C ya laterrrr

C-ya-laterrrr is an autobiographical hypertext fiction written by Dan Hett about losing his brother in the Manchester Arena bombing. It won the New Media Writing Prize in 2020.

C ya laterrrr
AuthorDan Hett
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenresHypertext fiction, Electronic literature, Interactive fiction
Publication date
2017
Media typeWeb, Twine
Award2020 New Media Writing Prize

Plot and structure

C-ya-laterrrr is a text-only game or hypertext fiction written in Twine (software). The story is written in the second person, following the convention of interactive fiction. The beginning positions you as a parent in a quiet house after the kids are asleep, and asks whether you want to scroll on your phone - there has been some event - or go to sleep:

Your eyes are starting to get tired, which you take as a signal to put the thing down and get some sleep. You're thinking about it, when you notice a sudden flurry of activity on social media about something going on in the city. A bang, an accident maybe. No details, no actual news, just busybodies speculating. Every time. It was like this during the riots a few years ago, you remember arguing a lot with people about it.

— Dan Hett, "C-ya-laterrrr", First page

The next lines provide links leading to two choices: "Scroll through some of the posts" or "It's not important. Get some sleep."

The branching structure where the reader is constantly forced to make choices is particularly poignant because we know that these were real choices that the author had to make. As readers we are able to explore all options, but we are always aware that in real life there is no chance to go back and try a different option. Hett has emphasised the importance of these constant choices in interviews, saying that C-ya-laterrrr is "as much about what I didn't do as what I did do."[1]

Reception

A lengthy review in The Guardian wrote that C-ya-laterrrr's "intimacy comes from its interactivity"[2] Another reviewer described the work as deeply emotional, writing that it was "hard and sober and it captured the very strange lucidity that comes with waking grief".[3]

The work won the New Media Writing Prize in 2020[4] and was part of the "Digital Storytelling" exhibition at the British Library in 2023.[5][6] Hett has written two other works about his grief at the loss of his brother, including The Loss Levels.

Hett's work allowed readers to empathise with his experience and the resulting exposure lead to apologies from some of the reporters that approached him so soon after the tragedy.[7]

References
  1. Batchelor, James (2018-09-04). "The video game creator turning his grief into art". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  2. MacDonald, Keza (2018-04-26). "Games console: Dan Hett, the indie game designer pouring his grief into interactive art". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  3. "Home". The White Pube. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  4. "Interview with Main Prize winner Dan Hett". New Media Writing Prize. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  5. "New Interactive Exhibition Showcases How Technology Is Transforming Storytelling". www.finebooksmagazine.com. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  6. Nielsen, Holly (2023-06-16). "Check this out: the British Library gets into gaming". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  7. Pidd, Helen; editor, Helen Pidd North of England (2022-05-21). "Martyn Hett: Victim's family recall Manchester Arena attack 5 years on". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-09-25. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  8. "c ya laterrrr by danhett". itch.io. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
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