Emily Short
Encyclopedia
Emily Short is the pseudonym of an interactive fiction
(IF) writer
, perhaps best known for her debut game Galatea
and her use of psychologically complex NPCs, or non-player game characters. She has been called "one of the most renowned authors in the IF community" http://www.ifwiki.org/index.php/Emily_Short, and is the author of over fifteen works of IF in addition to being chief editor of the IF Theory Book.
A number of Short's works have won acclaim at the XYZZY Awards, an annual popular-choice award for interactive fiction. Her work has been described by reviewers in terms that range from "mesmerizing" to "frustrating", but she is widely respected as an authority in the field and has presided over numerous IF contests. Her 2003 work, City of Secrets, was originally commissioned by a San Francisco synth pop band, but later left the project, which she completed on her own. http://emshort.home.mindspring.com/CSUpcoming2.htm
Short has played a major role in the development of Graham Nelson's
radical new interactive fiction development system, Inform 7. Her more conspicuous contributions include writing most of the 300+ programming examples in the documentation, and creating two full-length demo games for release with the Inform 7 beta.
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
(IF) writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, perhaps best known for her debut game Galatea
Galatea (computer game)
Galatea is a work of interactive fiction by Emily Short featuring a modern rendition of the Greek myth of Galatea, the sculpture of a woman which gained life. It took "Best of Show" in the 2000 IF Art Show and won a XYZZY Award for Best Non-Player Character...
and her use of psychologically complex NPCs, or non-player game characters. She has been called "one of the most renowned authors in the IF community" http://www.ifwiki.org/index.php/Emily_Short, and is the author of over fifteen works of IF in addition to being chief editor of the IF Theory Book.
A number of Short's works have won acclaim at the XYZZY Awards, an annual popular-choice award for interactive fiction. Her work has been described by reviewers in terms that range from "mesmerizing" to "frustrating", but she is widely respected as an authority in the field and has presided over numerous IF contests. Her 2003 work, City of Secrets, was originally commissioned by a San Francisco synth pop band, but later left the project, which she completed on her own. http://emshort.home.mindspring.com/CSUpcoming2.htm
Short has played a major role in the development of Graham Nelson's
Graham Nelson
Graham A. Nelson is a British mathematician and poet and the creator of the Inform design system for creating interactive fiction games. He has also authored several IF games, including the acclaimed Curses and Jigsaw , using the experience of writing Curses in particular to expand the range of...
radical new interactive fiction development system, Inform 7. Her more conspicuous contributions include writing most of the 300+ programming examples in the documentation, and creating two full-length demo games for release with the Inform 7 beta.
Selected IF works
- GalateaGalatea (computer game)Galatea is a work of interactive fiction by Emily Short featuring a modern rendition of the Greek myth of Galatea, the sculpture of a woman which gained life. It took "Best of Show" in the 2000 IF Art Show and won a XYZZY Award for Best Non-Player Character...
(2000; winner of the 2000 XYZZY Award for Best Individual NPC and Best of Show in the 2000 IF Art Show) - Metamorphoses (2000; 2nd place at the 2000 Interactive Fiction CompetitionInteractive Fiction CompetitionThe Interactive Fiction Competition is one of the best known of several annual competitions for works of interactive fiction. It has been held since 1995. It is intended for fairly short games, as judges are only allowed to spend two hours playing a game before deciding how many points to award it...
, Best Writing in the 2000 XYZZY Awards) - Savoir-FaireSavoir-FaireSavoir-Faire is a piece of interactive fiction written by Emily Short, about a magician in 18th-century France searching his aristocratic adoptive father's house...
(2002; winner of XYZZY AwardXYZZY AwardThe XYZZY Awards are an event to recognize extraordinary interactive fiction, serving a similar role to the Academy Awards or Grammy Awards but for a far smaller community. The XYZZY Awards have been presented yearly in the early spring since 1996 by Eileen Mullin, the editor of XYZZYnews...
s for Best Game, Best Puzzles, Best Story, Best Individual PC) - City of Secrets (2003; winner of the XYZZY Award for Best NPCs; Runner-up for Games' Best RPG/Adventure 2004)
- FloatpointFloatpointFloatpoint is a 2006 work of interactive fiction written by Emily Short about a diplomat sent to an endangered colony to discuss evacuation options and terms of cohabitation...
(2006, winner of the 2006 Interactive Fiction Competition, winner of 2006 XYZZY AwardXYZZY AwardThe XYZZY Awards are an event to recognize extraordinary interactive fiction, serving a similar role to the Academy Awards or Grammy Awards but for a far smaller community. The XYZZY Awards have been presented yearly in the early spring since 1996 by Eileen Mullin, the editor of XYZZYnews...
s for Best Settings and Best NPCNon-player characterA non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s.)