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Zork
1977: Zork by Aaron A. Reed
Zork

Origins

  • Created by: Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, Dave Lebling
  • First Appeared: June 1977
  • Commercial Release: December 1980
  • Language: MDL
  • Platform: PDP-10
1977: Zork by Aaron A. Reed
Zork

The Beginning

  • Inspired by the game Adventure
  • Developed by four friends from MIT's Dynamic Modeling Group
  • Original name: "Dungeon"
  • Created as a response to Adventure's popularity and limitations
1977: Zork by Aaron A. Reed
Zork

Gameplay

  • Players explore a vast underground world
  • Collect treasures and solve puzzles
  • Infamous for challenging puzzles and complex commands
1977: Zork by Aaron A. Reed
Zork

Popularity

  • Became a must-buy for early computer owners
  • Bestselling game in 1982 and 1983
  • Covered by major publications like Time
  • American astronaut Sally Ride was reportedly obsessed with it
1977: Zork by Aaron A. Reed
Zork

Innovations

  • Massively improved interface over Adnventure (much more complex actions)
  • Introduced "grues", creatures lurking in the dark
  • Sophisticated NPCs like the thief, who roams and interacts with the environment
  • Continually updated and improved through player feedback
1977: Zork by Aaron A. Reed
Zork

Let's Play!

http://gg.gg/1b82by

1977: Zork by Aaron A. Reed
Zork

Exercise

http://gg.gg/1b82np

1977: Zork by Aaron A. Reed