Модуль 5. Inanimate Alice

1. Таблица

Episodes	What can we see?	What can we hear?	What shall we do?
Siberia	An apartment, an animated picture of the inside of a car, pictures of Siberian towns; white text on a black background	Dark creepy music	The reader should follow the white arrows on the screen and collect a matryoshka. This episode is partly interactive
Argument	White text on a black background; a picture of a dimly lit room, a red silhouette of a man holding a gun	The same dark music, a male voice speaking Russian, a car honking	The reader should follow the white arrows on the screen and collect a matryoshka. This episode is partly interactive.
Matryoshka	A dimly lit room, a device with a screen and buttons on the bottom, a mini-game with a boy on a skateboard; white text	The same dark creepy music, a more fast-paced electronic music of the mini-game	The reader should follow the white arrows on the screen and play a mini-game to collect a matryoshka. This episode is interactive.
Quiet	White text on a black background; a black and white picture of a character named Brad, a transition from a black screen to a white one	Silence for the most part of the episode, a sudden scream	The reader should follow the white arrows on the screen and collect a matryoshka. This episode is partly interactive.
That top	An apartment, a room with children’s toys and clothes laying on the floor; white text on a black background	The same dark creepy music	The reader should follow the white arrows on the screen and collect a matryoshka. This episode is partly interactive.

2. Эссе 

Inanimate Alice. Episode 3. "Russia"

I have read through the third episode of the digital novel Inanimate Alice titled "Russia" and now I am going to tell you about my impressions.

While following the story I had to read the text that appeared on the screen, press the arrows to continue the story and play some mini-games.

What I enjoyed about this experience is the feeling that I got while reading this digital novel. The atmosphere of the story was quite creepy and unsettling and the music really helped achieve that. Another thing that I liked about Inanimate Alice is that once the text appeared on the screen you could spend as much time as you need reading it and that was helpful for better understanding of the story. 

But during the episode in each scene you had to play a little mini-game to collect a matryoshka which are needed to finish the episode. And in some scenes it was difficult to see the dolls or even if I could see them there just wasn't enough time to click on them before they disappeared. I often had to try multiple times to successfully finish the mini-game.

For me the best thing about the story was the music. It was the most memorable thing about the episode and it suited it very well. 

So, in conclusion, my tip for readers for their first digital story reading experience is to wear headphones so you could get into the atmosphere of the digital novel.