Twine games to play over Thanksgiving Break

Please leave comments for the game creators! Tell them what your experience of their game was like, what you enjoyed or found difficult, what you think they could add if they are developing this game further.

Write the title of the game in your comment’s subject line.


From UMD’s class Transforming Cultures and Technologies: Gender, Race, and Digital Media.
These games were made by individuals and represent preliminary explorations in Twine creativity; games were not required to be 100% complete and some students will be developing their games further for their final projects.

To Gym Or Not To Gym (about exercise addiction)

Just a Girl at a Show (about sexual harassment at live music shows)

First Day of Computer Science Class (about being a woman subjected to sexism and harassment in a male-dominated field)

The Party (about college house parties, alcohol, and sexual consent)

Living in the Digital (about everyday life in the digital age)

The Web (about navigating the internet)

Why Me? (about the aftermath of sexual assault)

Sorority Recruitment (about sorority recruitment)

Friday Night (about a 20-something-year-old woman as she ventures into her Friday night escapades)

White & Black; Right & Wrong (about social perceptions of young men of color, inspired by #blacklivesmatter)

Industry Standards (about trying to break into the video game industry)

Comfort (about the challenges faced by a gender nonconforming Vietnamese-American pre-teen)


From MIT’s class on Technology and Culture
These games were created by groups of around four students.

Twine Group 1
http://philome.la/brenesrob/twinebook/play

Twine Group 2
http://philome.la/wwnlee/smile-were-watching

Twine Group 3
http://philome.la/ariostas/research-simulator

Twine Group 4
http://philome.la/Chevalant/cyborg-journey

Twine Group 5
http://philome.la/spikeoren/paws

Twine Group 6
http://philome.la/jesszwang/identity-theft/play

Twine Group 7
http://philome.la/21a500twine/21a500

Twine Group 8
http://philome.la/karsonota/debbies-journey/play

Twine Group 9
http://philome.la/danimman/adhd/play

Twine Group 10
http://philome.la/mizanrk/menarche-madness

Published by

Dr Lothian

Assistant Professor of Women's Studies/LGBT Studies and Core Faculty in Design | Cultures and Creativity at UMD. My scholarship focuses on queer studies, speculative fiction, digital media, and fan cultures. Collectives and communities I identify as part of include #transformDH, the feminist science fiction convention WisCon, and the fan vidding community.

41 thoughts on “Twine games to play over Thanksgiving Break”

  1. To Gym Or Not To Gym

    One minor thing but did you mean to write “diner” instead of “dinner”?
    Overall, I really liked your game and I like how it ended.

  2. Just a Girl at a Show
    Why did you have the same scenario for In the front and In the middle? I felt like you could have other things happen. I do like the conclusion though.

  3. First Day of Computer Science Class
    I think your game shows great promise. There are a lot of different options you can choose. I think you still have some more things to write because I got some “Double-Click this passage to edit” links. Overall, I think your topic is really great because it is something I definitely see at MIT.

  4. I played Twinebook and the game was insanely well thought out and personal. I was really impressed about how it asked for your name and age and incorporated that into the gameplay, really adding to the personal depth of the game. The message was also really thought-provoking, about how social media sites have ability to acquire all your personal information, regardless of your awareness. It really made me think about how the advertisements I get on my computer and sites reflect what I like.

    The second game I played was PAWS. This was extremely interesting. The game switches the standard gender roles so the girls are the dominant while the guys are the submissive. It was really interesting and to be honest, kind of confusing to read about life this way. When I got to the part about Sam being in college and having a One Direction poster above his head, I had to go back and confirm that I was playing as a heterosexual guy, it really messed with my head! However, the concept was really great and allowed for the perspective of gender to be seen through a new lens.

  5. Twine Group 4
    I enjoyed the game because I didn’t know whether or not to make augmentations. The end game was unclear so when the game finally ended, it was really interesting to see what would happen.

    1. We set up the story so receiving the augmentations was basically “winning the game”, but your comments are interesting. In a future iteration, it would be nice to add more options for people that choose to forgo augmentations. Thanks for the feedback!

  6. Twine Group 6
    I think you all chose a really important topic, especially because it is becoming more and more relevant. I wish I was able to take different actions like “Answer the phone”.

  7. Twine Group 7
    My frustration with this game was that once I declined the job and resorted to crime, my only option was to go into the city, but that in of itself was a cycle. I could only go into the city and back. I really liked/disliked the conclusion of the game. It was sad that I couldn’t do anything about my outcome, but at the same time that is the point.

  8. Twine Group 10
    I thought this was a fun and lighthearted game. I would like to see how you all would expand this game.

  9. The Party
    This was really interesting. I liked the direction it was going, but then I felt it ended a bit abruptly. There was nothing really about the consent stuff in there. I would have liked a few more cards with the girl interacting with the guy and trying to make some choices there. Overall, it was a very nice concept!

  10. To Gym or Not to Gym
    This game felt a little bit unrealistic. First, in the beginning it kept linking you back to the page where the friend is calling you to go to the gym. It didn’t make sense to go back there always because I would click on different scenarios that should have led to perhaps a slightly different or more tailored version of the friend page. Second, I felt like it kind of over exaggerated since she went to the gym once and was already obsessed and seeing weight loss. I would have preferred the progression to be a bit slower. Especially the part where she said she stopped eating all fast foods and unhealthy things, that seemed to happen all at once when in reality it would probably be over a longer period of time. I liked the concept, and would love to see where it goes!

  11. Friday Night
    I liked this game because it felt really honest and nothing was held back. It was also great due to all the character development. It seemed to be incomplete as a few things would link to blank pages, and there was no resolution. I wish there had been some closure, but I would be curious what that final message is. What was the goal with the game?

  12. Sorority Recruitment
    I liked how this tried to show the superficial nature of sororities and the recruitment process. Some of the game mechanics were a bit off. In one instance when I was already going to the third round, I clicked an option that somehow brought me back to the second round. It may have been interesting to go a bit deeper with the emotional aspects. So, explore a bit more about how sad she felt after being rejected.

  13. The Web
    I liked the simplicity in this. It gave a very simple overview of what people do on the internet. I wish it had gone in a bit deeper with giving a bit more choice. Most of it was just clicking through as there was only one option.

  14. Why Me?
    This was very nicely done. The subject was very delicate, and I liked how it was handled. The options presented seem realistic. I would maybe like to see some more exploration of the daily life option if she decides not to report to the police. I would imagine it would take a long time and would be emotionally taxing to try to move past that, so going a little more into that rather than just saying she is eventually fine would add another dimension. Great game!

  15. Twine Group 6- identity theft
    Your game felt very polished. i enjoyed the visuals. the review of all the places in the end where we chose certain behaviors, such as our street address or our mother’s maiden name and how it could have led to fraud was very enlightening.

    However, the email from the dean seemed a little bizarre, 150,000 pages..? that threw me off.
    otherwise, definitely a good resource to understanding effects of fraud

  16. Twine Group 21a500

    Wow, this game was dark! In this postmodern? technological, cyborg infiltrated society, the augments are what make humans acceptable in society… and if you don’t have one, you’re worthless. For some reason, this reminds me of a mix of Divergent and Brave New World

    The fact that humans without augments had to take no pay for a job or resort to crime, made the future feel bleak.
    I see how this is a commentary on how the world will come to be ruled by technological advances and these… augmentations

  17. “To Gym or Not to Gym”

    As I played this game, I tried to be the player that would go along with the “gym routine.” However, towards the end I chose to write my paper instead of taking another gym class. But every time I tried to avoid the gym, it somehow always came back to distract me. I’m not sure if the ending is the same for both paths…but I ended up in the sports psychologist’s office, and I absolutely loved the last line…”Look in the mirror, what do you see?” I thought this was really interesting; it made me think outside of the game and reflect on my own life.

    Your game was very well done; it had a strong focus and successfully delivered its message.

  18. “Twine Game #9: ADHD”

    I found this game really interesting because of how realistic the situations were. I found myself really frustrated while playing this game and even more anxious by the ending. You really get a sense of how people with ADHD struggle to focus and remain on one task. The whole time all I wanted to do was study for the test, I clicked every possible route on each page hoping it would direct me to studying but each time there was some sort of distraction.

    Very well done!

  19. While playing First Day of Computer Science Class, I found myself getting continuously angry at Ryan and the situation as a whole – great job on getting the player invested. I’m not sure if a man playing the game would be equally as invested though. My only critique is on the very last slide I chose to not give him my number and the grammar on the slide didn’t match with everything else (started to use “u” and “awk”).

    With the limited number of cards I went through for The Party, it displays a really great concept. I felt like the ending was abrupt (ending up not knowing what happened and going back to my room), but that is exactly what happens to some people – you are completely living one moment and the next, you recall nothing.

    Sorority Recruitment is a very interesting concept. It seemed like there were many more cards in this game, but that may be because they all led to the same choice. I will admit that I felt most lost in this game (as in hard to follow) but believe this is because 1. I know nothing about the subject and 2. I don’t feel attached to the subject. The first problem was combated in the game though, which I was grateful to see. The designer explains a bit about the traditions and such.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the ADHD game – especially when you decide to study flashcards. If you click study, you study 10%. You can click study again, and you study 20%. When you go back to the main page, the study button has now been crossed out – you can no longer study. The game is telling you you have maxed out, and I absolutely love that concept! It was also cool how they added a link to their group reflection blog post to the end of their game.

    Everyone did an excellent job!

  20. I really enjoyed the twine “Just a girl at a show” because I felt like it is a really relate able topic. It is unfortunate but true that sometimes women are put in to uncomfortable situations involuntarily and at shows it is easy for a girl to become a victim due to the large crowds and dim lighting. Of course it is possible to go to a show or somewhere else without this sort of situation occurring but when it does it is nice to have people around you that care enough to take action like in the story.

  21. I enjoyed the “sorority recruitment” game as well because I went through recruitment and felt all the jitters expressed in the game. I felt the need to be perfect and to be exactly what every sorority wanted. I could really relate to this game and think it would be a good game for people going through recruitment for the first time to play.

  22. A comment for the M.I.T games I played would be that they seemed extremely advanced, as if they knew their way around the twine site very well. I started to feel bad about my game because it seems so basic compared to how detailed theirs were. I did not even know we could personalize the games for each persons name! The stories were really interesting to play and I am glad we had the opportunity to collaborate with them!

  23. Sorority Recruitment – I really liked this one. It was interesting to get kind of an insight on to how sorority life is like. Usually people have stereotypes of sorority girls and stuff, which this touched on but I liked the endings. It was a good topic, and interesting to go along with it.

    MIT Identity Theft – THIS WAS AWESOME! I really enjoyed it lol it was funny and made me chuckle. I really liked the ending because it was so clever. A new identity so it started all over again, very clever. Very details and I also enjoyed the actual design of the game like the fingerprint in the beginning, nice details that added to the whole experience.

  24. After playing ADHD, I felt more aware of what life feels like while navigating college with constant distraction. I guess I always assumed that ADHD was a lot more exaggerated than it is in reality, and the game showed the ways in which small decisions can impact a person with ADHD on a much larger scale. I really enjoyed playing this game and thought that the thought process and mechanics behind it were sound.

    The other game I played was entitled “Debbie’s Journey”, and followed the story of a high school senior with a bright future who attends a prom after-party. I felt that the subject matter of this game was extremely relatable considering the trials and tribulations many people face while teenagers. Additionally, I thought that the message regarding who to get help from in a tough situation such as Debbie’s was successfully communicated in a nuanced way.

    I really enjoyed playing all of the games from MIT! Great job!

  25. Paws – Really liked how it played with world building in little subtle way,s like “girled up” instead of manned up giving you the idea that women are the dominant sex in this world. As it went on it became more apparent, but I really liked seeing where it went with flipping gender roles on smaller things you didn’t think about that way previously.

  26. ADHD –
    I thought this game was really interesting. As someone with ADD, I related a lot with the struggles posed in this game and how time can get away from you, though I also realize this game followed someone else’s experiences and not my own. I found myself comparing my struggles with ADD to the game and was confused why taking the meds didn’t really seem to make as much of an impact as I thought they might seeing as they do make a huge difference for me. Still I think this was a really good insight for people without ADD/ADHD to see what the frustrating thinking process can be like at times.

    1. ADHD addition:
      also I don’t know how to edit comments but I also wanted to add really quick that I really liked the passage for when you tell your friend you’re doing your best and you click through and it’s like “Ever since you were a kid you’ve been saying that you’re doing your best but no one seems to believe you. You think back to your parents scolding you for forgetting to study when you were too interested in your projects.”, it was super real and I liked it a lot.

  27. First Day of Computer Science

    I really liked the way all the different branches of the story coalesce into the interaction with Ryan; I’ve seen too many times in videos/movies/tv shows where Ryan’s behavior is seen as “playful” and “joking”, but the author of the twine game characterizes well how such behavior can not only be very off-putting but can make another individual very uncomfortable. The twine game places us in the scenario of a protagonist who faces such behavior, and it is very easy to see based on how the choices are given within the game how the main character tried to act “nice” but at the same time not encourage such behavior (‘give him your number and maybe he’ll leave you alone’), a hard task.

  28. To Gym or Not To Gym

    I really enjoyed this twine game because it built up the process of being addicted to exercise over a series of different choices, each of which seems insignificant (skipping a meal, spending a little extra time at the gym). All of these choices are made by college students everyday, but as shown in the game, when these choices aggregate, there is a problem.

    One question I had was regarding the actual condition itself: it seems in the exercise that the story culminates when the protagonist goes to the hospital. Are there other consequences (trouble sleeping, stomach aches, poor performance in class) that are also present that can indicate the onset of the condition?

  29. To Gym or Not to Gym
    I enjoyed this game, as it provided a narrative that shows the importance of living a balanced life. It emphasizes that exercise is still important, but like anything it can be taken too far. I also liked the usage of images, something which my game (Cyborg Journey) needs to include. A way to improve this game would be to add more endings. It seems that no matter how hard I try to balance life and exercise, I’m usually end up in the hospital.

    The Party
    As a guy, I was interested in seeing the point of view of a female going to a party. I enjoyed the narrative, and the setting seemed to match up with the typical college parties. Overall, this Twine was a new perspective for me. However, I wish there was more than one ending to the story. No matter how hard I tried, there was no way to prevent that guy from pouring you a drink. Even as a dude, I wouldn’t want to accept a drink from a total stranger. I can understand the decision to have only one ending, but also kind of wish there was more freedom. There is also a script you can add to remove the back button, which makes the story a bit more immersive.

  30. To Gym or not to gym: I really liked it. I didn’t know that exercise addiction was a thing. I just thought she had an eating disorder.

    Just a girl at a Show: I really liked it. I’m really glad some guys stepped in.

    First day of computer science class:
    I didn’t know that girls had so many issues as a computer science major. Great Job I liked it!

  31. Comfort –
    Really interesting topic, and engaging story. I was a bit disappointed that it cut short at the to be continued, as I was expecting a conclusion. I found the story very realistic and can definitely relate to the scenarios presented in the storyline as a first-gen Asian American – a suggestion would be that the friction between balancing cultures could have been emphasized more (for example, explaining the main character’s cognitive dissonance more)

  32. Friday Night –
    I ran into a lot of incomplete passages when trying to play this game, and found myself spending more time trying to find a working path through the story than engaging with the game itself 🙁 Interesting premise, but it doesn’t seem to have an ending?

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