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• 1 2023-11-29T19:46:30+00:00 Setting the context 20 Amber Tilling-Richards plain 2023-12-16T02:58:17+00:00
  A poignant part of (con)TEXT  is the fact that it is purely a text-based game, which allows the creator to to use text as a modality not just for communicating explicit meaning, but also conveying implicit meaning through the ways in which the player interacts with the text. The creator sets the scene by allowing us to reveal, layer by layer, who the author is: "a Muslim," "...a shocked human, a justice-upholder..." and finally his name, "Javeria Kaiser." This authorial choice is used to implore the player to consider all facets of his identity, including his humanness, instead of dwelling on only his religion which may subject him to predjudice. It contextualises the overarching message of people being more than just their stigmatised identity. 
  
  Another important game mechanic is the positioning of the player as a recipient of the message, rather than an active player who can influence the narrative. Reed notes that, “reduced agency assigns the role of voyeur rather than active participant.” (Reed et al 127) Despite the clicking mechanism simulating a "choose your own adventure" game, the player has no real narrative agency. This is an intentional choice as it pertains to themes of marginalised groups lacking agency in their everyday life. In a way, this is a reclamation of power by the creator who has prefaced his identity to include the label of a marginalised Muslim who faces stigmatisation and Islamophobia. Hence, he is communicating that it is time for the voices of those who have been stigmatised to be heard and have the narrative agency.