Six Themes: One Dispersed Exhibition

This is only one of many sites/portal/exhibition spaces that will appear in relation to the ELO2021 Conference.

Exhibitions for ELO 2021 will unfold on an extended time scale from March-May 2021. All exhibitions will be fully exhibited online, though some will also include local physical exhibitions.

The following exhibitions will be part of the festival:

Posthuman Electronic Literature.

An online exhibition with a projection exhibition component focused on electronic literature and media art that addresses posthumanism. To be featured during European SLSA conference at the University of Bergen. Curated by Joseph Tabbi, Scott Rettberg, Jason Nelson, Eamon O’Kane. MARCH 4-7, 2021.

COVID E-Lit.

An online exhibition of works that respond thematically to the pandemic and/or are produced within the specific context of platform culture during the pandemic. A library exhibition version of the exhibition will also be produced. Curated by Anna Nacher, Søren Pold, and Scott Rettberg. MAY 2021.

Flashback:

A special celebration of Flash and Shockwave e-lit held in the Electronic Literature Repository with artists on hand to talk about their work. Curated by Dene Grigar at Washington State University Vancouver’s Electronic Literature Lab. MAY 24-28, 2021.

Platforming Utopias (and Platformed Dystopias):

This will be the largest open submission exhibition, responding to the conference theme. MAY 24-28 2021.

Platform as a place of study - E-lit as already decolonised:

A series of exhibitions, workshops and activities focused on Indian and Asian E-Lit that will unfold through Spring 2021. MARCH-MAY 2021. Call will be announced separately. Curated by dra.ft

The dra.ft team from their ==> WEBSITE

Agat Sharma

- Theatre Maker. Educator. Designer.

Nanditi Khilnani

- Technical Program Manager turned Arts Professional. Classical Musician. Live Coder. Co-founder, Ajaibghar.

Ambika Joshi

- Museum Professional. Creative Coder. Certified Project Manager. Computational_Mama. Co-founder, Ajaibghar.

Kid E-Lit:

An online exhibition of electronic literature for young audiences, and work work by young authors. Curated by Mark Marino and Maria Goicoechea. MAY 24-28, 2021.

ELO2021 Exhibitions committee:

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram
Alan Bigelow,
Simon Biggs,
John Cayley,
Angela Chang,
Claire Donato
dra.ft:
-agat
-nanditi
-ambika
Astrid Ensslin,
Irene Fabbri,
Erika Fülöp,
Aud Gjersdal,
Maria Goicoechea,
Dene Grigar,
Ann Klingenberg,
Claudia Kozak
Milton Läufer,
Laurie Lax,
Erik Loyer,
Mark Marino,
Lucila Mayol,
John Murray,
Kat Mustatea,
Nick Montfort,
Anna Nacher,
Jason Nelson,
Eamon O'Kane,
Allison Parrish,
Søren Bro Pold,
Scott Rettberg,
Samya Brata Roy,
Carlota Salvador,
Winnie Soon,
Zach Whalen

Curator Statement by María Goicoechea and Mark C. Marino:

For ELO 2021, we have created an exhibition of digital literature aimed at our younger community members, specifically children and adolescents. We have attempted to gather works that are aesthetically pleasing, provide an engaging reading and playing experience, and offer both the fantasy and escapism we love about our field, while igniting critical awareness regarding the crucial topics of our time.

Our goal has been to bring together a wide range of works and, following the theme of the conference, platforms. This exhibit picks up where we left off in the exhibition in Porto in 2017. We have continued searching for beautiful and moving pieces from different cultural traditions, genres, and approaches to the field of electronic literature. Our impression has been that artistic, experimental works aimed at a young readership are rare rather than common. Research projects, start-up companies, and small ventures, all struggle to endure the test of time and make their work viable economically. That is why the collection of works we bring to the exhibit springs from unequal levels of professionalization: some are polished works of art, while others are the result of little experiments. Yet all have something that has made them special in our eyes.

Our works span many genres: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Interactive Fiction, IPad Apps, Role-Playing Games, Walking Exploration Simulations, Visual Novels, Wordless Story-games, and games, games, games... We draw from a number of countries and languages with some works that even transcend language. These are works that children can explore on tablets, desktop computers, and smartphones, with many works operating on multiple platforms, and some combining several gadgets (AR, VR).

As it is typical of works from a post-digital era, we have observed the mixture of old and new media, analogue and digital techniques, and different digital and print aesthetics coalescing in the new pieces: such as water coloring, hand Illustration, pop-up books, paper cut-outs, origami, dioramas, 8-bit pixelated art, and graphic novels. Though many provide gaming experiences, where puzzles and challenges need to be solved and overcome in order to progress in the narrative, many others just give the reader the chance to explore captivating landscapes, either realistically rendered or imagined. We can walk about the Australian desert or forest, follow rivers like trails, and travel to the past and to the future, to mythical Japan or Thoreau’s Walden Pond. We will also fall in love (again or for the first time), empathize with a girl suffering from an invisible illness, or learn how to cook tong jyun by reading the phone messages your Chinese mum sends you, and in the meantime learn about the difficulties of culture assimilation...with a twist.

Primarily, these are works that address younger audiences, younger ages, and younger hearts. These works celebrate the free play of childish imaginations: whether flying or engaging in a mud ball battle, entering a magical night sky where constellations can be strummed like guitar strings, discovering items from the trunk of childhood memory. These are works that celebrate rather than patronize the vast imaginations of childhood or that confront with gravity the struggles of adolescence: sadness, loss, illness, loneliness, and alienation.

When we could, we chose works by independent artists or independent collectives, making projects on more modest budgets, since these are the works that would benefit from extra advertising. In the process of choosing works, we discovered that the business of making e-literature for youths has just as many obstacles as the world of toys. In a world of mass-produced army men and plastic fashion models, we were searching for a Velveteen Rabbit, that care-worn object of childhood affection, memorable not for its transmedia movie and cereal tie-ins, but for the way it ties itself into the fabric of childhood. These are works that hold childhood and adolescence with the respect they deserve as the foundational repositories of our adult imaginations.

Brief description of the artworks:

Tracy Fullerton and the USCAGame Innovation Lab | Walden

A walking simulator built out of Thoreau’s literary classic.

Mountains Studio | Florence

An interactive visual novel about first love

Robin Hunicke, Martin Middleton + Funomena | Luna

A game where you help a little bird restore the balance of nature by reordering the stars and restoring plants.

Paper House | Paperbark

A game of exploration through the avatar of an adorable wombat.

Mez Breeze and Co. | Perpetual Nomads 360

The first virtual reality spin-off episode of the Inanimate Alice series.

KJAM | But You Seem Fine

An interactive novel about an invisible ailment.

David Rodríguez + Màriam Ben-Arab | Mortimer and the Dinosaurs

A wordless story-game across space and time. Follow Mortimer the alien as he goes on vacation to prehistoric earth.

Charlotte Gastaut | ¿AMIGOS?

Are we alone? AR storybook about looking closely at nature.

Indian Land Tenure Foundation + Michigan State U | When Rivers Were Trails

Oregon Trail reimagined from an indigenous point of view.

Ryan Veeder | Mud Warriors

War is hell, even when it’s just slinging mud-balls after school.

Nyamyam | Tengami

A game that puts you inside a world made from pop up books.

Thatgamestudio| Sky: Children of light

A game that gives you flight in a free world with those you love.

npckc and sdhizumi | Tong Jyun

An interactive story of culture and coming out.

Cecile Richard | Under a Star Called Sun

An 8-bit meditation on loss and carrying the world on your shoulders.

ochogallows | Ya apaga esa tableta

An iPad app that encourages children to put down their tablet.

María Goicoechea | Mi robot lunático

An interactive story about robotic friendship on the Moon.

The Marino Family | The Land Down Under

A tale of a girl who discovers the price of fitting in.

link =Gather.Town Exhibit

Artists showcasing their works

Featuring the artists, curators and designs of the Kids E-Lit

Along with this website, we have created a virtual exhibition in Gather.Town!

Gather.Town is a proximity-based video conferencing site that reimagines the virtual meeting as a two-dimensional environment. You can walk around our exhibit space and interact with the kiosks by pressing x when you get close. You can also have conversations with the other guests.

We have disseminated information about the selection of works around the site. To guide you a little we have separated them in two groups:
YA - Young Adult e-lit (11 and older)
MG - Middle Grade, usually 7-11, though we’re including works for younger kids.

Of course, you can find even more information on the web page for the exhibition.

Later this summer, we’ll be having a celebration via Zoom for all the artists.

link =Walden

Age:

10+

Artwork Description:

Take on Henry David Thoreau’s classic adventure in living simply in nature as you explore this epic open world game based on the story of Thoreau’s life in the woods alone at Walden Pond. Features a dynamic and changing natural environment filled with exquisite details, as well as a multi-faceted narrative following Thoreau’s quest for solitude and inspiration in the woods during a time of personal and social crises.

Biography:

Tracy Fullerton is an experimental game designer, associate professor and director of the USC Games program. Her research center, the Game Innovation Lab, has produced several influential independent games, including Cloud, flOw, Darfur is Dying, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, and The Night Journey, with artist Bill Viola. She is currently working on Walden, a game, a simulation of Henry David Thoreau’s experiment at Walden Pond supported by grants from the NEA and NEH. Tracy is the author of “Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games,” a design textbook used at game programs worldwide, and holder of the Electronic Arts Endowed Chair in Interactive Entertainment. Prior to USC, she designed games for companies including Microsoft, Sony, MTV, among many others. Tracy’s work has received numerous honors including an Emmy nomination for interactive television, Indiecade’s “Sublime Experience,” “Impact,” and “Trailblazer” awards, Games for Change “Game Changer” award, the Game Developer’s Choice Ambassador Award and Time Magazine’s Best of the Web.

Year:

2016

Type:

Walking Simulator

Language:

English

Platform:

Mac/PC on Steam and Itch.io, Playstation 4

Price:

$9.99 USD

link = Florence

Age: 4+

Artwork Description:

Florence is the story of a young woman’s very first love. It is also a heartfelt experience that lasts around 30 minutes. It is a short piece, but deeply meaningful.

At 25, Florence Yeoh feels a little stuck. Her life is an endless routine of work, sleep, and spending too much time on social media. Then one day, she meets a cello player named Krish who changes everything about how she sees the world.

Experience every beat of Florence and Krish’s relationship through a series of bespoke gameplay vignettes – from flirting to fighting, from helping each other grow to growing apart. Drawing inspiration from ‘slice of life’ graphic novels and webcomics, Florence is intimate, raw and personal.

Biography:

Created by Mountains Studio (Kamina Vncent, Tony Coculuzzi, Sam Crisp, Ken Wong), which is based in Melbourne, Australia. Music by Kevin Penkin.

Year:

2018

Type:

Visual Novel

Languages:

Arabic, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese.

Platform:

Steam, Mac, iOS App Store, Google Play, Nintendo Switch, GOG.com

Price:

$5.99 USD

link = Luna

Age: 6+

Artwork Description:

A Bird's peaceful summer slumber is disturbed by the majestic call of a mysterious Owl. Enticed to swallow the last piece of the waning Moon, Bird is blown far from its Golden Gate home.

Unscramble celestial puzzles and create miniature musical worlds. Re-awaken shadowy forests and bring life back to sparkling lakes. Discover hidden creatures, help the Bird reunite the fragmented Moon... and find its way home.

Brought to you by Funomena’s uniquely diverse team of veteran developers (Journey, Flower, Boom Blox, The Sims 2) Luna is an interactive fable about learning by the light of unexpected mistakes.

Biography:

Funomena is an independent game studio in downtown San Francisco, CA, making experimental, playful and emotionally engaging experiences for a variety of platforms. The company was founded in January of 2013 by Robin Hunicke and Martin Middleton - two passionate game developers who believe that games can have a positive impact on the world.

Year:

2017

Type:

VR/PC Puzzle and Play

Language:

English, French, German, Japanese. Simplified Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish

Platform:

PC/VR

Price:

$14.99 USD

link =Perpetual Nomads 360

Age:

Young Adult

Artwork Description:

Perpetual Nomads 360 is a special edition of the Kid’s E-Lit Inanimate Alice digital story series to be created in Virtual Reality. The project is the result of an Australia and Canada co-production with investment from the Canada Media Fund and Screen Australia. This special 360 video edition of Perpetual Nomads is designed with a global Young Adult audience in mind, one who has suffered through the COVID Pandemic, and is more than fluent in navigating electronic literature crafted specifically for a 360 video platform. This special edition of the project can be experienced on mobile devices and desktop computers, whereas the full interactive version is designed to be experienced through Virtual Reality headsets and desktop PCs.

Biography:

Mez Breeze creates experimental storytelling, digital literature, VR sculptures and experiences, games, and other genre-defying output. In the early 1990’s Mez first started using the Internet to create digital works and she hasn't slowed since. In November 2019, Mez’s Virtual Reality Microstory Series V[R]ignettes won the Queensland University of Technology’s Digital Literature Award, the “…world’s richest digital literacy prize”. In July 2019, Mez was awarded the Marjorie C. Luesebrink Career Achievement Award which: "...honors a visionary artist and/or scholar who has brought excellence to the field of electronic literature.”

Year:

2017

Type:

Virtual Reality

Language:

English

Platform:

PC or VR (Vive/Rift)

Price:

$9.99 USD (individual user) – $99.90 (Classroom Use)

But You Seem Fine

Age: YA, 10+

Artwork Description:

Meet Rae and her mom...

Rae Kim is your average 14-year-old dweeb, but at the beginning of her freshman year in high school, she suddenly gets sick and doesn't know why. Follow her journey as she and her mom struggle to find out what's wrong.

Biography:

Kyra Bautista
Kyra is focusing on artistic development and Unity scripting. As an aspiring technical artist, she enjoys creating characters and exploring new ways to troubleshoot different game engines and 3D software. Her focus is HCI and computer animation and she is excited to work on But You Seem Fine.

Alaina Kwan
Alaina is focusing on HCI and front-end development, and has always been fascinated by the intersection of art and technology. As the only team member with an invisible illness (narcolepsy), and as an avid video game fan since she was a wee child, Alaina is extra excited to be working on But You Seem Fine.

Joy Phillips
Joy is focusing on software development and HCI in her studies now and in her career. She studies both Informatics and English and has always been curious about games as a medium for telling stories. She is thrilled to be working on But You Seem Fine as both a developer and artist.

Madeleine Stevenson
Madeleine is focusing on project management and Unity scripting for this project. As a patron of the theatre and dance scene, she is passionate about combining her love of storytelling with her technological background. Her experience in the gaming industry is varied but she is excited to be a part of development on this game.

Year:

2019

Type:

Visual Novel

Language:

English

Platform:

Android or Browser

Price:

FREE

link =Paperbark

Age:

4+

Artwork Description:

Paperbarkem> is a charming game that tells a beautiful short story of a wombat, the bush and a very hot Australian Summer.

Follow a sleepy wombat who spends its day exploring and foraging, while in search for a new home. Wander through a beautifully stylised interpretation of Australia, and watch as you bring the illustrated landscape to life through vibrant watercolours and sounds.

Biography:

Paper House is a studio based in Melbourne, Australia. We love collaborating and creating things that are inspired by the world around us.

Paperbark credits:

Written by: Renee Treml
Narrated by: Georgia Maq
Music composed by: Biddy Conner

Year:

2018

Type:

Exploratory game

Language:

Spanish, English (interface and voices), French, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese.

Platform:

Android, iOS

Price:

4,49€

link = When Rivers Were Trails

Age:

10+

Artwork Description:

When Rivers Were Trails is a point-and-click adventure game about the impact of land allotment on Indigenous communities in the 1890's. Follow an Anishinaabe person who is displaced from Fond du Lac in Minnesota to California while balancing decisions along the way.em>

Biography:

Developed in collaboration with the Indian Land Tenure Foundation and Michigan State University’s Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab thanks to support from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and over thirty Indigenous contributors. With creative directing by Nichlas Emmons; creative directing, design, and interface art by Elizabeth LaPensée; art by Weshoyot Alvitre; and music by Supaman and Michael Charette. Indigenous writers include Weshoyot Alvitre, Li Boyd, Trevino Brings Plenty, Tyrone Cawston, Richard Crowsong, Eve Cuevas, Samuel Jaxin Enemy-Hunter, Lee Francis IV, Carl Gawboy, Elaine Gomez, Ronnie Dean Harris, Tashia Hart, Renee Holt, Sterling HolyWhiteMountain, Adrian Jawort, Kris Knigge, E. M. Knowles, Elizabeth LaPensée, Annette S. Lee, David Gene Lewis, Korii Northrup, Nokomis Paiz, Carl Petersen, Manny Redbear, Travis McKay Roberts, Sheena Louise Roetman, Sara Siestreem, Joel Southall, Jo Tallchief, Allen Turner, and William Wilson, alongside guest writers Toiya Kristen Finley and Cat Wendt.

Year:

2019

Type:

Point-and-click Adventure

Language:

English

Platform:

Windows, Mac

Price:

Free

link = ¿AMIGOS?

Age:

3+

Artwork Description:

A little yeti, adorable, curious and innocent as a child, wonders: am I alone? Is there no one to play with? A friendship story about a snowy landscape, which is much more fun and unforgettable than it appears. Where nothingness becomes presence and surprises are shared. This book is part of the «Animated Stories» collection, a collection of illustrated stories with a free augmented reality application. The books can be read separately or brought to life by placing a tablet or smartphone on their pages.

Biography:

Charlotte Gastaut is a French illustrator and designer trained at the École Supérieure des Artes Gráfica de Paris. She has published numerous illustrated children's albums with some of the leading French publishers, such as Flammarion, Gallimard or Actes Sud Junior. Her work has been translated into more than twelve languages, including German, Chinese, Spanish, Greek, Italian ...See what she does here.

Year:

2017

Type:

AR Storybook

Language:

Spanish, Catalan

Platform:

Android

Price:

15€

link =Mortimer and the Dinosaur

Age:

3-9

Artwork Description:

"Mortimer and the Dinosaurs" is a story-game without text specially designed for parents and children to actively collaborate in telling the story.

Help Morti pack his suitcase, pilot his spaceship, photograph prehistoric animals, climb and jump on the rocks, track the tracks of the T-Rex and (the funniest thing) control the dinosaurs to annoy our grumpy little Martian everything you can ... laughs are guaranteed!

Biography:

Màriam Ben-Arab: I was born in La Roca del Vallès (near Barcelona) in 1983. When I was a very young child I took a pencil and I haven’t dropped it anymore. I studied Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona and majored in illustration at Escola Llotja in a magical building in the heart of Barcelona. I work basically in children’s illustration and comic but sometimes I like investigating in juvenile and adult illustration. I love monsters books, drinking tea, and riding my red bike. Currently I live and work in Barcelona.

David Rodríguez: See what I do here: DRN Lab

Year:

2016

Type:

Wordless Game-Story

Language:

English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Catalan.

Platform: iOS, Android

Price:

Partially free, $1.99 to liberate all content.

link = Mud Warriors

Age: 10+

Artwork Description:

War is hell, even when your battleground is a playground and your weapons are mud balls. In Mud Warriers Ryan Veeder transports players into a playable battlefield where kids and supervisors talk like hardened soldiers in a WWII film. Within the playable war mechanic is a love letter to our youthful imaginings and the role of wargames in the expansive imaginations of childhood.

Biography:

Ryan Veeder is an author of many works of interactive fiction for all ages. Fans of this work should check out his Crocodracula stories.

Year:

2020

Type:

Interactive Fiction

Language:

English

Platform:

Browser

Price:

Free

link = Sky: Children of Light

Age:

9+

Artwork Description:

In "Sky: Children of the Light," players move through a fantasy realm, following runes and encountering mystery, while enjoying a magical experience of flight with one another. The flight game mechanic is so richly rendered, children and adults will delight in the weightlessness and grace, learning new movements as they progress. In a moment of pandemic homestays and lockdowns, we could all use a little flight.

Biography:

Thatgamecompany, Inc. (stylized as thatgamecompany) is an American independent video game development company founded by University of Southern California students Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago in 2006.

Year:

2019

Type:

Exploratory game

Language:

Japanese, French, German, Russian, Chinese, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean

Platform:

iOS, iPadOs, Android, Switch

Price:

Free with in-game purchases.

link= Tengami

Age:

8+

Artwork Description:

Tengami is an atmospheric adventure game set inside a Japanese pop-up book. Fold and slide the beautifully crafted paper world to solve puzzles and discover secrets.

Discover the wonders of a folding world Go on a serene journey through Japan of ancient fairy tales brought to life through striking visuals, unique gameplay and haunting music. Experience dark forests, abandoned shrines and tranquil mountain waterfalls as you seek to uncover the secret behind the lone dying cherry tree.

Not a book, but a game inside a pop-up book. Tengami plays like nothing else before it. Reach directly into the world to flip, fold and slide parts of the world to delve deeper into your mysterious journey.

Stunning original soundtrack
A beautiful and original soundtrack by renowned composer David Wise accompanies your adventure.

Authentic and intricate
Tengami’s world is built as an authentically folding three dimensional pop-up book with an all new technology created just for this game. Everything seen in the game could be recreated in real-life with just paper, scissors and glue.

Biography:

A love for pop-up books and traditional Japan gave the spark for Tengami. By chance, Phil Tossell came accross a video of a pop-up book in late 2010 and was instantly reminded of the sense of wonder he felt when reading them as a child. He shared his discovery with Jennifer Schneidereit and they started discussing what a game in a folding pop-up world could be like. Through a long process of experimentation, starting with paper prototypes and then gradually moving into the digital realm, they arrived at Tengami's design. About 6 months into the project Ryo Agarie joined and was fundamental in developing Tengami's striking visual style.

Year:

2014

Type:

Adventure game

Language:

English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Danish, Swedish and Turkish.

Platform:

iOS, Steam (PC, Mac), Android, Wii U

Price:

$5-7

link = 湯圓 [tong jyun]

Age:

12+

Artwork Description:

湯圓 [tong jyun] is a little chat about cooking and culture. Play as polly chan, a Chinese American whose only knowledge of Chinese comes from speaking with her mom at home and the Saturday school lessons she didn't really pay attention to. Help her make tong jyun to celebrate the lantern festival even though she doesn't even know how to write tong jyun in Chinese.

Biography:

湯圓 [tong jyun] was made by npckc and sdhizumi. npckc is a game dev and translator who makes cute story games. sdhizumi is a composer who creates music for a wide variety of genres but specialises in club music and chiptune.

Year:

2021

Type:

Interactive Fiction

Language:

English, Japanese (with portions in Chinese)

Platform:

Windows, Mac, Linux

Price:

Free, Name Your Price

link = Under a Star Called Sun

Age:10+

Artwork Description:

Under A Star Called Sun a short sci-fi game about grieving, holding on to fading memories, and carrying the world on your shoulders.

Biography:

Cecile Richard is a graphic designer, zine maker and game designer living in Melbourne, Australia whose artistic work often revolves around the themes of memory, connection and belonging. Cecile’s most well-known works include award-winning short Bitsy games novena , ENDLESS SCROLL, and UNDER A STAR CALLED SUN.

Year:

2020

Type:

8-Bit Playable Story

Language:

English

Platform:

Browser

Price:

Free

link =¡Ya apaga esa tableta!

You can enjoy this Flash work by downloading it in your computer and reading it thanks to the little program Flash Player Projector Content Debugger which can be found here.

Age:6+

Artwork Description:

Turn off that tablet now! takes as a pretext the desperate phrase of a mom or dad after their son has catapulted virtual birds for 32 continuous hours, and invites him to close the tablet to rediscover the world in a playful way. It is about remembering, in a friendly and no less entertaining way, that the real world is also a game arena waiting for us to interact with it.

Biography:

Alfonso Ochoa and Valeria Gallos, a creative team based in Mexico City, making interactive objects tied to culture, literature, and creativity. They have also created "Haiku-mático" and "Árbol con patas", among other works of ELit aimed at children.

Year:

2013

Type:

IPad App, Interactive Fiction

Language:

Spanish

Platform:

(only in archive), Flash, Browser

Price:

Free

link = The Land Down Under

Age:9+

Artwork Description:

In "The Land Down Under," the fifth book in the Mrs. Wobbles & The Tangerine House series, three foster children find themselves in a perfect paper world, only to come face to face with the cost of "perfection." The Mrs. Wobbles tales are interactive middle grade stories aimed to express and explore the social emotional experience of children in foster care. The stories, built on the Undum system, offer children meaningful choices as they navigate complex situations.

The “Land Down Under” was dreamed up by Genevieve Marino and brought into life with the rest of her family. In this episode, in addition to awarding points for poetry and prose reading, the stories also track how bold or timid the player’s choices are, responding with variations in the text, that encourage boldness and discourage hastiness. Other themes in this story include struggles with bullying, disability, divorce, and self-acceptance.

The stories are narrated by a talking book that has been deteriorating over the course of the series. Its fall matches the disintegration of texts in the digital age. The Mrs. Wobbles stories are constructed by the Marino Family, a forever family, in order to spread awareness of foster care and adoption.

The stories feature illustrations by Noel Tinsman-Kongshaug and Brian Gallagher.

Biography:

The Mrs. Wobbles tales are written by the Marino family, including Mark C. Marino and his two children. Mark is a writer and scholar of electronic literature, teaching at the University of Southern California. Mark has written for video games, Disney, theater, and various online entertainments. He is the Director of Communication of the Electronic Literature Organization. (portfolio here). His children are his talented collaborators, co-authors, and confederates in wanderings of the imagination. As a forever (adoptive) family, the Marinos are spreading the word about foster care and adoption.

Year:

2020

Type:

Interactive Fiction

Language:

English

Platform:

Browser

Price:

Free

link = Mi robot lunático

Age:8+

Artwork Description:

Mi robot lunático is a futuristic interactive story for children (aged 8-11) written in Undum. The action takes place in a Moon base in the year 2045, where the reader-protagonist has recently moved with his/her family and he/she is still learning to adjust to a strange, restricted, artificial life. To help him/her in this process, the protagonist receives a present from grandpa: a vintage construction kit made with recycled material with which to build a robot that will become his/her companion during a series of adventures. Depending on the type of robot the protagonist fabricates, there will be different challenges looming ahead. The rockabilly Tupeware, the childish Alevinum or the intellectual Supersapiens will make the reader face a child’s quotidian dilemas with an extraterrestrial flair: is it ok to have the robot do my homework? Can I leave the moon orbit in a mail space shuttle and be back for dinner? What are my chances of escaping the canteen without eating this disgusting orange purée and green octopus that lies on my plate?

The story is personalized and gamified, showing the reader the degree of cheekiness, courage, mischievousness or sanity of the choices made and the protagonist overall similitude with the personality of one of the robots.

The text’s themes are aimed at familiarizing children with scientific and technological terms in a ludic environment, highlighting the difficulty of reproducing human living conditions in an extraterrestrial setting, so as to help them to better appreciate, and take care of, their own planet.

Biography:

María Goicoechea studied English Philology at the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM) and at the University of East Anglia (UEA), UK. She later obtained an MSc in Education (Secondary Education) at UCM and a MA in Intercultural Communication at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. Her doctoral dissertation is entitled The Reader in Cyberspace: A Literary Ethnography of Cyberculture (2004). She is currently a teacher of the English Department at the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM) and Principal Investigator of the project eLITE-CM in Electronic Literary Edition. Prof. Goicoechea is part of LEETHI (UCM), and of HERMENEIA (Universitat de Barcelona), two research groups dedicated to the study of literature and computers. This is her first interactive story. She has also edited a bilingual digital collection of children stories from 1923 entitled Plaga de dragones/Plague of Dragons.

Yelena Petrovic studied Fine Arts at the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM). She combines her work as administrative secretary from the Department of Spanish (UCM) with her artistic production, mainly painting. She has participated in collective and individual exhibitions at cultural centers in Spain and Serbia.

Year:

2020

Type:

Interactive fiction

Language:

Spanish

Platform:

Browser

Price:

Free