Gamer Girl

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<<audio "bg" play loop>><<audio "red" play loop mute>><<audio "green" play loop mute>><<audio "blue" play loop mute>><<audio "orange" play loop mute>><<audio "yellow" play loop mute>>It's a warm and muggy day at the tail end of August, and you are walking to your first class on your first day of sophomore year. The morning wet clings to your clothes and makes the world feel like one big mouth. [[>>->Opening3]]

Your roommate walks alongside you. He's headed to a Digital History lecture, while you're going to your Algorithms and Data Structures class. [[>>|Opening4]]

<<audio "blue" unmute>>@@.blue;"Hello,"@@ someone says, tapping you lightly on the shoulder to catch your attention. [["Hi."->Blue2]] [[(Pretend you didn't notice.)->BlueIgnored]]

@@.blue;"Um, I couldn't help but notice..."@@ He points to your bookbag, which you have decorated with various pins. @@.blue;"I like your pins, they're really cute."@@ [["Oh, thank you!"->Blue3]] [["Yeah."->Blue4]]

@@.blue;"Ah,"@@ he breathes, grimacing. @@.blue;"Um, hello?"@@ [["Hi."->Blue2]] [[(Continue ignoring him.)->BlueIgnored2]]

He smiles shyly. @@.blue;"I also really like that show. Is this your favorite character?"@@ [[(Nod.)->Blue5]] [["No."->Blue6]]

His mouth contorts into a twitchy smile. @@.blue;"I also really like that show. Is this your favorite character?"@@ [[(Nod.)->Blue5]] [["No."->Blue6]]

The boy mutters something under his breath and slinks to the back of the crowd. [[>>->BlueToYellow]]

@@.blue;"I think they're pretty cool, too,"@@ he says. @@.blue;"My name is [REDACTED], by the way."@@ [[(Give him your name.)->Blue7]] [["Okay."->Blue8]]

@@.blue;"Then why do you have so many pins of them?"@@ he laughs. @@.blue;"My name is [REDACTED], by the way."@@ [[(Give him your name.)->Blue7]] [["Okay."->Blue8]]

@@.blue;"It's nice to meet you,"@@ he says. @@.blue;"Actually, do you have a Dissonance account? We could message each other outside of class if you want."@@ [[(Give him your Dissonance ID.)->Blue9]] [["No, I don't have one."->Blue10]]

His expression trembles. @@.blue;"I think we could be good friends," he says after an awkward pause. "Would you like to sit together in class?"@@ [["Sure."->BlueAgree]] [["I'm sitting with someone else."->BlueEvade]] [["No, thank you."->BlueReject]]

@@.blue;"Great, I sent you a friend request,"@@ he says. His face is beaming with satisfaction. Before you can respond, he moves to the other side of the hallway to talk with some other students who just arrived. [[>>->BlueToYellow]]

@@.blue;"You should get one, it's really convenient,"@@ he says before moving across the hall to talk to some more students who just arrived. [[>>->BlueToYellow]]

His face smoothes out into something more natural. @@.blue;"Okay,"@@ he says, before moving to the other side of the hall to talk with some other students who have just arrived. [[>>->BlueToYellow]]

@@.blue;"Oh."@@ His smile falls completely this time, replaced with an emotion you can't quite place. @@.blue;"Maybe next time, then."@@ He slinks back into the crowd of idling students. [[>>->BlueToYellow]]

@@.blue;"Oh."@@ His smile wanes completely this time, replaced with an emotion you can't quite place. He slinks back into the crowd of idling students. [[>>->BlueToYellow]]

<<audio "blue" mute>><<audio "yellow" unmute>>You return your attention to your phone and manage to confirm that this is, in fact, your class room. You open up your calendar to investigate the location of where you need to go for your next class. @@.yellow;"What's your name?"@@ you hear from a disembodied voice. [[(Look up.)->Yellow1]] [[(Keep looking down at your phone.)->YellowIgnore]]

You make eye contact with a large, burly guy. He's standing closer to you than you previously noticed. @@.yellow;"I'm [REDACTED], what's your name?"@@ [[(Tell him your name.)->Yellow2]] [[(Look down at your phone)->Yellow6]]

Someone moves closer to you. Suddenly, they are standing only about a foot away. Instinctively, you look up. @@.yellow;"What's your name?"@@ [[(Tell him your name.)->Yellow2]] [[(Take a step back.)->Yellow3]]

@@.yellow;"Wow, that is a very beautiful name."@@ [[(Don't say anything and leave.)->Yellow5]] [["Thank you."->Yellow6]]

He follows you and takes a half-step forward. @@.yellow;"My name is [REDACTED]. What's your name?"@@ [[(Take another step backwards.)->Yellow7]] [[(Tell him your name.)->Yellow2]]

@@.yellow;"Where you going? I thought girls liked to be complemented! Wait! Please..."@@ You stop. "I heard we have a partner project in this class. Want to be my partner?" [["Sure."->YellowAgree]] [["No."->YellowReject]] [["I don't know, maybe"->YellowEvade]]

@@.yellow;"You're in this class right?"@@ He points torwards the room where your class is. @@.yellow;"I heard that there's a partner project that we have to work on for the year. Want to be my partner?"@@ [["Sure."->YellowAgree]] [["No."->YellowReject]] [["I don't know, maybe"->YellowEvade]]

He again takes another step torwards you. @@.yellow;"Well, whatever you name is, you look very beautiful today."@@ You shoot him a quick glance. You see him standing there: Shoulders up, head held high. [["Thank you."->Yellow6]] [[(Say nothing.)->Yellow8]]

A smirk comes across his face. @@.yellow;"Nice."@@ [[>>->YellowToOrange]]

A look of confusion strikes his face. @@.yellow;"What do you mean no?"@@ [[>>->YellowToOrange]]

@@.yellow;[REDACTED]'s@@ face turns to an expression that you have never seen before. He looks slightly angry, but also confused. @@.yellow;"Okay, well let me know if you make up your mind. You won't regret being my partner."@@ [[>>->YellowToOrange]]

@@.yellow;"You're quiet aren't you? Regardless, I heard that we have a partner project in this class. Want to be my partner?"@@ [["Sure."->YellowAgree]] [["No."->YellowReject]] [["I don't know, maybe"->YellowEvade]] [["Listen dude, I really don't feel like talking to you right now. Go away or I am going to report you to someone"->YellowProvoke]]

A look of anger flashes onto his face. @@.yellow;(text-colour:yellow)[REDACTED]@@ steps forward. [[>>->YellowToOrange]]

<<audio "yellow" mute>><<audio "orange" unmute>>@@.yellow;[REDACTED]@@ keeps looking at you in awkward silence as though he hadn't planned for the conversation to go this way. You scan the hallway for anyone you might know. @@.orange;[REDACTED]@@ notices you looking in his direction. He hastily snaps shut his laptop that he's been awkwardly balancing on his knee and moves to lean on the wall across from you. This takes all the wind out of @@.yellow;[REDACTED]'s@@ sails and he lumbers off down the hall. @@.orange;"Hey! Long time no see! How did summer treat ya?"@@ [["It was alright."->Orange1]] [["It was awesome!"->Orange2]] [["I just worked all summer."->Orange3]]

@@.orange;"Mine was wild. I started making this game engine from scratch because⁠— well, you know how much Unity sucks⁠— and I got multi-threading working. Did you make anything over the break?"@@ [["I made a twine game."->Orange4]] [["No, I was too busy."->Orange5]]

He raises his head as if to yell at the sky. @@.orange;"GOD I'm jealous."@@ He lowers his gaze to stare you directly in the eyes. @@.orange;"I worked at this dumb military contractor for ten weeks, and I swear nobody there knew what they were doing."@@ [["Oh."->Orange6]] [["That sucks."->Orange7]] [["You got a coding job, that's cool."->Orange8]]

He cuts you off before you can elaborate. @@.orange;"SAME! It was at this dumb company that didn't even know the difference between C and C++."@@ [["Oh."->Orange6]] [["That sucks."->Orange7]] [["You got a coding job, that's cool."->Orange8]]

@@.orange;"No I mean like a real game."@@ [["Um..."->Orange6]] [["I guess not then."->Orange11]] [["What makes something a real game?"->Orange10]]

@@.orange;"I mean I was busy too, technically. I would get my work done at the office so fast that I just spent most of my time there picking at my engine."@@ [["Oh gotcha."|Orange7]]

Just then, the professor arrives, and the students in the hall start filing into the room slowly. @@.orange;"I'm so excited to have another class with Professor@@ @@.purple;[REDACTED]@@@@.orange;."@@ [[>>->OrangeToGreen]]

@@.orange;"Yeah, it was the worst. An art major could have done the work they assigned me."@@ [["Oh."->Orange6]] [["Y'know if it weren't for art majors, all our games would look like trash."->Orange9]]

He lets out an exaggerated chuckle that continues into his speech. @@.orange;"No no no. Video games are cool. Dragons are cool. Being the only computer-literate intern at a tech company is not cool."@@ [["Oh."->Orange6]]

@@.orange;"Well, let me know how much money that makes them."@@ You notice people starting to move. [[(See what it's about.)->Orange6]]

@@.orange;"Well it needs to be fun, first of all."@@ [["And second of all?"->Orange12]] [["Have you ever made anything fun?"->Orange13]]

@@.orange;"Well it's no problem. I could probably show you how to make a game in my engine if you like. It's super easy, as long as you're good with C."@@ [["Um..."->Orange6]]

@@.orange;"Let me think on that."@@ You notice people starting to move. [[(See what it's about.)->Orange6]]

@@.orange;"Oof, low blow! Come back to me with one fun twine game though, and I'll reconsider."@@ You notice people starting to move. [[(See what it's about.)->Orange6]]

<<audio "orange" mute>><<audio "green" unmute>>You watch @@.orange;[REDACTED]@@ push and shove his way past the other students and towards the professor. @@.orange;[REDACTED]@@ spends the few minutes before class starts by loudly repeating what he told you in the hall to him. You start to return your attention to your phone. @@.green;"Hey, how's it going?"@@ asks a voice from behind. You turn around to see a student standing there expectantly. You don't know who he is, but he seems familiar. Have you seen him somewhere before? [["Hey... you."|Green2]] [["Sorry, what's your name again?"|Green1]]

@@.green;"Hah, I guess the summer must have wiped your mind."@@ He laughs, @@.green;"I'm [REDACTED]. We were in the same Artificial Intelligence class last semester, remember?"@@ [["That's right!"|Green3]] [["Ah yes, I remember your memes in the class discussion thread."|Green4]] [["Oh yeah! Your final project was awesome."|Green5]]

<<audio "green" mute>><<audio "red" unmute>>You wait for the rest of the students to make their way inside. Class doesn't start for another couple of minutes, and you don't want to have to push and shove your way through the door. Your nose picks up the wave of BO before @@.red;[REDACTED]@@ even turns the corner. He makes a beeline towards your location, then stands there waiting for you to say 'hello'. [["Hi"->Red1]] [[(Say Nothing.)->Red2]]

@@.red;"Oh hi!"@@ He replies, @@.red;"Didn't see you there."@@ [["Then why were you hovering?"|Red1.5]] [["How was your summer?"->Red3]] [["Ready for classes to start?"->Red4]]

You say nothing. He idles right next to you. [["Hi REDACTED"->Red1]] [[Say Nothing->Red5]]

@@.red;"Summer was awesome! I got to work at my arcade back home and made tons of money. Everybody knew me as the guy who could fix the machines and I have the high score on every game except *Ms Pacman* which is a bullshit game anywyay."@@ [["Neat."->Red7]] [["Why is *Ms Pacman* bs?"->Red8]]

@@.red;"Most of my classes are stupid art and gen ed crap, but this one looks awesome."@@ He replies, @@.red;"The professor is an industry vet who's also super nice. I'm sure he'll like me."@@ [["Why are you so sure he'll like you?"->Red12]] [["That's awesome."->Red12]]

@@.red;"Yeah, my boss said that I could come back at any time. I'm sure he wants to have me, but this summer I'm going to get a job making games instead of playing them."@@ [["That's cool."->Red12]] [["How can you be so sure?"->Red12]]

@@.red;"Well it's *obviously* just a rip off of Pacman made to make the SJWs happy. I mean come on, it's just a classic game made easier with random elements so girls don't have to learn the patterns like we did."@@ [["Ummmm... ok."->Red12]]

He's too impatient to wait any longer. @@.red;"Hey, how's it going?"@@ He asks. [["Fine thanks, and you?"->Red9]] [["I'm a bit tired"->Red10]]

Before you and @@.red;[REDACTED]@@ can keep talking, you notice that the professor is beckoning you both inside. You realize that you are the last two in the hallway. @@.red;[REDACTED]@@ turns to offer you a fistbump before heading inside. [[Fistbump him.->Red13]] [[Walk inside.->Red14]]

@@.red;"I'm sooo tired, I only got like three hours of sleep last night. But I'm super hype for this class, apparently the professor is *amazing* and a total industry vet, so he's bound to like me."@@ [["How can you be so sure?"->Red12]] [["Good for you."->Red12]]

@@.red;"Ha, being tired is nothing, I got only four hours of sleep last night!"@@ He boasts. @@.red;"Try being tired after *that!*"@@ [["O...k?"->Red12]] [["It's not a competition"->Red12]]

You hesitantly tap your fist against his. His hands are cold and sweaty at the same time. You walk into class and take one of the single seats in the back so noone can sit next to you. [[>>|Classroom1]]

You walk into class and take one of the single seats in the back so noone can sit next to you. @@.red;[REDACTED]@@ stands there with his fist out for half a second longer before dropping it. [[>>|Classroom1]]

WARNING: You are about to play a game which addresses serious topics regarding the abuses suffered by women in the games industry. Themes of sexism, violence, mental illness, and sexual assault are present throughout the different story branches. If you believe this material may cause you harm, do not continue past this message. Otherwise, proceed with caution. [[Continue|Playtest]]

<<cacheaudio "bg" "media/bgMusic.wav">><<cacheaudio "blue" "media/blueTheme.wav">><<cacheaudio "red" "media/redTheme.wav">><<cacheaudio "yellow" "media/yellowTheme.wav">><<cacheaudio "orange" "media/orangeTheme.wav">><<cacheaudio "green" "media/greenTheme.wav">><<masteraudio volume 1>>Welcome to Gamer Girl. Right now, you are you. But for the duration of this demo, you are a female game design and development student beginning her second year of college. [[Let's get started.|Opening1]]

"Remind me," He says, "who have you got for Algorithms and Data Structures?" You pull out your phone and check your schedule. [["I have Professor [REDACTED]."|Opening5]]

"Oof." [["What do you mean, 'oof'?"|Opening6]] [["Is he bad?"|Opening6]] [["Oh no."|Opening6]]

"I mean... he's not the worst, I guess." Your roommate hesitates. "He's just got some uh, //interesting// reviews." [["What do you mean by that?"|Sexist]] [["I've had tough graders before."|Grader]] [["I'm sure it'll be fine."|Dismiss]]

"Apparently he's a little //weird// around female students if you catch my drift." [["What do you mean by weird?"|Weird]] [["I'm sure that it'll be fine."|Dismiss]] [["Has nobody done anything about it?"|Investigation]]

"It's not that he's a tough grader, per say. Word on the street is that he acts a bit weird around girls." [["What do you mean by weird?"|Weird]] [["I'm sure that it'll be fine."|Dismiss]] [["Has nobody done anything about it?"|Investigation]]

"Yeah, yeah, I know you'll be fine. It's just..." [["It's just.. what?"|Offer]]

"I don't really know. Maybe it's nothing." [["Well now you've got me worried."|Offer]] [["I'm sure it's fine."|Dismiss]] [["If it was a thing, someone would have done something by now."|Investigation]]

"There was an investigation, actually. Stuff was found, but he's still here. I'm not really sure why." [["That's uh... concerning?"|Offer]] [["If he's still here then I'm sure it's fine."|Dismiss]]

"You know you can always call me if shit actually hits the fan, right?" [["I appreciate it."|Appreciation]]

"Or if he murders you, just don't come back and haunt my ass." [["I'm going to extra haunt you now."|Humor]] [["Thanks..."|Glum]] [["Hey, don't joke about this!"|Serious]]

"Hah, RIP me then." You realize that you've arrived at the Computer Science building and that this is where you and your roommate part ways. "See you at noon for lunch?" He asks. [["Sure!"|EndTutorial]]

"There's no need to be all doom and gloom about it." He says, "Maybe it'll be fine." You realize that you've arrived at the Computer Science building and that this is where you and your roommate part ways. "See you at noon for lunch?" He asks. [["Sure!"|EndTutorial]]

"You're right... it might suck a lot but I know you can power through." You realize that you've arrived at the Computer Science building and that this is where you and your roommate part ways. "See you at noon for lunch?" He asks. [["Sure!"|EndTutorial]]

"Cool. I'll message you on Dissonance before then." You make a mental note to enable your Dissonance app notifications so you can get your roommate's message. Your roommate waves goodbye and heads off towards the school of liberal arts. You enter the computer science building and make your way to the second floor. [[>>|OutsideClass]]

You arrive a few minutes early. A small group of students are idling outside the classroom, waiting for the professor to arrive. You whip out your phone to mess with your Dissonance settings. You enable the messaging app's notifications and pray that you don't get sent enough memes to make you regret that decision. You then turn to your phone's calendar to confirm that you're in the right place. [[>>|Blue1]]

<<audio "red" mute>>Everyone takes their seats. The professor was late, so he wastes no time setting up for class. However, the chattering of the students lingers until he begins to speak. [[>>|Classroom2]]

@@.purple;“Hello, gentlemen... and lady,”@@ He grins. There's a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. You look around and confirm that you're the only woman in the room. @@.purple;“I’m Professor REDACTED. I recognize most of you, but there’s some new faces in here…”@@ [[>>|Classroom3]]

He opens a slideshow on the projector and begins explaining the syllabus. It’s a programming course relatively similar to one you had taken last semester, so it doesn’t catch your attention until near the end. [[>>|Classroom4]]

@@.purple;“The partner project will be worth 25% of your final grade. If you have someone in mind, email me your partner’s name. Otherwise, I’ll assign you one.”@@ [[>>|PartnerSelection]]

<<audio "red" mute>><<audio "green" mute>><<audio "blue" mute>><<audio "orange" mute>><<audio "yellow" mute>>There are five pairs of eyes on you, waiting expectantly. You know that whoever you make eye contact with will assume that you're now partners. Why don't you consider your options? <a id="redChoice" data-passage="ConsiderRed">[REDACTED]</a> <a id="orangeChoice" data-passage="ConsiderOrange">[REDACTED]</a> <a id="yellowChoice" data-passage="ConsiderYellow">[REDACTED]</a> <a id="greenChoice" data-passage="ConsiderGreen">[REDACTED]</a> <a id="blueChoice" data-passage="ConsiderBlue">[REDACTED]</a>

<<audio "red" unmute>>@@.red;[REDACTED]@@ ... He's argumentative and stubborn, but that means that he'll have a strong opinion about what to do for this project. If you don't mind letting him lead, you might be pretty successful. Do you turn to look at him? [[Yes.|ChooseRed]] [[Uh, maybe not.|PartnerSelection]]

<<audio "orange" unmute>>@@.orange;[REDACTED]@@ ... He's pretty loud, but he seems to code a lot. Sure, he has no filter, but maybe you could put up with that if it meant having his programming skills on your team. Do you turn to look at him? [[Yes.|ChooseOrange]] [[Uh, maybe not.|PartnerSelection]]

<<audio "yellow" unmute>>@@.yellow;[REDACTED]@@ ... Doesn't quite understand physical boundaries. His over the top compliments are also quite a lot to handle. But his openess means that he'd probably be available to work on this just about whenever you asked him. Do you turn to look at him? [[Yes.|ChooseYellow]] [[Uh, maybe not.|PartnerSelection]]

<<audio "green" unmute>>@@.green;[REDACTED]@@ ... Seems to be a nice guy. You know from prior experience that he's a very good programmer. The only thing that bothers you is how much he knows about your schedule, but surely that's got something to do with the school's enrollment system. Do you turn to look at him? [[Yes.|ChooseGreen]] [[Uh, maybe not.|PartnerSelection]]

<<audio "blue" unmute>>@@.blue;[REDACTED]@@ ... He seems like a pretty nice dude, but you're not sure how good his programming skills are. You're not sure if you're willing to do extra work if he can't keep up. Do you turn to look at him? [[Yes.|ChooseBlue]] [[Uh, maybe not.|PartnerSelection]]

@@.red;[REDACTED] nods his head in approval. You see him pump his first under his desk. <a href="/game/red.html">>></a>

@@.orange;[REDACTED] gives you an over the top wink before returning to the game he has up on his monitor in lieu of actual notes. <a href="/game/orange.html">>></a>

@@.yellow;[REDACTED] seems surprised that you return his gaze. He smiles and cocks an eyebrow before returning his attention to the front of the room. <a href="/game/yellow.html">>></a>

@@.green;REDACTED's@@ whole face lights up when you turn to him. He quickly waves at you before returning his attention to the front of the room. <a href="/game/green.html">>></a>

@@.blue;REDACTED@@ smiles at you and nods. He then returns his attention to the front of the room. <a href="/game/blue.html">>></a>

@@.green;"I can tell you don't remember me."@@ He says, @@.green;"I'm [REDACTED]. We had the same Artificial Intelligence class last semester, remember?"@@ [["That's right!"|Green3]] [["Ah yes, I remember your memes in the class discussion thread."|Green4]] [["Oh yeah! Your final project was awesome."|Green5]]

@@.green;"But of course!"@@ He replied, @@.green;"They were some of my finer creations. I'm sure you'll see more in this class too."@@ [["Yay..."|Green3]] [["I look forward to it!"|Green3]] [["Alrighty then."|Green3]]

@@.green;"Hah, thanks. That one was worth the all nighter, but I hope I don't have to pull anything similar in this class."@@ [["I'll bet."|Green3]] [["Yeah, don't die."|Green5.5]] [["..."|Green3]]

@@.green;"Come to think of it, we've had a lot of classes together. Artificial Intelligence last semester, then Calculus and Intro to Computer Systems the semester before."@@ [["Now I feel bad for not remembering right away."|Green6]] [["And now we're in Algorithms and Data Structures together. Weird, right?"|Green7]] [["You remember that sort of thing quite well."|Green8]]

@@.green;"Nah, don't worry about it."@@ He smiles. "I enjoyed meeting you again." There's an awkward pause. @@.green;"Anyway, I'm going to go talk to the professor before class starts. See you around."@@ [["Bye!"|Green9]] [["See you later."|Green9]] [["..."|Green9]]

@@.green;"I'm sure it's some stupid thing with the enrollment system."@@ He replies, @@.green;"Or maybe it's destiny..."@@ There is an awkward pause. @@.green;"Anyway, I'm going to go talk to the professor before class starts. See you around."@@ [["Bye!"|Green9]] [["See you later."|Green9]] [["..."|Green9]]

@@.green;"What can I say? Your face sticks in my memory."@@ He shrugs. @@.green;"Anyway, I'm going to go talk to the professor before class starts. See you around."@@ [["Bye!"|Green9]] [["See you later."|Green9]] [["..."|Green9]]

@@.green;"I'm sure I'll be fine. I've done this is in plenty of other classes."@@ [["If you say so."|Green3]] [["Fair enough."|Green3]]

@@.green;[REDACTED]@@ gives you a quick wave before shouldering past the students still grouped around the door and making his way towards the professor. [[>>|GreenToRed]]

@@.red;"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just standing in the hallway for class like everyone else."@@ [["Whatever you say."|Red12]] [["Fair enough."|Red12]] [["You're lying."|Red12]]

This is a demo build and is therefore bound to be filled with bugs and errors. If you find one and don't mind letting us know about it, fill out the form below. <a href="https://forms.gle/jr98tXjW1gbJwcGH9">CLICK HERE FOR FORM</a> Note: The form will also be linked at the end of the demo. [[Let's keep going.|Warning2]]