18 Comments

precisely what i wasn't looking for... but so glad i'm here.

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Such a great idea to focus on the history of text games. English speaking world is probably the centre for creation of them, but in 80s existed some not so free countries, where text games made a subtle but visible subversive role in fight against dictatorship regimes. Most notably games from that part of world and era are described here: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/10/how-indiana-jones-fought-the-communists-and-led-an-era-of-activist-video-games/

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Hey Aaron, this is super cool! So many good memories from these adventures. Consider including the Wheel of Time MUD - it has been around since 1993 and is still in active development. It's a complete not-for-profit venture endorsed by the late RJ himself. You can check it out at https://wotmud.info - text games forever!

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Interesting project. Hopefully you'll be one of the first to place the history of (text) games in the broader context of the trillion dollar gaming megalith, the evolving of comms into global internet, the leading role text played in multiplayer (online) games, prototype social media (gaming communities) etc etc. Look forward to reading when the book's out.

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You should consider the Sumerian game. Text-based city builder written in the mid-60s as an educational game. Written by a woman, btw

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Dartmouth Time Sharing System came on line in 1963-64, and probably had some text-based games. I was at Dartmouth 15 years later, and I'm pinging my elders to see what they remember.

LMK if you want to hear about what they remember.

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Last year I recreated, as an exercise in learning Python, a BASIC space war game, "Deep Space," that I first played in 1974 on a desk-sized "mini computer" at my cousin's high school. I/O was via teletype.

I entered the BASIC listing from Creative Computing, and reverse-engineered it. Not an easy task, with cryptic two-letter variable names and lots of GOTOs.

If you want a listing or screen-shots or whatnot, let me know.

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Wow. Monster Island. Takes me back. I was at kjcgames in the UK (they ran the UK version of MI) from 1988-1990. I created their Quest game which is still run over the internet 30 years on.

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Hey Aaron!

I wanted to be sure you included the products of Flying Buffalo, Inc. in your lists. Last year I wrote up a timeline, and other articles, for a 50th anniversary book. (Unpublished, so far, because the pandemic cancelled plans for a convention tour .) Co-founder Rick Loomis (RIP) and his partner designed a computer-moderated play-by-mail text wargame, Battle Plan, starting in 1970.

Looking forward to more,

Stefan

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