a high schooler who is facing challenges in his social life. While the game is still unfinished, the description suggests that you are meant to work with Tommy to solve local crimes while helping him navigate through high school. The player first advances in the game by choosing Tommy’s actions, but gains their own agency after they are summoned and sign a contract with Tommy. Zorlok also contains several customization options that allow you to choose the demon’s gender, pronouns, and physical appearance.

Info: Made in 2022, interactive fiction, 17+, plays in browser, available online.

Tags: Horror, murder mystery, comedy, high school, identity

[Jack Overman]

____________________________________

Nanopesos (https://laburatory.itch.io/nanopesos) by Camilla Gormaz

Nanopesos is a budget simulator that is meant to represent the low wages and high costs of living in Chile. At the beginning, the player can choose to receive either Chile’s minimum monthly wage ($400 US) or its median wage ($540 US) to experience different class lifestyles. Throughout the game, the player is forced to make choices between their mental/physical wellbeing and their savings, with the choices that feel small and essential quickly adding up. The player also observes a bleak atmosphere at their workplace and worries about their own job stability. Overall, Nanopesos offers a powerful commentary on the pressures of paying all of your bills while living in a declining economy.

Info: Made in 2019, simulation, made in Twine, plays in browser, available online.

Tags: Economy, college, young adult, financial issues, slice of life, pixel art

[Jack Overman]

____________________________________

Well This is Awkward by Emma Kidwell
(https://emmkid.itch.io/well-this-is-awkward)

In this game, the player plays as a person going to buy condoms at a convenience store to use later on when having sex with her partner. The player must do everything to avoid making it awkward. The work is about sex education, showing how to properly engage in safe sex without making things embarrassing. It is a casual, interesting game.

Info: Made in 2016; Interactive fiction; Made in Twine; Available online
Tags: Comedy, sex, role-play, casual
[Howard Wang]
____________________________________

Please Answer Carefully by litrouke
(https://litrouke.itch.io/please-answer-carefully)

This is a short interactive fiction in which the player takes a seemingly normal survey, but gradually realizes that someone is stalking them as the survey questions grow increasingly offbeat. What is terrifying about this game is that there is no way for the player to escape. Overall, it is a simple yet efficient horror game that does a great job of piquing players' curiosity.

Info: Made in 2025; Interactive fiction; Made in Twine; Available online
Tags: Horror, text based, short
[Howard Wang]
____________________________________

Horse Master: The Game of Horse Mastery by Tom McHenry
(https://tommchenry.itch.io/horse-master)

This is an interactive game made in Twine in which the player raises a grotesque alien animal which has been named a "horse". You live through 20 days of raising the horse to compete for the title of "Horse Master". Over the course of the 20 days you spend your time feeding and taking care of your horse. Though the game seems normal at first it evolves to be grotesque and scary as you compete in the Horse competition at the end of the game.

Info: Made in 2013, Made in Twine, Available Online, Playable in Browser
Tags: Horror, dystopian, surreal, short game

[Ryan Nguyen]
____________________________________

You Are Elon Musk by Kris Lorischild
(https://direkris.itch.io/elon)

This is an interactive game where the player wakes up and is swapped into the body of Elon Musk. The player is then prompted with ways to spend Elon Musk's net worth which is roughly $852 biliion. The options cost a certain amount of money and can benfit myself or the world in some way, likewise I can use the money not to benefit anyone. Each option has an absurd consequence using humor to depict the situation of the world.

Info: Made in 2024, Made in Twine, Available Online, Playable in Browser
Tags: dark humor, satire, political, short game, replayable

[Ryan Nguyen]
____________________________________

UVB-76 by Pau Rodríguez Sánchez-Campos


This is a chilling, poetic game where the player takes control of an old radio station, UVB-76, to attempt to make contact with another human. The radio features multiple sliders that you can ‘tune’ to receive messages that unveil the reason for the radio's use. You're given the option to write messages, only to find that nobody else ever sees them, making suggestions about humanities dependency on communication devices. 

Info: Released 2025, short, simple controls, poetic, New Media Writing Prize, itch.io
Tags: social commentary, art game, poetry, radio, communication, technology

[Knox Crisci]
____________________________________

Conversations by Yoann Bourse

In this philosophical, text-based game, the player is in a conversation with an unknown entity through a computer terminal. The player is given various options to select from, each with its own unique outcome. This game plays with the idea of being human, suggesting that in an interface such as this, there's no way to definitively prove the identity of the character behind the text. 

Info: Released 2021, text-based, thought-provoking, New Media Writing Prize, itch.io
Tags: Social commentary, AI, technology, humanity, computers, identity

[Knox Crisci]
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walk by muckytea
https://muckytea.itch.io/walk

In this choose-your-own-adventure game, you navigate the unpredictable chaos of a morning dog walk, dodging mud, eccentric strangers, and intimidatingly sporty park-goers. The work is about the absurdity of pet ownership, serendipity, and magical realism with a cozy vibe. It's hilarious and relaxing because of its bizarre, whimsical twists.

Info: contemporary; cozy adventure game; authoring tool: text-based narrative engine; itch.io
Tags: dogs, magical realism, humor, pet ownership, exploration, cozy 
[Minchan Shin]
____________________________________
14-year-old boy online argument simulator by David Thomas Henry Wright
https://taper.badquar.to/14/14_year_old_boy.html

In this endless, satirical text-based simulator, you descend into the relentless back-and-forth of an internet flame war, trading juvenile insults like "womp womp," "cri mor," and "ur reported" in a bleak chat interface. As the argument drags on, new phrases are occasionally introduced, only to be instantly assimilated into the toxic echo chamber. The work is about internet culture, communication breakdown, and digital immaturity with a deeply chaotic vibe.

Info: contemporary; satirical simulator; authoring tool: text-based narrative engine; itch.io
Tags: satire, internet culture, trolling, endless loop, humor, dialogue 
[Minchan Shin]
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Magic money tree by ruin
https://ruin.itch.io/magic-money-tree
In this short game, the player is walking around a “money tree.” The goal is to collect money on the tree but as you collect it tells the player about greed and dehumanization in society. Very simple and short game but brings up important points.
 
Info: Authoring tool, made for the Bitsy Essay Jam, on itch.io
tags: essay, narrative, walking simulator, bitsy
[Joel Hancock]

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stars by lysander
https://worldendprince.itch.io/stars
This is a short twine game where you are looking at stars. The player selects random boxes in the sky that tells them about the stars. It goes deeper and deeper talking how the looking stars helps bring yourself back. Its a very calm and relaxing game with music.

Info: authoring tool, made for twinyjam 2015
tags: narrative, calming, simple

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WayFinder​​​​​​​ (Wayfinder) by Nicholas Klassen & Robert McLaughlin

In this generative art-based game, Wayfinder shows a relaxing, quiet, and peaceful environment where we’re looking for the “Last Verse.” In this game the player is a ghost trying to find a companion that creates poems and goes through a plethora of habitats/biomes. This work allows you to relax and feel at ease through the music, different ecosystems, and color. 

Info: made in 2024, National Film Board of Canada, Interactive Game, around 10 minutes

Tags: Peaceful, Relaxing, Calming, Ecosystems, grief, poetry, minimalistic

[Likhith Donapati]

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Please Tell Me I Love You (Please Tell Me I Love You) by Andy Mantis 

In this interactive game, Please Tell Me I Love You shows a couple that has problems   

communicating. In this game, your goal, however you play it, is to try to reconcile and 

talk things out or try to get out of the relationship. This game shows themes of how 

communication is difficult and how important it is in our lives. It allows you to understand 

how difficult conversations can be and how to kind of go about them. 

Info: Visual Novel, Quick Game, Indie game, simple, interactive, This or That type 

Choosing

Tags: Relationship, Quick, Communication, Breakup, Reconciliation, Understanding, 

Thoughts

[Likhith Donapati]

 

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Lux by Agnieszka Trzaska

(https://agat.itch.io/lux)

 

This is an interactive game made in Twine, where the player is the sole survivor of an attack made on the deep space mining station they were working on. The player has lost their vision, and they must overcome various obstacles and challenges in order to send out a distress call. The player is aided by an artificial intelligence embedded into the space station. The goal of the game is to explore the massive space station, solve puzzles, add to your inventory, and uncover the truth behind the attack.

 

Info: Made in 2018, Made in Twine, Available Online, Interactive Game, Puzzle

Tags: artificial intelligence, exploration, female protagonist, science fiction, long game

 

[Sahasra Dendi]

____________________________________

 

directions by Cecile Richard

(https://haraiva.itch.io/directions)

 

This is an interactive game made in twine, where the player interacts with a retrospective chatbot that encourages you to to reflect and discuss your memories, growth, and identity. The point of this game is to allow for inner reflection and understanding, with the chatbot providing prompts centered around writing a letter to your past self, and the player is given the opportunity to construct one through using the interactive choice based system. 

 

Info: Made in 2021, Made in Twine, Available Online

Tags: internet, text based twine, twine

 

[Sahasra Dendi]

                                                                                                                                                      

The Data Souls by David Thomas Henry Wright

https://collection.eliterature.org/4/the-data-souls

In this game, you read the writings of a hypothetical civilization which exists in the distant future, after humans have gone extinct. This civilization has discovered 7 central "data souls" each one having a different set of data centered around a certain topic, and we as the player read their interpretation of these souls. For example, one of the data sets is about the climate, and the text and visual appearance of the page is distorted based around this. The purpose of the game/website seems to be to propose the idea of human life and existence being interpreted through nothing but data sets. It also proposes the idea that though we can see and understand data, it may be impossible to interpret as it is for this future civilization. 

Info: made in 2019; serious game; dystopian; authoring tool: html, css, javascript; on the Electronic Literature Collection
Tags: data; dystopia 
[Pierce Josselyn]

                                                                                                                      

Please Answer Carefully by litrouke

In this "survey" you answer to a series of questions which progressively become creepier, more intrusive, and more personal. The game begins by asking basic questions about technology habits, and then slowly begins asking questions about why you won't forgive them or why they can't come home. The game also features audio which can be slightly unnerving, and at some points it also directly controls how you respond. For example, the game prompts you to type "I miss you" and no matter what keys you press it types in something along the lines of "I forgive you. Come home." Although this game was shorter than I expected, I thought it was an interesting experience. I think the goal was not only to make a slightly eerie and unnerving experience, but also simulate what it's like to have someone so dependent on you that it reaches a level of paranoia or the feeling of being stalked.

Info: Made in 2019; entertainment; authoring tool: Twine; on Itch.io
Tags: Survey, Horror, 
[Pierce Josselyn]
                                                                                                                      

Your Phone Dies in 20 Seconds by Georgia Hilton
(https://crimsonarcade.itch.io/yourphonediesin20seconds)

This is an interactive game made in Twine in which the player is walking home alone at night as your phone battery runs out. It captures the constant fear and vulnerability many women feel, where even small choices can feel life-or-death. The game is unsettling because it reflects real experiences, highlighting a reality we hope won’t exist in the future.

Info: Made in 2020, Made in Twine, Available Online, Playable in Browser, Interactive Fiction, Survival
Tags: Horror, Meaningful Choices, My First Game Jam, Short, Singleplayer, Survival Horror, Text based, Twine

[Uddalak Sarkar]
                                                                                                                      

Nod If You Can Hear Me by Emma Kidwell
(https://emmkid.itch.io/nod-if-you-can-hear-me)

This is an interactive game made in Twine that explores the emotional strain of having a grandmother with Alzheimer’s. Through fragmented dialogue and limited choices, it reflects the confusion, repetition, and gradual loss that define the disease. The game is deeply personal and unsettling, capturing the helplessness of watching a loved one fade while still trying to hold onto moments of connection.

Info: Made in Twine, Available Online, Playable in Browser, Interactive Fiction, Simulation
Tags: Abstract, aging, fiction, guilt, Life Simulation, Short, Text based, Twine

[Uddalak Sarkar]

                                                                                                                  
Deficit (https://astralditz.itch.io/deficit) by Gav Sarafian

 

In this Twine game, players experience a series of fragmented everyday moments that simulate the experience of living with ADHD. Instead of leaning into the stereotype that attention is something that is lacking, the game highlights how there is almost too much to pay attention to; thoughts wander, details overwhelm, and connections between subjects that could not be more different form in unexpected ways. The work is about neurodivergence, identity, societal expectations/stereotypes, and aims to reframe ADHD as not a flaw, but a different way of experiencing the world.

 

Info: made in 2020; interactive fiction; made with: Twine and Adobe Photoshop; autobiographical/expressive work

Tags: ADD, ADHD, Mental Health, Neurodivergent, Text-Based, Twine

 

[Grant Park]

                                                                                                                  

Driving Alone at Night (https://rileyeleanor.itch.io/driving-alone-at-night) by rileyeleanor

 

In this Twine game, players drive alone at night with nothing to keep them company but their own thoughts and feelings; players experience the feeling of regretting the things they did or didn’t do in the past, what it’s like to reminisce the years that flew by — ones that they’d once taken for granted, and the intense yearning for the power to change the past. This work is all about retrospection and the wave of feelings it brings about in a person.

 

Info: made in 2017; simulation/interactive fiction; made with: Twine; autobiographical/expressive work

Tags: Driving, Exploration, Female Protagonist, LGBTQ+, Life Simulation, Mouse Only, Twine

 

[Grant Park]