By Simone Sessolo, University of Michigan

As I was experiencing Jillian Hovatter’s analysis of A Duck Has an Adventure, I found myself compelled to go back to the game, and follow along in the game what Hovatter was so acutely describing. Hovatter talks of agency, so I let go of mine and I considered Hovatter’s text as a map that led me through the game: Quantum Leap! Star Wars! Hemingway! Reading her analysis made me feel like I was on a treasure hunt for clues I had never considered. And yet, there was something missing in my quest for adventure: what exactly was I looking for? What was the treasure I was willingly letting Hovatter leading me to? Perhaps… in the end… I was interested in the identity of that duck! A duck has an adventure! Well who is that duck?! In the game, we only see silhouettes. Hovatter offers a clue, when she introduces the cat reflecting on agency. But, are we sure that’s the duck? Cats are famously unreliable. Of course, I have no answer. But, I join Hovatter’s efforts, and I add some clues to such a quest. In responding to
Hovatter’s work, I wanted to create something multimodal that maintained the game’s path-like progression. Using a Prezi seemed like an easy and appropriate medium that allowed the viewer to move along the narrative, similar to what happens in the game. Then, I wanted to preserve the sense of adventure and discovery, so I chose a template that resembled a map, alluding again to the implications of the game. Finally, since my response is facetiously questioning the duck’s identity, I populated that Prezi map with images of “famous ducks” that I downloaded following a Google image search for “famous ducks.” Perhaps this other map, that serves as a humorous response to Hovatter’s analysis, can complement her wonderful efforts.