All of IFTF’s programs and activities, now and in the future, aim to adhere to the mission outlined here.
This page also lists, for the sake of clarity, areas of interest to the IF community that IFTF does not intend to focus its attention or resources on.
The Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation (IFTF) helps ensure the ongoing maintenance, improvement, and preservation of the tools and services crucial to the creation and distribution of interactive fiction, as well as the development of new projects to foster the continued growth of this art form.
Interactive fiction was one of the first genres to emerge in computer gaming. It remains a driving force and a leading edge for the broad, ever-developing spectrum of digital games. Today, interactive fiction presents a medium uniquely suited to experimenters and artists. IF can be written without a budget, without a publisher, without a team of artists or programmers. Since the 1990s it has been supported entirely by hobbyists, open-source projects, and informal associations of enthusiasts.
It is the purpose of IFTF to offer organized support to these many passion-driven projects, helping to ensure the survival and growth of interactive fiction while maintaining the unique advantages of this medium.
IFTF manages a fund for the purpose of maintaining and improving IF infrastructure projects. This fund accepts grants and donations of all sizes from the public.
IFTF applies its fund to projects important to the ongoing creation, study, and preservation of interactive fiction. Recipients of funding, and the amounts and schedule of these awards, shall be decided by IFTF on an ongoing basis. Whenever appropriate, IFTF shall seek comment from the IF community regarding potential funding recipients.
IFTF can offer legal protection, long-term stability, and ongoing stewardship to projects important to the IF community and its infrastructure.
Varying on a case-by-case basis, IFTF’s services to projects that choose to engage in this partnership may include:
IFTF will not directly support or fund the creation of new works of interactive fiction. Instead, it focuses on offering legal and financial stability to the technological infrastructure that IF creators depend upon.
IFTF does not seek to replace or supplant other fundraising, crowdfunding, and organizational efforts in the IF community. It intends to co-exist with IF projects’ Kickstarter campaigns, for example, as well as individual creators’ Patreon accounts.