or: how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb

Yeah, I guess I should jump in here and clarify, because I didn’t mean any insults.

I did feel a little threatened at first by what I perceived as a much more pro-Choice (if you will) atmosphere than I was expecting. The other side may feel threatened too: I was sensing a slight undercurrent of defensiveness from the choice people. But I was trying to say that they might well be justified, and in any case I do not fault them. So I thought there might be a problem with factions forming at first, but I ultimately decided there really isn’t. We’re getting along fine. Sure, I was shocked to see people in there who resist playing parser games, but that’s not a problem either. Diversity is a strength for IFComp. (I might as well note here that personally, I am anything but biased as a judge. The highest score I gave out was for Summit.)

What I see as a surging tide of Choice–which may or may not actually be the case–is simply natural. That’s my main point. The IFComp is the perfect venue to put everyone together, be as inclusive as possible, and let IF go in its natural direction, whatever it may be. I have convinced myself not to feel threatened, because there are other venues. And because the future if IFComp is probably that it will always be the place where all different types of IF coexist. There may be ebbs and flows, but none will ever go away completely. More types will be added.

edit: to further clarify, I have concluded that, for the reasons above, adding Categories would damage a lot of what is interesting about the IFComp. We need to see these types compete against one another in order to keep a finger on the pulse of the community and fans.