“You have died of dysentery.” The Oregon Trail Game and its Legacy
Indiga Christy
Many students within the last 30 years will fondly remember The Oregon Trail, an “edutainment” staple in American classrooms first developed in 1971 to teach students about the lifestyle, geography, and history of a westward pioneer in the mid-1800s. The game simulates the life of a wagon leader guiding settlers from Independence, Missouri to Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
The computer-based game prompts the player to make a series of decisions regarding their resources, pace, rations, and navigation. These decisions have a long-term effect on the health of party members and their ability to cope with difficulties. Random obstacles appear within gameplay, such as thieves stealing oxen or a party member dying of dysentery. Along the way, users have the option to learn more about the historic trail by speaking to other characters and reading about various landmarks and forts.
However, I argue that while the game was entertaining and enjoyed by millions of students, it fails in its objective to educate players on the historical Oregon Trail. Players can easily play through the game without reading any of the historical context or landmarks, which are located under different menu items. If the game were set in a fictional place and time, they would still experience the same gameplay.
Beyond the historical element of the game, players gain conceptual and procedural knowledge on how to manage their supplies. Players learn how to maximize the potential of their resources under restricting situations. Learning is experienced through trial and error. In addition, players learn risk management when they must weigh the benefits and uncertainties in order to pass obstacles throughout the game.
The Oregon Trail is an example of the differences between narrative and story. The story is the underlying theme of the game: wagon parties traveled across the United States to reach Oregon, under grueling circumstances, and often had to make many sacrifices along the way. However, the narrative of the game is completely up to the player. Because of the game’s random nature, the routines and outcomes may vary wildly, even if a player selected the same options each time.
The Oregon Trail was first introduced at a time where computers were still new to education. In the original release of the game, commands were relayed through a teletypewriter — an electromechanical typewriter that could communicate, via phone line, to a large mainframe computer. The game was text-based and paper-based; students typed their commands on a roll of paper, and the computer would respond by typing updates.
Feeling a sense of nostalgia, I found an online emulator for the 1990 MECC version of The Oregon Trail. The game is hosted by The Internet Archive, a non-profit library of digital content and programs.
The Oregon Trail allows users to make decisions by providing numbered lists with options, from which the user must select and enter into the game via the keyboard. To begin the game, one must first choose their profession — banker, carpenter, or farmer — each with their own advantages and disadvantages. On my first play-through, I chose the farmer because he would put in more work than the other two. Next, you must name yourself and your party. Afterwards, the month you will leave; this is important because the weather will affect your journey. Lastly, you fill up on supplies at the General Store with a starting balance of $400. I purchased six oxen, five sets of clothes, 40 rounds of ammunition, and some spare parts.
The game’s displays have a nostalgic quality. The artwork and music are 8-bit. The graphics are nothing crazy; you see your wagon moving along from right to left, various locations along the trail, a short cutaway when you cross a river, and mini-games such as hunting wildlife or floating a river.
Typically, gameplay only lasts about 30 minutes. This short duration encourages the player to replay the game in order to test different options and choices, hoping that their logic — and plenty of luck — will help them win the game.
One can imagine how revolutionary The Oregon Trail must have felt to students 30 years ago. Its interactive quality allows a general story to be told in many different ways. The game is essentially a “choose your own adventure” because the decisions you make, and the random obstacles, ensure a different gameplay experience each time. The game places the player as an active producer of the narrative through their decisions. This is a prime example of digital narrative because the game would not be accessible without a computer.
The history of the Oregon Trail, on which the game is based, can be studied through books or in classrooms, but The Oregon Trail game makes the subject engaging by providing the player with choices and stakes.
I played through the emulator three times and reached the Willamette Valley on my last try. On my first try, I nearly made it, but my wagon hit a rock while floating down the river and everyone in my party drowned. On my second try, I died from dysentery — a phrase that has been turned into a meme. Each time I died, I was prompted to write an epitaph. On my final try, I floated my wagon down the river and completed the game.
What I took away from this gameplay is the revelation that pioneers had it really hard on the Oregon Trail. Initially, I didn’t click through any of the options to talk to other pioneers, and I didn’t glean much information on the historical or geographical aspects of the trail. On my final try, I spoke with various characters at different landmarks that told me about their struggles or what lay ahead of the trail. Their dialogues were quite anecdotal and not terribly loaded with educational information.
The Oregon Trail was a “pioneer” in the category of educational games. The format and structure allows for quick and easy rounds, thus encouraging users to try different options until they win. Although I found the game to not be very effective in teaching history or geography, I felt this was necessary in order to not bog down players with too many facts and details. I enjoyed being an active participant within the gameplay, and the random obstacles presented ensured a unique experience each attempt. The Oregon Trail is a staple of the modern American education system and deserves recognition for this feat.
