Emma Alpert

Interactive Narrative

A Sharp Start [scripted in ink]

Description: In this short interactive narrative, you play as an adventurer traveling through a desert. You're looking for somewhere to turn in for the night, but you're quickly stopped by Verdict, who tells you that you cannot bring your weapon inside unless you prove your trustworthiness.
> Note: more info on Verdict can be found in my character profiles section!

• Click here to play "A Sharp Start"!

Dialogue and Barks

Barks - Avalon Kadlecová

Description: A table of character barks based off of actions a player might take in a strategy game or MOBA. Contains the action performed to trigger the bark, the dialogue line, vocal direction/tone, and other notes (when necessary).
> Note: For more information about Avalon, check out my character profiles page!

Environmental and Items

Lore Journals - Researcher's Notes

Description: A series of seven journal entries that players could find and read in game, in any order. Information is revealed in each entry, and putting the entries together reveals the full story. I've put them in chronological order here, but feel free to read them in whichever order you please!Summary: As rumors of sightings of new, terrifying sea monsters in the Northern Sea spread across Port Cielia, one brave researcher and their crew travel to the Northern Sea to determine fact from fiction. Will they discover the truth? And if they do, will they make it out with their lives?

1 - Fact vs. Fiction:
One of the fishing boats got back later than expected last night. The crew seemed uneasy- some yelled at the captain to demand time off. As expected, rumors are spreading, but I admit that even I am quite interested in the subject of discussion. Jaina said she heard the captain mutter something about an “it”, and whatever “it” is was enough to make even him nervous. Allegedly, “it” darted through the waves faster than anything he’d seen before.Then again, it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen him without a cup of grog in hand. Perhaps the drinking is getting to him.But if not… The possibility is so grand.
- k.h.

2 - Assembling a Crew:
It seems Jaina doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut. I told her that I want to go after what the Captain saw, and now half the Port thinks I’m crazy. I suppose I should be thanking her, too, though- all this attention got me a few curious souls to take with me on this expedition.I’ll be placing the rest of my notes inside empty rum bottles for preservation. I will not have my documentation rendered unreadable should anything happen during our journey.We’ll be leaving the Port at dawn. I can only hope our efforts bear fruit.
- k.h.

3 - Setting Sail:
My Our journey begins today. It’s been a few hours, and thus far we’ve seen little more than harmless fish and a few sharks. The sharks do not worry me in the way that they worry Liliana. I know they won’t attack an entire boat. She’s always been a baby about this kind of thing.As we go further out into the Northern Sea, the waves are getting more intense. The boat is rocking in a way that makes it difficult to write neatly, but I do not mind. The struggle is worth it for maintaining precise notes. I trust that the end result will be worth it, too.
- k.h.

4 - Sightings and Sanity:
It is the evening now, and I finally have something interesting to write. I finally saw it, I think. It was hard to make out any defining features, with the clouds blocking any moonlight, but the way in which it moved… it was unsettling. If this is what the others had seen, I now understand. It seemed to blend with the waves, twisting in what I can only assume to be a sort of camouflage attempt. Perhaps it thinks it can hide from me forever.None of my crewmates claim to have seen it. I do not know if they are lying or if their eyes are simply getting worse. No matter. I know I saw it.
- k.h.

5 - Frustrations:
The crew is growing tired of this. I suspect they’re growing tired of me, too. They keep calling it pointless, but I can see the fear in their eyes. I don’t know why they’re scared- this is science. We’re on the cusp of discovering something extraordinary, I can feel it. They keep asking to go home. I refuse to do so empty-handed.I will not have my name, my reputation, become synonymous with ‘fool’. My life will amount to something. It has to. I refuse to even entertain the notion that I’ve come all this way for it to amount to nothing.Tomorrow will be better. It must be.
- k.h.

6 - Clear Night:
I keep hearing splashing around us, though whenever I peer over the side of the boat there’s nothing there. Liliana is hearing it too- I’m not crazy.An update- we’ve seen it. All of us have. It has to be at least double the length of our boat. I estimate it to be no smaller than fifty feet, and yet it moves with an ungodly speed. It keeps circling our boat.My stomach is churning, and I know not if it is from seasickness or the nervousness I feel around it, with its gargantuan size. I must put it aside for the sake of discovery.
- k.h.

7 - Some Things Are Better Left Unseen:
It won’t leave! We’ve tried throwing food overboard to distract it, but it’s no use. It seems hellbent on staying right by our vessel.In case I don’t make it back, name it after me. This is my discovery. No one else’s.[Below these words is a hasty sketch of “it”. It’s a huge, monstrous creature, with long tendril-like fins and a number of spikes along its back. Notably, it does not seem to have eyes.][The next words are in shakier handwriting.]
I don’t know if we’re making it back        It hit the boat
My name is Kamryn Herrera. And this is my legacyI don’t regret a thing.

Academic Writing

Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) Final Report (85 pgs)

Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) - Assessing the Community Impact of Theater Alliance
> Project Description: Alongside three fellow WPI students, I worked on a 15-week social science research project to assess the community impact of Theater Alliance, a non-profit theater organization located in Washington, D.C., that is dedicated to producing socially conscious and thought-provoking work. This project consisted of a 7-week preliminary research period, and an 8-week period onsite in Washington, D.C., culminating in a final report detailing our research and our on-site work.
> Document Description: This report consists of the following sections: abstract, executive summary, introduction, literature review (background research), methodology, findings, conclusion, references, and appendices.

• Click here to read my IQP Report!

Media Analysis - Get Out (6 pgs)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: A Look into Themes in Get Out (dir. Peele, 2017)
> Description: This essay explores the meaning behind the series of grayscale photos shown at the beginning of Get Out, and how each photo foreshadows the film's themes.
> Note: Spoilers ahead!

• Click here to read my "Get Out" Analysis!

Game Analysis - Wanderstop (2 pgs)

Wanderstop Analysis - Story Structure and Design Choices
> Description: As part of my Storytelling in Interactive Media and Games class, I played Wanderstop (Ivy Road, Annapurna Interactive) to examine how the game showcases different story structures, specifically those detailed in Jane Alison's Meander Spiral Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative. I also examined whether a few in-game moments exemplify or subvert beats of the traditional hero's journey (Freytag's pyramid), and analyzed the impact of a non-playable character (NPC) of my choosing. Finally, I expressed my thoughts on how Wanderstop critiques contemporary game design.
> Note: Spoilers ahead!

Part One: Story Structures
The first story structure found in Wanderstop is the wavelet. Wavelets are a smaller version of Freytag’s pyramid (traditional wave structure). Wavelets are shorter, self-contained stories that may or may not tie into the larger narrative. In Wanderstop, each customer’s arc is a wavelet, especially unnamed customers like the injured customer or the bat-person. We meet them, talk, make them tea, and then they leave or go silent. Each customer’s story is separate and unique, yet they all have an effect on the overarching narrative.The second story structure found in Wanderstop is the wave. The wave is the most common story structure, consisting of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and a denouement or resolution. In Wanderstop, Alta’s journey is a wave. The game opens with a series of expositional cutscenes that explain to us who Alta is and the events that led to her arrival at the tea shop. The majority of the game is the rising action. The climax is the scene in the woods with Monster - the true turning point for Alta. The game then goes through the falling action and resolution, wrapping up the story as Alta has now changed for the better.The third story structure found in Wanderstop is the fractal. The fractal structure involves patterns, which are repeated in varying sizes and ways throughout a narrative. In Wanderstop, the changing of seasons repeats several patterns in the game, though the times at which these patterns occur can change. For example, in each season, the customers will eventually go silent, but in the brief foggy season after Alta remembers what happened with Master Winters, it takes only a few minutes for the customers to go silent. These repetitions and patterns serve the larger narrative, pointing out that we can get trapped in rough cycles if we don’t take care of ourselves.

Part Two - The Hero's Journey

Part Three: NPC Impact
Ren is a warrior, like Alta, and he’s heard of her, getting excited when he realizes he’s finally meeting a legend. Ren’s character is a mirror to Alta’s - he wants to learn by sparring with her, as she wanted to learn from Master Winters. However, unlike Alta, Ren recognizes the importance of rest and taking breaks. When Alta asks him questions, he takes a moment to meditate on them, being attuned with his mental fortitude rather than only focusing on physical strength as Alta had done for so long.Ren is in the game to serve as an example of the dangers of pushing oneself too far. When Ren leaves the clearing, he later returns, missing an arm. He is quieter now, far less proud than he was at first, admitting that he got sloppy - the very same excuse we hear in the game’s opening cutscene when Alta loses her first fight.Ren first requests tea that evokes passion- his and Alta’s main virtue. His second request is called Silver Moonlight Tea, which is said to have a calming effect. If Alta drinks it, however, she says it’s the worst drink she’s ever had. This is another example of how Alta is not in touch with her mental well-being, while Ren is - the tea is disgusting to her, but pleasing to him. Before Ren leaves for good, he leaves his warrior’s mask with Alta, placing it next to her sword - two reminders of fallen fighters. Ren appears fairly early in the game (the first changed season), and because of his function as a direct mirror to Alta, she is forced to realize how dangerous it could be if she continues to push herself.

Part Four: Contemporary Game Design
Wanderstop reminds us through its unique structure that we should enjoy the entirety of a game, and not fall victim to the grind that several contemporary games have. Something in Wanderstop that stood out to me as a fan of restaurant sims was that there was no time limit. You could wait as long as you wanted before talking to a customer or giving them tea, and you aren’t penalized for getting an order wrong. Wanderstop can be taken at whatever pace you want, and there’s no clock to punch or speed to achieve. Additionally, achievements in Wanderstop are random. This was odd to me at first. Achievements are usually milestones of significant progression and are something to work towards, but Wanderstop’s achievements are awarded simply for playing. This goes against the completionist spirit found in several other games that can take hundreds of hours to unlock everything. This aligns with Alta’s story, too - we don’t need to push ourselves so hard. However, Wanderstop cements itself as a cozy game, which is a genre notable for exactly that - being cozy, casual, and relaxing. For that reason, it’s hard to say whether it’s pointing out flaws in game design, or if it’s just doing its job as a cozy game. Overall, Wanderstop was a unique game and it was nice to sit down and enjoy a game without having to worry about how good my armor is or how much gold I have – I could enjoy the game itself without worrying about how fast I was (or wasn't) progressing through it.