Queerness in the Ability to Choose

This presentation delves into examples of LGBTQ+ authors and characters within the choose your own adventure genre. With a primary focus on Anna Anthropy’s story game “queers in love at the end of the world” and Carmen Maria Machado’s memoir In The Dream House, instances of queerness found within the choose your own adventure genre are analyzed. Anthropy’s story game depicts two women with ten seconds to live until the world ends. The story game itself only exists for ten total seconds before players are given the chance to restart and try again. Machado’s memoir retells her experience in an abusive relationship with a woman, but told through various story tropes and genres. The chapter “The Dream House as Choose Your Own Adventure” depicts a day in the life of Machado and her abusive girlfriend. Anthropy’s identity as a transgender woman and lesbian, as well as Machado’s bisexual identity, are taken into consideration. How might these women have felt trapped within their lives, and wished they had the opportunity to try again? As this genre is typically reserved for children’s books and video games, any occurrences outside of the norm are studied with the driving question: why are LGBTQ+ people so drawn to the choose your own adventure format?