1001 VG Book #01 - "Oregon Trail" - (1971)

-  1970's  -

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The book begins with a short introduction to the "1970's" section.  In it, they talk about Asteroids and Space Invaders both being released in 1979… (Space invaders is usually given a 1978 release date because of its Japanese release first)... but fine, close enough and still late 1970's.  However, in the same section they also mention arcade hits like Pac-Man, Centipede and "other" arcade hits being put onto the TRS-80. Really guys? Pac-Man was 1980, Centipede 1981… how are they going to put future arcade releases on the TRS-80 in the 1970's?

commentary about the book article for:

#1 = Oregon Trail (1971)
- by JT (John Teti)
- Apple II (which didn't exist in 1971 BTW)

  - They put this in the book first, with a release date of 1971. That's just plain dumb, and many people were surprised by this first entry. The game they're describing in this review (and the one most people think of for "Oregon Trail") is the 1985 Apple II release (see below).  Even putting down the date of 1971 for an Apple II release doesn't matchup given that the first Apple II was made in 1977 (and wasn't the same computer that could play the 1985 Oregon Trail game either)

- The skeleton of a game in 1971 was nothing like the 1985 version which truly defined "The Oregon Trail" in the minds of school children everywhere. The picture in the article is from a version circa 1978 or so. Back then, playing the game (if you had access to it at all) meant typing on a teletype machine, or maybe even an early timeshare terminal system.  It was hardly what people think of as a "video game".

- No doubt "The Oregon Trail" should be in the list... but I would much prefer to place the date in 1985, and discuss some of the earlier Oregon Trail versions as developmental steps towards the definitive Apple II edition!

- Also, I beg to differ that "students learned almost nothing about the actual Oregon Trail". Awareness is a big part of learning, actually. And the 1985 game had actual cities along the way, the fact you started in Independence, Missouri… had to make it to various Fort's, the danger of fording rivers, etc. There's a lot of great educational material worked into the "play" factor beautifully. The game was built to spark the imagination - and on that front, it clearly delivered. Dysentery as a death is legendary in gaming circles because of Oregon Trail.

MY QUICK REVIEW:
There is a magical quality to the Oregon Trail... something that has kept the game being revisited, improved, and updated for over 50 years now. I think it's the power of the story. The harsh setting of the actual Oregon Trail with all its risks and rewards. The incredible fortitude of those people who risked it all to move out west, take ownership of some land, and start a new life.  And YOU get to transport yourself into that very situation with the power of imagination and gameplay.

The first version in 1971 was told through text on a teletype machine, not even a video screen. Then came later initial graphical flourishes and additions. MECC (the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium) continued to publish this educational game throughout the early 80's and it was a popular classroom item. Finally, the game which immortalized The Oregon Trail was the 1985 update for the Apple II.

I grew up fascinated by the possibilities of exploring the Oregon Trail game. However, in a classroom situation, we never seemed to have quite enough time with it. I don't remember ever finishing an entire game and making it alive to the promised land. But the game sticks in the memory, perhaps even more than it has a right to. Yes, it's a game based around resource management, survival, planning and some luck. And yet, that's somewhat true of life, isn't it?  This real-world feeling might just be part of that magic that makes Oregon Trail so long lived.

VIDEOS:

 

(This is 1975 version... as close of an approximation to the original 1971 version of Oregon Trail they've been able to find)

 

 

(here's the 1985 Apple IIe version, which is much more what the article was talking about)