Storytelling and Digital Creation

Grace Brindle
Mon, 11 Jan 2021 16:59:05 +0000
Week 1: Intro, Digital Humanities, Makers

“The advent of Digital Humanities implies a reinterpretation of the humanities as a generative enterprise: one in which students and faculty alike are making things as they study and perform research, generating not just texts (in the form of analysis, commentary, narration, critique) but also images, interactions, cross-media corpora, software, and platforms.”
Burdick et al. “One: From Humanities to Digital Humanities,” in Digital_Humanities (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012), 10.

When I was in first grade, I told my class that I wanted to be a video game designer when I grew up. As someone who loved reading and writing, it was easy for me to fall in love with video games as a story-telling device. It felt like a tech upgrade for the book, one where I could visualize the components of the narrative. Most importantly, it allowed me to use my creativity to make something and see my creation come to life.

This interest in using digital tools to visualize and create texts has stayed with me as I’ve ‘grown up’ and has driven my passion for the digital humanities. The “reinterpretation of the humanities as generative enterprise” reconciles my love for history with my desire to create. I have found the most joy in designing and executing projects; I love using my imagination and historical knowledge to make something that other people can enjoy. As a project-oriented discipline, the digital humanities seemed like the ideal space for me.

Beyond suiting my own personal preferences, I believe DH’s emphasis on “making” is more accessible and allows humanists to venture outside the confines of academia. One of my frustrations with the traditional humanities is how insular it can be, as journal subscriptions can be expensive and academic texts use complex jargon. By designing digital projects, digital humanists are able to reach a broader audience and communicate in a way that everyone can understand.

This term, I look forward to exploring new software that will allow me to better craft stories and continue to make things. With this in mind, I am particularly excited to learn more about virtual reality and simulation.