Game Information
| Title | An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (student-created game) |
| Presenter(s) | James Earl Cox III |
| Session | Conference Reception, Game Exhibition, and Poster Session |
| Time | Thursday, October 16, 7:00p-10:00p |
| Location | Ballroom |
| Format | Game Exhibition |
| Description | An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is an interactive narrative adaptation of the Civil War story written by Ambrose Bierce. Besides the title and opening credits, it tells a story without the use of any in-game dialogue, be it text or audio. As such, the story is conveyed through the use of pixel styled graphics, diegetic sounds, and minimal controls. These allow the player to more freely explore the story, encouraging the use of imagination to interpret the art and build the narrative as they progress, regardless of what language the player speaks.
Through these means, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is able to achieve its purpose: to create a gateway to American literature for people of any age or culture. With its lack of in-game dialogue and text, this game encourages the player to discover the plot on their own, possibly to be used for class discussions or cross media comparisons. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is able to move the audience through a deep, historical story within the span of 5 minutes without the use of words as well as provide a portal from gaming to literature. |