Did you know that Stanford University has a gaming blog?
Well they do, and it's pretty great. It's called How They Got Game (ugh), and it's dedicated to exploring the history and culture of New Media.
They've recently posted a fascinating history of the tremendously important Sierra, whom I've developed a newfound love for in my recent foray into interactive fiction. HTGG chronicles the early history of the company, with a few images of the studio's first three games. If you can squint for long enough without getting a headache, check out the highly entertaining Winning Strategies for Adventures.
In Part 2, we discover Cannonball Castle, a Revolutionary War-themed Donkey Kong ripoff, and the birth of one of my favorite franchises, King's Quest. Get ready for face melting box art.
Sierra went on to move into sci-fi and police work in the "Quest" model, got dirty with Leisure Suit Larry, and spooky with Gabriel Knight. Sierra's future is looking pretty grim, what with the Blizzard-Activision merger. It looks as though the division could get lost in the shuffle.
Oh, and I promised hot Roberta Williams (Sierra's co-founder and designer) pr0nz, so here you go:
Sorry to steal your traffic from Part 3, homies. This game sold 20K copies when Apple had only sold 100K Apple II's, the computer capable of running the game Think about that.
(via GameSetWatch, which has been digging up some excellent stories lately. If they're not in your RSS feed, then you need to GET SERIOUS)
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Interactive Fiction Explosion!