Demographers love to refer to people born between 1977 and 1985 as the “Oregon Trail Generation.” Born on the borderline between Generation X and Millennials, members of the Oregon Trail Generation grew up using analog technology like rotary phones and rabbit ears, but they also became proficient in using computers and the Internet (often thanks to The Oregon Trail) while still in school.
However, an even earlier generation got a chance to play The Oregon Trail before it was immortalized in the glowing greens of an Apple IIe. So let’s travel back to 1971 and meet one of the game’s first players in this edition of Bite-Sized Game History.
And stick around to explore the connection shared between Ryu and Kevin Bacon, as well as the secret origin of Noob Saibot.
A good introduction can work wonders for getting an audience interested in your game. Just look at all the words written about the importance of World 1-1 in Super Mario Bros. (not to mention all the video essays and podcasts and infographics and interpretive dance performances).
Bite-Sized Game History is a column of extremes. Sometimes, it’s a mind-blowing revelation that completely upends the way we think about some part of the distant past. And other times, it’s a fun piece of concept art from a 30-year-old video game.
Welcome to another edition of Bite-Sized Game History!
I’m sure some people may enjoy it, but I am definitely not a fan of April Fool’s Day. I don’t know, calling someone a fool after you’ve deliberately lied to them just seems dumb. Pretty much the only thing this crummy holiday had going for it was the annual catalog of gag gifts from Thinkgeek. But this year we can’t even have that after the online storefront was shut down in June of 2019.
