Themes of Death Depicted in Electronic Literature

Comparing Works and Analyzing Design

Leading a reader or player, along a designed narrative is not new. Most works involving this concept give the illusion of choice an power to the reader. However what separates Everybody Dies from other works is that more freedom is given, you may drastically change the path, but never the outcome. This concept is shown in Philippa J Burne's 24 hours with someone you know. 24 hours with someone you know follows the story where searching Jess, their cousin. Instead of death being an inevitability, the reader will never find any clues to Jess's whereabouts and always leads the reader to the same conclusion.
 
These works follow similar narrative where instead of inputting a series of commands to solve puzzles, the reader follow the hyperlinks that pull the reader along a narrative to an inevitable outcome as designed by the author. Munroe uses this type of narrative, where the reader may believe they have control over the story, to show that death cannot be outright stopped and should be accepted. Both works have similar designs but use this process to demonstrate different themes. The technological aspect involved in both electronic media works allow this wide range of ideas, using the same design, occur simultaneously. In Everybody Dies, this allowed death to be depicted as Jim Munroe's pictures it.

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