Zork

I will freely admit that this is probably the single most pointless video ever uploaded to WeGame, but eh, that's just the kind of mood I'm in.

Zork was programmed throughout 1977-1979 for DEC mainframe computers. The name "Zork" is actually programmer jargon for unfinished code, and the name of the game was ultimately supposed to be changed to "Dungeon." Some versions of the game implement this name change. But the popularity of the game escalated before the name change, so "Zork" stuck. Zork wasn't the first game of this type, simply one of the most popular. It draws heavily from another mainframe game of the era, Adventure.

The PC version was published by Infocom. The game was too large to fit on the available home media at the time, so content was added and the game was divided into a trilogy. Most of the text-based sequels, either true Zork sequels or games set in the same universe, are done as trilogies. The game has been ported to practically every system imaginable with text input, from PDAs to even a text-to-speech telephone application. (more...)

I will freely admit that this is probably the single most pointless video ever uploaded to WeGame, but eh, that's just the kind of mood I'm in.

Zork was programmed throughout 1977-1979 for DEC mainframe computers. The name "Zork" is actually programmer jargon for unfinished code, and the name of the game was ultimately supposed to be changed to "Dungeon." Some versions of the game implement this name change. But the popularity of the game escalated before the name change, so "Zork" stuck. Zork wasn't the first game of this type, simply one of the most popular. It draws heavily from another mainframe game of the era, Adventure.

The PC version was published by Infocom. The game was too large to fit on the available home media at the time, so content was added and the game was divided into a trilogy. Most of the text-based sequels, either true Zork sequels or games set in the same universe, are done as trilogies. The game has been ported to practically every system imaginable with text input, from PDAs to even a text-to-speech telephone application.

The game doesn't use predictive responses to user input; it actually parses text with a basic legitimate language interpretation that extends beyond simple SUB+VERB sentence structure.

During the CD-ROM craze of the mid-90s the Zork universe was resurrected in a series of graphical multimedia games. Personally, I couldn't stand these games - it was kind of like seeing one of your favorite novels made into a movie, and nothing looks like how you imagined it.

Depending on your perspective, text-based games either have abysmal graphics or the best graphics capable of any video game. Anyone who has ever played Zork has vivid, detailed pictures in their mind of the White House and Flood Control Dam #3, far better than any 3D accelerator could ever create.

I'm simultaneously proud and embarrassed to say that I first saw this game running on a TRS-80 at a Dungeons and Dragon convention in the early 80s. It was one of a few pivotal early moments that contributed to a lifelong fascination with video games and computers.

But, why are you watching a video about Zork when you can be playing the game here?:

http://thcnet.net/error/index.php (less...)