Back when computer games first made their debut, it was very basic yet still fun at the same time. From text games that describe where you are and writing what actions you can do, to point and click games, PC games have come a long way. It raises the question, is there a way for the old games to be brought into the current day with revising it at the same time?

From the Beginning

The very first text based game that came out on PC was Colossal Cave Adventure which was released in 1976. It was all text based and you would write commands such as “go west”, and once the command is entered it would give you instructions as to where your new location is. You would find animals and creatures and it printed a picture in your head and helped with reading at the same time.
This revolutionized how people could play games. Gamers could use their imaginations, being able to create their own map on a piece of paper to show where they’ve been and what they can do in the game.
With the disadvantage of no internet the games came on floppy disks that were required to play. If there was no disk there was no chance to play the game since you weren’t able to transfer off of the disk onto the computer.

Evolution of Picture

After some time computers really started to upgrade and became able to support picture games and coloured screens. One of the most popular companies at the time was Sierra which came up with great titles such as King’s Quest, and Space Quest. Two major games that had many sequels which provided fun and adventure through each quest. In these titles you were able to move about with the arrow keys and still able to use text to do objectives. Such as picking up items or to look around and get a detailed writing as to what room you are in and what’s on the screen that you may not notice at first.

Slow Decline but Picking Back Up

It has been many years where the “text” and “point and click” genre did slow down but it is starting to pick back up. A company named Rusty Lake released a game in 2015 named Cube Escape: The Lake. Revitalizing the point and click game for all to enjoy. Picking up items to use throughout the game, breaking things for materials, and solving puzzles to reach the end. The company has released many titles with nothing but positive reviews and lots of replay value to it.

Purpose of these Games

As someone who has been raised on these kinds of titles, they hold a special place in my heart, as they are a form of exercise for my mind, either by solving puzzles, or trying to be hyper aware of the in-game events taking place around me They aren’t like gun shooter games where you just run around and kill whoever you can to level up. The text games taught me how to search and be creative. I wrote down many maps that led me to where I needed to go and how to solve puzzles as quickly as possible. Getting me to the end so that I can complete the story that had begun in my mind.

Overall Rating

This genre is still a classic and I’m glad it is being brought into the modern erafor more to enjoy. It’s always easy to jump into a shooting game and just kill as many players as possible, but how many can say that they’ve improved their problem solving by completing complex puzzles? These games are a must have, and should be experienced to show how much fun they can actually be.

Leave a comment of any of the games that you’ve played and I look forward to trying them myself!

Keep gaming everyone!