Fantasy IDEs: Explorations in the IDE

Abstract

This thesis introduces "Fantasy IDEs," a new paradigm for integrated development environments (IDEs) that reimagines coding as a performative, gestural practice. While existing approaches to making programming more accessible focus on simplification or visual abstraction, this work transforms the IDE itself into a medium for creative expression. Through experimental interfaces that integrate conversational AI, real-time visual feedback, and audience engagement, I demonstrate how development environments can transcend their utilitarian origins to become dynamic spaces for artistic exploration. I do this by addressing the mismatch between artistic values and ubiquitous software engineering tools and the technical barriers that prevent creative practitioners from focusing on expression, while focusing on the need for immediate feedback in creative processes. Through live performance contexts and audience interaction, the Fantasy IDEs demonstrate how programming environments can become more wild, unpredictable, and creative while maintaining expressive power. This research contributes to the future of creative coding environments by showing how the interface itself can become a performative instrument, ultimately inspiring a more playful and accessible relationship with computation.