It must’ve been around 1990–92. I was in 2nd or 3rd grade and had the school’s brand new Computer Class a few times a week. The IBM machines had programs for learning to type, and ones for testing your basic math skills, but the thing I looked forward to the most was The Oregon Trail.
There’s a reason why people my age identify themselves differently than the generations before and after them, and I couldn’t sum it up any better than Anna Garvey’s definition of The Oregon Trail Generation. Games like this had such a huge formative impact on me that it feels as if it’s a part of my very identity.
I’m now 33, a web application developer by day and a hobbyist game developer during what free time I have. I’m currently working on a historically-inspired adventure game and using The Oregon Trail as one of my main design inspirations, so this article is an absolute treasure trove of information. If the full book is anything like this, it’s a no-brainer purchase.
Thank you for creating the software that jump-started my interest in computer technology. And additional thanks for sharing your experience and insight into the process, providing additional fuel for my creative fire.