Defense Date

11-16-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Degree Name

Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media

First Advisor

Melissa Bianchi

Second Advisor

Juliette Kitchens

Keywords

improvisation, video game, Twine, digital rhetoric

Abstract

This thesis is an improv-based digital role-playing game (RPG) created on Twine titled Spontaneity and the Supernatural. The game synthesizes Dustin Edward’s scholarship on remix and digital rhetoric, Kathleen Blake Yancy and Stephen J. McElroy’s application of assemblage theory in composition, and Viola Spolin’s improv theory and practices to take improv from the stage to a digital space. This game uses Twine as a development tool to deliver improv concepts, such as Spolin’s ensemble, environment, and intuition, procedurally. To incorporate these elements into the game, the thesis engages potential players with a narrative that suggests all players can practice improv through mechanics that include choice-based responses, timed responses, and suggestion entry via text boxes. Finally, this thesis examines the possibilities available to writers and game developers to teach players improv practices using digital games.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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