What can be considered an IF?

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So I’ve made some sort of choice based IF. But the thing is, there’s like other elements in it that won’t fit in the IF categories like a turn based combat mechanic. Can my game still be considered as an IF even if it contains something like that? Or should I change/modify those particular elements to make it suits more as an IF?

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I think everyone has their own definition of what constitutes IF, but in my opinion those elements don’t negate it being IF at all! Mechanics can be their own form of narrative in text games, I think.

(If you’re interested, my personal definition that I use when teaching is ‘any primarily text-based
digital narrative where the player takes an active role
in exploring, progressing and/or affecting the story’)

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The Neo-Interactives collective takes the very large definition for IF for our jams:

the game is interactive, and its focus is on the text.

We’ve had loads of different forms of IF over the past two (wow already 2!) years: your traditional parsers/text-adventures, the very visual Visual Novels/Bitsy, the more point-n-click with Deckers… a couple had some sort of combat mechanics, others were more resource managements, some went full on puzzles, quite a few (especially for the Neo-Twiny and Singe-Choice Jams) have been almost exclusively linear/kinetic…

There are tons of ways playing with the medium. But as long as the focus is on the text, it’s all good :slight_smile:

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Sounds like you have a hybrid game? I don’t see any reason that wouldn’t, for instance, be a perfectly fine submission to IFComp, which is the gold standard after all.

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Even parser IF can have turn based combat!

Make the game you want to make. If you’re entering a comp/jam, just read the entry criteria and see if you feel like it qualifies.

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Thank you everyone for your response! From what I get, as long as the game focuses more on the narrative aspect with the player able to interact and influence the story directly, it can be considered an IF right?

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I’ve considered that for some time in the past, unfortunately my game was already released (even if it’s still in wip ) so I can gain some feedback and that’s way before I know the existence of IFcomp, perhaps next year once I have more experience!

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I wouldn’t get too hung up on terminology. Just make what you want to make and if others enjoy it, they’ll play it.

From what you described, it sounds like a blend (or hybrid) of choice-based IF and RPG and that’s fine. If it’s predominantly IF, then you can enter it in IF jams and comps (subject to the rules). You can’t do that for this game, as it’s already been published, but you might want to keep it in mind for the future.

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I feel that genre labels are best treated as flexible, descriptive guidelines, not rigid, prescriptive rules, so +1 to making the game you want and not worrying too much about whether it fits a particular definition.

Besides, games that violate established genre conventions are often among the more interesting gaming experience and it is an willingness to go against genre conventions that leads to the creation of new genres.

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Re: comp(-ish)
You can always submit it to the IF Showcase, and if the gameplay is shorter than 30min, there’s the IF Short Game Showcase happening in December (has in the past 2 years at least, and it’s an actual competition)

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Thanks! I will check that out!

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