"Further Explorations" Now Available!

aka the 50 Years of Text Games bonus book

I'm happy to announce that Further Explorations, the companion volume to 50 Years of Text Games, is finally available for standalone purchase in softcover, hardcover, and digital editions!

Further Explorations is a bit of a grab bag of "cool stuff that couldn't fit into the main book." Here are a few highlights.

• Coverage of fan-favorite games from both the classic and modern eras of text gaming, including Infocom's sci-fi milestone Planetfall (remember Floyd?), 90s horror masterpiece Anchorhead, and 2010s mobile gaming hit A Dark Room.

• A look at some fascinating early experiments in text games, such as the perils of adaptations (covering such diverse titles as the much-maligned 80s adaptation of Stephen King's The Mist, and the surreal dreamlike Dunsany adaptation The Ebb and Flow of the Tide where you play a character incapable of taking any actions) and the strange hybrid 1980s genre of the type-in book, which integrated a printed story with a companion game's source code.

• Special "Genre Explorations" chapters that survey genres missed out on in the main book, including the weird microgenre of "hacking simulators," and a brief history of visual novels (originally inspired by American adventure games but quickly evolving into their own unique form).

• Deep dives into obscure but fascinating text adventures like Amnesia (the famously obtuse, recently restored game by noted sci-fi author Thomas M. Disch) and The Gostak (where you must learn to read and speak a strange new language).

• An extensive timeline of text game history, starting in 1760 with the publication of Tristram Shandy and running up through 2020, with nearly five hundred entries in total. This is, to my knowledge, the most extensive timeline of historical interactive fiction milestones ever compiled, tracing the rise and fall of tools, technologies, events, books, and milestones relevant to the medium's first half century.

Further Explorations began life as a bonus book only available as part of the Collector's Edition of the crowdfunding edition of the book. In the process of getting it ready for standalone sale, I've corrected errata and added significant new material. It's now 85 pages long with 12 chapters, and is a great companion piece if you enjoyed the main book, with plenty new meaty analysis, maps, and datablocks (a chunky list of wordplay-based interactive fiction, anyone?)

Further Explorations is now available as a print-on-demand title from DriveThruFiction and from Amazon, in hardcover and softcover. It's also available in digital form as an EPUB or PDF from Itch.io, DriveThruFiction, and in EPUB from Amazon. And if you're looking for copies of the original 50 Years of Text Games in print, it's available from all these places too.

The new "Further Explorations" alongside "50 Years of Text Games" on my shelf!

A couple notes on this release:

• A sample chapter is available (scroll down to "Download Demo" at the bottom of the page).

• For print, in my experience DriveThru provides better quality printing, although Amazon ships more quickly. Both options have local printing on multiple continents, which should help reduce the shipping burden for many of you.

• Note that the EPUB was produced with the same accessibility standards and conventions as the main book, so it should play well with screen readers and with a variety of font sizes and devices. Full compatibility details can be found on the Itch.io page.

• If you were a Collector's Edition backer, look out for a separate message from BackerKit today with instructions for downloading a free upgrade to your digital edition of Further Explorations. If you don't get this email or have trouble with the link, feel free to reach out to me directly.

I know some of you have been waiting for this for a long time! Thanks for your patience, and I'm happy to finally release the expanded Further Explorations.

Merch!

In other news if you missed it, there's now a 50 Years merch store that lets you buy some of the maps from the book (and some other fun designs) in a variety of sizes and form factors. Some of the bestselling items are:

Zork map.

Lord of Interactive Fiction T-Shirt / Poster

"You've Got" inventory coffee mug (with interesting items from many different text games)

"A Mind Forever Voyaging" map framed art print

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention some of my favorite combinations of design and product that haven't sold any copies at all. Deep in my soul I really want to believe that there's at least one of you out there who desperately needs each of the following:

• Dwarf Fortress miniskirt

• Choose Your Own Maskventure

• Suspended throw pillow

• Planetfall phone case

(Note: for any of these you can also click “View This Design on Other Products.”)

If you want any of this fine swag, head on over to the 50 Years Merch Store to acquire it.

That's all for now! Take care and as always, happy adventuring,

--Aaron