50 Years of Text Games $7 / month

A deep dive into one text game per year each week of 2021, from The Oregon Trail to A.I. Dungeon.

Top posts of the year

And their main takeaways
2888 implied HN points 01 Mar 24
  1. Merchandise such as posters, t-shirts, and maps for classic text games are now available for purchase on Redbubble.
  2. A revised and expanded edition of Further Explorations, a companion to 50 Years of Text Games, will soon be released for standalone purchase, featuring extra material and content.
  3. The newsletter platform Substack has faced controversy for allowing the publishing of objectionable content, prompting authors like Aaron A. Reed to consider switching platforms in the future.
87 HN points 19 Jul 23
  1. In the 1980s, a unique type of computer game was created in the form of a book that also contained the game's source code.
  2. The game/book hybrid required players to read the book to solve puzzles in the game, creating a novel integrated experience.
  3. Although challenging to produce and limited in audience reach, this format represented a creative and experimental approach to interactive fiction.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:
49 HN points 16 May 23
  1. Computers evolved quickly in their early years, with innovations being made and lost before becoming standardized.
  2. Computer games with text came before those with graphics, highlighting the initial challenge of dealing with language.
  3. Christopher Strachey, an early computer programmer, paved the way for text-based computer games and made significant contributions to the field of computer science.
1 HN point 16 Apr 23
  1. The Gostak is an interactive fiction game with a unique language that challenges players to learn and understand unfamiliar words and syntax.
  2. The game encourages players to experiment with verbs, build a dictionary, and interpret the meanings behind the unusual words to progress.
  3. Despite the high difficulty level and mixed reviews, The Gostak offers a literary exploration experience that is both challenging and rewarding for those willing to engage with its unique gameplay.