Being Andrew Plotkin

About

Being Andrew Plotkin is an interactive fiction game that spoofs the structure and themes of the 1999 film Being John Malkovich. You play as the real-life developer Andrew Plotkin, who gains the ability to insert himself into other people’s stories. The game uses this premise to explore meta humor and interactive fiction tropes through a series of absurd scenarios. Text-based commands drive the narrative, which shifts between playful commentary on game design and exaggerated parodies of creative struggles. The experience is brisk but packed with jokes aimed at those familiar with IF culture. The game’s strength lies in its clever writing and tight pacing. At under an hour, it’s one of the shorter entries in the interactive fiction database but maintains a strong reputation among longtime fans. With an average score of 4.2 out of 5 on the Interactive Fiction Database, it’s often recommended as a humorous deep cut for those who enjoy self-referential storytelling. Running on PC, Mac, Linux, and web browsers makes it easy to access. The humor leans heavily on niche references but rewards familiarity with the quirks of the genre.