I greatly enjoyed #50YearsOfTextGames by @aaronareed.

I especially appreciated his curation of titles that are not necessarily well-known, but that showcase the wonderful diversity of games in which text takes center stage.

The 50 games he covers in detail include an auditory first-person shooter, a story told through a database, and a text adventure that seeks to convey the experience of a hike on a section of the Appalachian trail.

Here's my full review:

https://lib.reviews/review/34c65d06-d17e-4a2a-bbfd-25b4271e83fe

Almost at the end of #50YearsOfTextGames by @aaronareed and the chapter about "Choices: The Freshman" is a good reminder about what I so appreciate about his research and approach.

(The game is part of an interactive fiction franchise with an audience of millions that's been largely ignored by gaming media because it primarily targets women & is primarily played on mobile devices.)

For those who don't have the book, you can read an earlier version of the chapter here:

https://if50.substack.com/p/2016-the-freshman

New #50YearsOfTextGames article on the strange 80s type-in adventure book "The Antagonists," which featured both in-game puzzles but also an unintentional meta-puzzle so challenging that no one in the 80s may have solved it. #gamebook #retrogame #TextAdventure

https://if50.substack.com/p/the-antagonists

Yessssss! So happy to receive my copy! #50YearsOfTextGames

The Oregon Trail’s original hunting mechanic was a tiny typing game.

Had not seen this mechanic before. It’s from the original Oregon Trail written in BASIC, which despite a great local reception in 1971 was almost lost to the wind. #50YearsOfTextGames

I’ve only read the chapter on The Hobbit, which I haven’t played yet. I played The Crack of Doom as a kid though, which I only beat as an adult with help from a walkthrough. But already I’m very happy with the 50 Years of Text Games book. Great treatment: talks about the game, its authors and development, its quirks, and its reception. I want to play it now! #50YearsOfTextGames #hobbit

Book!

#InteractiveFiction #50YearsOfTextGames

Quick #50YearsOfTextGames shipping update if you're waiting on your book:
* All UK/EU orders should now have shipped
* US & rest of world orders are in the process of shipping, but the fulfillment center is being slower than I'd like: they're getting through about 120 orders a day. Have got a ticket open about why this is going so slow. (It's still faster than I could do them myself, I guess!)

I'll send out a backer update once I hear all orders have shipped.

US/Canada orders started shipping TODAY 🕺💃 #50YearsOfTextGames

What a book 🤩 Good job, @aaronareed! #50YearsOfTextGames

Hardbacks and Collector's Editions of #50YearsOfTextGames are now totally sold out!! Paperbacks will be sold out by the end of the day thanks to some great press coverage. I know I've said this before but this is for real your last chance* to get a physical copy of the book if you wanted one!

(It will probably come back in print-on-demand form later, but not in the fancy high-quality form from this print run.)

Extensive reflowable ebook testing for #50YearsOfTextGames, trying to make sure the book renders great on as many devices, apps, font sizes, orientations, and screen readers as possible...

https://if50.textories.com/

If you’re a fan of literary #indiegames and have never heard of “The Gostak,” one of the wildest experiments to come out of the 90s/00s era #InteractiveFiction renaissance, you’ll want to read this article. There’s never been another game like it before or since. https://if50.substack.com/p/the-gostak #gamestudies #50YearsOfTextGames

Used Inform 6 to recreate a quality-based narrative engine (and four other emblematic text game systems) for the bonus game for high-tier #50YearsOfTextGames backers. It was a ton of fun, and a great way to rethink how each of these systems deploy words and rules differently to tell stories. (The game itself will be exclusive for Ultimate Collector backers at first, but will eventually see a wider release. I think it turned out pretty cool!)

Used Inform 6 to recreate a quality-based narrative engine (and four other emblematic text game systems) for the bonus game for high-tier #50YearsOfTextGames backers. It was a ton of fun, and a great way to rethink how each of these systems deploy words and rules differently to tell stories. (The game itself will be exclusive for Ultimate Collector backers at first, but will eventually see a wider release. I think it turned out pretty cool!)

Also, check out my #50YearsOfTextGames article on Trade Wars 2002 for more #BBS nostalgia. https://if50.substack.com/p/1991-trade-wars-2002

The digital proof for the book has been accepted! Next stage is the physical proof of a full press sheet (8 pages), which will be a chance to see how everything looks with the exact ink, paper, printing process etc. to be used. These approvals are nerve-wracking, but super exciting. Wheels are turning!
#50YearsOfTextGames

Working on the hint book for the #50YearsOfTextGames Ultimate Collector's Edition. This is easy for some games. Trickier is coming up with hints for games without puzzles, games that were never released, games that have been unplayable for decades, games radically altered since their first release...

The fun never stops. Literally seconds after uploading the final files for the print book to the press, I heard back from a partner working on the ebook version with a sample chapter. This will be another big project with different needs-- we're very committed to making the ebook version fully accessible for blind readers, among other concerns. But uh yeah, was hoping for more than 90 seconds of downtime in between these phases 😂 #50YearsOfTextGames

The internet has always been a cruel place.

Wizards especially.

From the excellent latest instalment of Aaron Reed's #50YearsOfTextGames

https://if50.substack.com/p/1980-mud