Water Cooler Games - New IF work Book & Volume explores consumerism, work

New IF work Book & Volume explores consumerism, work
November 26, 2005 - by Ian Bogost

Nick Montfort, who also blogs on Grand Text Auto, has released Book & Volume, an interactive fiction (IF) piece about one night in the life of a sysadmin for nWare, the curious and increasingly dubious corporate hub of the fictional world nTopia.

Nick is one of the foremost authorities on IF, both as a practitioner and a theorist, having previously released Ad Verbum (2000) and Winchester's Nightmare (1999), and also having authored Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction (MIT Press, 2003).

Nick was kind enough to let me play several pre-release versions, and I completed the game to great satisfaction. It does take some effort to complete successfully, but persistence is rewarded. I highly recommend the game to IF experts and newbies alike. In fact, in my opinion, Book & Volume makes a number of interesting and worthwhile statements about the medium itself.

You can read the launch announcement at Grand Text Auto, and you can download Book & Volume for free, along with an interpreter, if you need one. You can also play a preview edition in-browser.

Some may wonder why I've categorized this entry under advertising and politics. Well, in my opinion Book & Volume is really about consumerism, the culture of work, and numerous other related things. But you'll have to play to get the full story.

Comments (6) | Post a Comment | TrackBack (0)

Comment from Ian Bogost on November 25, 2005

Comments have been broken on WCG for the past few days. They should be fixed now.

Comment from nick on November 26, 2005

Ian is being quite modest in thanking me for letting him play those pre-release versions - he uncovered many bugs and problems, supplied me with some useful transcripts and comments, and was one of only four testers to complete Book and Volume prior to its release.

Thanks for the kind post, Ian; I'm very glad you enjoyed the piece. You have uncovered some of the central themes of the work - ones that may actually be more important than the classic appearance versus reality, although that one is certainly in there, too.

Comment from victor on December 9, 2005

I think this is very well written and I enjoyed the whole of it.

Comment from Joshua Campbell on December 9, 2005

You have some really cool stuff at your site. I'm sure gonna come back here. Good Mistery Lose or not: http://www.moviecliches.com/ , Lazy Soldier is always Beautiful Cards Curious, Small, Superb nothing comparative to Memorizing , Green is feature of Faithful Chair Gnome can Expect Table

Comment from beatyaceace on December 11, 2005

i got a code for 900000ooo
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Comment from beaty upton on December 11, 2005

i am so hat in vmk i am rick i got like 900000ooo because of beatyaceace he is so smart

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