F.R.O.G. 13 Conference

FROG Conference

We didn’t do a great job taking pictures in Vienna, but we did get this quick snapshot of our poster hung up on display. The F.R.O.G. 13 Conference was amazing! This was our first time putting any of the game content in front of live players, and we got some really encouraging feedback on both Latrice and Leah.

Now that we’re back to work, we’ll try to make more regular updates here. At the moment, we’re plugging away on the development of the remaining three characters, and gearing up to start working on getting IndieGoGo perks ordered and delivered.

Thank you!

Hi everyone. Our crowdfunding campaign closed Wednesday, and we are pleased to report that we raised a total of $10,230! We didn’t quite make our stretch goal of $10,500, but this far exceeds our initial goal of $9,250. The amount raised more than covers our initial plans for completing and promoting the game.

We are so grateful to every single one of you who made the crowdfunding campaign a success; your support has been truly inspiring, and that goes not only for everyone that chipped in money, but to everyone that reblogged information, passed along news stories, e-mailed their friends or posted to Facebook or Twitter. Social media has been a significant factor in getting Choice: Texas off the ground.

And, now that the project is off the ground, we’re already onto our next steps. You’ve already seen some of the artwork by Grace Jennings and two of our characters; we have three more characters in the works. And, most immediately, we leave on Monday for the FROG 13 conference in Vienna, where we’ll be presenting a very early version of Choice: Texas as part of the game and poster show. This very early version of Choice: Texas includes rough drafts of Latrice’s and Leah’s stories.

If you happen to be in Vienna, come say hi. But, regardless, know that we’re hard at work on the game, and stay tuned for more news soon.

And, again, thank you so very much. When we started working on this project last winter, we had no idea how excited and supportive people would be. So, thank you. Seriously.

Less than three days to go!

If you’re just hearing about Choice: Texas for the first time, here’s a little info:

Choice: Texas is an educational interactive fiction game which will be freely available on the web. Players will explore the game through one of several characters, each of whom reflects specific socioeconomic, geographic, and demographic factors impacting abortion access in Texas. Although billed as interactive fiction, Choice: Texas is based on extensive research into healthcare access, legal restrictions, geography, and demographics, and is reflective of the real circumstances facing women in the state.

Choice: Texas is being developed by Allyson Whipple (writer, editor, and poet) and Carly Kocurek (writer and cultural historian) with the help of illustrator Grace Jennings.

We are creeping up on our deadline — just 59 hours left to raise the remaining $872 to make our stretch goal. If we raise the remaining funds, we’ll be working with an established sex educator to provide free lesson plans for high school and college teachers interested in using Choice: Texas in the classroom.

Can you help us make it by contributing or spreading the word? Just reblogging this post, posting the link to our IndieGoGo campaign on Facebook or on Twitter, or sending an e-mail about the campaign to your friends is a huge help.

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us get this far.

We’ve hit our initial funding goal!

If you’re just hearing about Choice: Texas for the first time, here’s a little info:

Choice: Texas is an educational interactive fiction game which will be freely available on the web. Players will explore the game through one of several characters, each of whom reflects specific socioeconomic, geographic, and demographic factors impacting abortion access in Texas. Although billed as interactive fiction, Choice: Texas is based on extensive research into healthcare access, legal restrictions, geography, and demographics, and is reflective of the real circumstances facing women in the state.

Choice: Texas is being developed by Allyson Whipple (writer, editor, and poet) and Carly Kocurek (writer and cultural historian) with the help of illustrator Grace Jennings.

For everyone: We’re so excited to announce that, as of last night, we have hit our initial fundraising goal of $9,250! This is going to allow us to produce a professionally designed and illustrated version of Choice: Texas free on the web, and it’s also ensured that we’re able to promote the game in person – we’re already schedule to present Choice: Texas at two conferences, and we’ll be looking into future opportunities as well.

We are also excited to announce that, with 6 days to go, we are adding a stretch goal of $10,500. If we reach this level, we’ll be working with an established sex educator to produce a collection of lesson plans for high school and college teachers interested in using Choice: Texas in the classroom. These lesson plans will be included as part of the Choice: Texas site and will be freely available for anyone who wants to use them. We have just six days to go, so please spread the word! And, as always, thank you for all the incredible support so far. Choice: Texas wouldn’t be possible without you.

We have just 6 days remaining, so please help us by reblogging and passing along word. Also, if you’ve been waiting to contribute, there’s no time line the present.

Choice: Texas logo

Choice: Texas Logo

We’re thrilled to show off two versions of the Choice: Texas logo featuring artwork by Grace Jennings. We’ve been hard at work on the game content for Leah and Latrice, and we’re looking forward to showing a rough demo of the game at the FROG 13 conference in Vienna in just a few weeks. What a whirlwind!

Choice: Texas Logo (Square)

And, in other exciting news, we’re now less than $1,000 from hitting our goal on our IndieGoGo campaign with 9 days to go. As always, thanks to everyone for your support, and please continue spreading the word about this project.

Choice: Texas Q&A on Geekquality.com

Greekquality.com Q&A

Choice: Texas – A Q&A with Carly Kocurek and Allyson Whipple | Geekquality.com

Interview with Allyson on KVUE in Austin

Great interview with Allyson on KVUE in Austin today.

Choice: Texas, a Very Serious Game

Indiegogo Logo

Choice: Texas, a Very Serious Game

We’re 80% of the way to our goal, and, after getting some questions about opening up additional high-level perks, we’ve added a $200-level perk.

We have one $500-level producer package left. There will be no other producer packages, so if you want one, get while the getting’s good.

Thanks, again, to everyone for their support! We have 15 days left on the IndieGoGo campaign, and we couldn’t have gotten this far without you.

Getting an Abortion, the Video Game

Choice: Texas in New York Magazine

Getting an Abortion, the Video Game

And, here’s Choice: Texas in New York Magazine.

We’re now at 75% of goal with 18 days to go on fundraising over at IndieGoGo. Thanks so much to everyone for your support so far.

Choice: Texas brings abortion, controversy to gaming

Choice: Texas in Polygon

Choice: Texas brings abortion, controversy to gaming

There’s a great piece about Choice: Texas in Polygon! Definitely worth reading.

And, please keep spreading the word about and contributing to our IndieGoGo Campaign — we’ve topped $5,000, but we still have a long way to go. Every Tweet, Facebook post, or reblog helps, and so does every dollar. Thanks so much to everyone who’s helped make this campaign a success so far.