Exeter Riddle Becomes Twine Game: CMS Medievalists on Digital Experiential Learning during Covid

August 16, 2022 by Communications

Congratulations to Prof. Alexandra Bolintineanu, PhD student Cai Henderson, and four Digital Humanities undergraduates for completing an unlikely project. The group recently published a peer-reviewed article on the transformation of Exeter Book Riddle 26 into an interactive game on the platform Twine.

The article appears in the Digital Medievalist and takes its title from the opening line of the Exeter riddle: "A certain enemy robbed me of my life..."

Bolintineanu conceived the idea of making Twine games during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when university classes could not be held in person. Normally, undergraduates in Bolintineanu and Henderson's Intro to Digital Humanities course would get extensive experience handling material objects, including rare books and manuscripts in Fisher Library. During COVID-19, however, Bolintineanu and Henderson substituted a hands-on digital experience. They asked students to study an Exeter riddle about book production and then use Twine to turn the riddle into a game.

The finished Twine games of four undergraduate students are featured in the published article. The students - Ana Algarvio Alves Wong, Dionysus Cho, Robin Carino, and Kathy Du - gamify the riddle in very different ways. The article discusses their different approaches in detail, with video previews.

Congrats to our medievalists and digital humanities students for publishing the results of their unique project!