Text Adventure Game through Bloodchild

After first reading Octavia Butler's "Bloodchild," my immediate conclusion was that the egg-implanting Tlic were evil and monstrous, and the Terran, who seemed to be human-like, were helpless and should be pitied. After our discussion in class about this short story, I realized that the relationship between the Tlic and the Terran is much more symbiotic than it is parasitic (after all, the Terran were referred to as "hosts"). It's obvious that the Tlic need the Terran to host their young, since without them, they would be unable to reproduce. But the dependence on the Tlic by the Terran is not as clear. If the Terran had simply refused to host the Tlic eggs, it would not be possible for them to survive alone on the Preserve. They needed the Tlic for protection and for survival.

This picture shows how I designed a text adventure game allowing a person to take on the role of either a Terran or a Tlic. They live in the Preserve and must make decisions about how to survive and coexist with the other species. As a Terran, you learn that you cannot simply run away from the Tlic, as you depend on them to care for you. However, allowing the Tlic to use your children as hosts also does not turn out perfectly.

Through making this text adventure game of "Bloodchild," I wanted to explore the complications involved with these two very different species trying to coexist. In the game, there is no right way to win. Even if as a Terran you manage to survive in the Preserve, you have survived at a cost.