I decided to take another crack at using Copilot for Twine. For whatever reason, this time it worked very well! The script was written in Harlowe syntax (great for beginner’s like me) rather than SugarCube which I could not get to work.
Copilot chat (unedited) Warning: It’s a bit of a long read.
You said:
Let’s create a short twine game. What kind of basic information literacy skill would work for Twine?
Copilot said:
Copilot
Great idea! Twine works really well for interactive storytelling and branching scenarios, so the best information literacy skills to teach are those that involve decision-making and critical thinking. Here are a few that fit perfectly:
✅ Skills That Work Well in Twine
Evaluating Sources
Players choose between different sources (e.g., a blog, a peer-reviewed article, a government site) to complete a research task.
Each choice leads to consequences—good or bad—based on credibility.
Keyword Searching
Players experiment with different keywords or Boolean operators to find relevant information.
Branches show how search results change with different strategies.
Recognizing Bias
Players read snippets of text and decide if the source is biased or objective.
Wrong choices could lead to misleading information in the game narrative.
Citation Basics
Players collect information and then choose how to cite it correctly.
Incorrect citations could lead to penalties or funny consequences in the story.
Distinguishing Scholarly vs. Popular Sources
Players pick sources for a research paper and learn the impact of choosing the wrong type.
Would you like me to:
Draft a simple Twine script for one of these skills (with passages and choices)?
Create a branching map to visualize the game structure?
Or combine multiple skills into one short game?
Which skill feels most useful for your audience?
You said:
Draft a simple twine script for distinguishing scholarly vs. popular sources.
Copilot said:
Copilot
Here’s a basic Twine script for a short game teaching how to distinguish scholarly vs. popular sources. I’ll use Twine’s Harlowe syntax (most common for beginners):
Title: The Research Quest: Scholarly or Popular?
:: Start
You need sources for your research paper on climate change. You open your browser and find three options:
[[A blog post by a travel influencer|Blog]]
[[An article in Nature Climate Change|Scholarly]]
[[A news piece from a major newspaper|News]]
:: Blog
The blog post is colourful and personal, but it lacks citations and is written by someone without scientific credentials.
Is this scholarly or popular?
[[Scholarly|WrongBlog]]
[[Popular|CorrectBlog]]
:: WrongBlog
Oops! This is not scholarly. Blogs are usually personal and lack peer review.
[[Try again|Start]]
:: CorrectBlog
Correct! Blogs are considered popular sources.
[[Next|NextStep]]
:: Scholarly
The article is published in a peer-reviewed journal, includes citations, and is written by experts.
Is this scholarly or popular?
[[Scholarly|CorrectScholarly]]
[[Popular|WrongScholarly]]
:: CorrectScholarly
Great job! Scholarly sources are peer-reviewed and written by experts.
[[Next|NextStep]]
:: WrongScholarly
Not quite. This is definitely scholarly.
[[Try again|Start]]
:: News
The news piece is timely and written for a general audience. It summarizes research but does not include detailed methodology.
Is this scholarly or popular?
[[Scholarly|WrongNews]]
[[Popular|CorrectNews]]
:: CorrectNews
Right! News articles are popular sources.
[[Next|NextStep]]
:: WrongNews
Incorrect. News articles are not scholarly.
[[Try again|Start]]
:: NextStep
You’ve learned the basics! Scholarly sources = peer-reviewed, detailed, expert-written. Popular sources = general audience, no peer review.
[[Play again|Start]]
✅ This script:
Introduces three common source types.
Uses branching choices for immediate feedback.
Reinforces the concept with short explanations.
Would you like me to:
Expand this into a full game with more examples (magazine, Wikipedia, trade publication)?
Add a scoring system so players track correct answers?
Or make it visually engaging with CSS styling and images?
You said:
how do i put this script into Twine?
Copilot said:
Copilot
Here’s how you can put that script into Twine:
Step 1: Install or Open Twine
Go to https://twinery.org.
Click Use it online or download the desktop app.
Step 2: Create a New Story
Click + Story.
Give it a title (e.g., Scholarly vs. Popular).
Choose a story format: Harlowe (default) works fine for this script.
Step 3: Add Passages
Twine uses passages for each section of text.
Copy the script I gave you and paste each section into its own passage:
Click + Passage and name it exactly as in the script (e.g., Start, Blog, Scholarly, etc.).
Paste the text for that passage.
Step 4: Link Passages
Twine automatically creates links when you use [[Link Text|Passage Name]].
After pasting the script, you’ll see arrows connecting passages in the map view.
Step 5: Test Your Game
Click Play (bottom-right) to preview.
Check that all links work and passages display correctly.
Optional Enhancements
Add CSS styling: Click Story → Edit Story Stylesheet.
Add images or colours for visual appeal.
Add variables for scoring (e.g., set $score to 0).
Do you want me to: ✅ Give you a ready-to-paste Twine file (.html) with this script?
✅ Or expand the script with scoring and more examples before you import it?
**end chat**
Results and Reflection
When I asked which skills would work best in an interactive format, the suggestions were pretty generic: evaluating sources, keyword searching, recognizing bias, citation basics, and distinguishing scholarly vs. popular sources. For the sake of time, I decided to try one of them: scholarly vs. popular sources.
Copilot drafted a simple Twine script that introduces three common source types (a blog, a scholarly article, and a news piece) and uses branching choices to give immediate feedback. I then asked for step-by-step instructions to correctly use the script in the Twine interface, and it worked perfectly. The guidance was clear and easy to follow.
Granted, the game is pretty basic and could use some finessing, but for a newbie like me, I’m pretty chuffed! It reinforces concepts through interactive decision-making and feels very doable for someone just starting out.
What I loved:
Practicality: The script was ready to paste into Twine with minimal effort.
Pedagogical value: It teaches through choices and feedback.
Flexibility: There are options to expand the game with scoring, more examples, or visual enhancements.
Next steps: I want to add more examples and a scoring system to make the game more challenging and fun!