According to the great repository of all (mostly correct) knowledge: Wikipedia,
Interactive Fiction started with a game called "Adventure" (abbreviated to "advent" due to filename limitations) circa 1975.
The much-knowing Wikipedia describes IF as "a type of adventure game with text-based input and output." Further explaining that, "The term is sometimes used to encompass the entirety of the medium, but is also sometimes used to distinguish games produced by the interactive fiction community from those created by games companies. It can also be used to distinguish the more modern style of such works, focusing on narrative and not necessarily falling into the adventure game genre at all, from the more traditional focus on puzzles."
So, from that, I'd have to conclude that IF is probably most accurately a sub-genre of the adventure game genre, much as sci-fi is a sub-genre of fiction. So I guess I'd have to consider calling it IF to be a more
specific label, much like I call most of what I read "sci-fi" rather than just "fiction." But we're
really pickin' nits now.
