“What We Carry Forward”

What We Carry Forward is an educational interactive fiction game that I will be working on for the P2 project. It’s about Ang Sila, my hometown in Thailand. My idea is to help players learn about the place through its everyday objects and the stories behind them. The main character, Saithan, is a volunteer who is preparing an old house for a community exhibition. As he explores the objects, he has to learn about their histories and complete the unfinished labels for the exhibition.

For this first paper prototype, I focused on a short chapter called Shared Water. There are two main decisions in the story. First, players decide whether to take water home to an aunt or give it to a boat crew. Later, they decide whether to focus on the work of collecting and carrying water or on the people who needed it. Both decisions affect the final exhibition label.

I used separate cards for the story, choices, and consequences. During the playtest, I acted as the facilitator and gave the player the next card based on his choices.

Figure 1: A moment when I was giving the player the next card based on his choices.

Playtest observations

I tested the prototype with one classmate (Jeffery) during class. The playthrough took about 10 minutes, not including our discussion and Google Form evaluation afterward.

• The instructions were easy to follow. My classmate rated the instructions 5/5. However, since I was there to guide him through the cards, I still need to see whether players can understand how to play without my help. This is something I need to think about when I turn the paper prototype into a digital version.
• He remembered some of the historical context. He recalled that people collected rainwater for freshwater and that water was valuable. I was glad that he remembered this detail because I want players to learn about Ang Sila through the story, rather than just make choices without understanding the context.
• He could tell which parts were fictional, but I need to explain the sources better. He recognized that the family and specific events were invented, although he also said they were “probably representative.” This made me realize that I need to be more careful about how I present historical information. I want to use fiction to make the story more engaging, but I also want players to understand what is based on historical context and what I created for the game.
• He noticed that his choices affected the ending. He chose to bring the water home and focus on the work of collecting and carrying it. He understood that these decisions changed the final exhibition label. This was encouraging because I wanted the choices to have a meaningful effect rather than feel like they were only there to move the story forward.
• His response made me think more about perspective-taking. He understood why the household needed the water, but he also felt that the boat crew was responsible for spilling its own water. I do not think choosing one option over the other necessarily means someone has more or less empathy. However, I realized that my current story may not give players enough information to understand why the other side might make a different choice.
• He wanted a stronger personal connection to the story. He suggested adding a journal or personal account before the final exhibition label. I thought this was an interesting idea because it could give players more time to think about what happened before deciding how to present the story to other people.

Figure 2: The playtester was deciding how to move the story forward.

Changes I want to make

Based on this playtest, there are a few things I want to try in the next version.

1. Make both sides of the water decision more understandable. I want to add a little more detail about why the boat crew needs the water while keeping the aunt’s needs clear as well. I do not want to make one choice obviously better than the other. Instead, I want players to have to think about the situation before deciding.
2. Try adding a personal note before the final label. Since my classmate suggested a journal or personal account, I want to test whether a short note could help players connect the events to the exhibition. If I include one, I will clearly identify it as fictional so that it does not get confused with a real historical source.
3. Be clearer about what is historical and what is invented. The historical context supports the idea of collecting and storing water, but it does not establish this particular family or conflict. I want to make this distinction clearer without interrupting the story too much.
4. Ask players to explain the other perspective. In the next playtest, I want to ask, “Why might someone reasonably choose the other water option?” I think this will help me understand whether players can see the reasoning behind a choice they did not make, rather than simply telling me which option they prefer.

Figure 3: The playtester was reading the consequence cards.

Reflection

This first playtest helped me see that making choices have consequences is not the same as helping players understand different perspectives. My classmate understood that his decisions changed the final label, but I am still unsure whether the story gave him enough information to consider the other side.

I also learned that I need to think more carefully about how I use fiction when introducing the history of my hometown. I want players to feel connected to the story, but I do not want them to leave with the impression that an invented event actually happened.

Since I only tested with one person, I cannot conclude that the game improves historical understanding or empathy yet. For now, I see this as a useful starting point. My next step is to revise the story and test whether adding more context and a personal reflection helps players think more deeply about the choices they make.

Figure 4: The playtester was laughing as he read the story cards.

Figure 5: The first paper prototype with separated cards for the story, choices, and consequences.