Faculty of Arts & Science

Digital Futures

Laila Mariam Imran

The Unprepared Narrator

The Unprepared Narrator is a text-based interactive game where the system attempts to guide the player through an experience it hasn’t actually prepared. The narrator tries to construct a “real” game on the spot, but constantly fails, producing broken logic, incomplete paths, and abrupt endings.The player’s inputs shape the direction of the interaction, but when input is missing or unclear, the system begins to break down, revealing its dependence on the user.

“This project explores the idea of unreliable and performative computer systems. The narrator presents itself as confident and in control, but quickly falls apart when it has to generate something meaningful on its own.There’s a built-in contradiction: the system claims authority, but relies entirely on user input to function. Without guidance, it becomes unstable, repetitive, and confused.Through humour, failure, and intentionally broken logic, the work questions how much “intelligence” computers actually have, and how much of it depends on user participation. Instead of hiding these flaws, the project exaggerates them, turning system failure into the core of the experience.”