Before games had graphics, they had words – and Zork used them to build an unforgettable world. Released in 1980, players explored the Great Underground Empire, a strange place full of treasure, puzzles, and trolls. You typed what you wanted to do, and the game answered with clever and often funny responses.
Zork was based on an earlier version made in 1977 for the PDP-10 mainframe computer by MIT students Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, Dave Lebling and Tim Anderson. As home computers became more common, they formed a company called Infocom and reworked the game to fit on smaller systems.
What made Zork different was its language system. Instead of short commands, it could understand full sentences, giving players more freedom and control.
Infocom also included maps, letters, and other objects in the game box. Known as “feelies”, these made the story feel more real and sometimes held clues needed to solve the game.
Did Zork establish the first videogame fandom?
Operating out of his parents’ basement, Zork’s first playtester Mike Dornbrook established the Zork Users Group, one of the first computer game fandoms.
For a small fee, this semi-official club produced mail-order products like hint booklets, maps, posters and the newsletter, The New Zork Times, which you can see here. At its peak, the Zork Users Group had over 20,000 subscribers.
Dornbrook’s passion and enthusiastic communication with players established Infocom’s reputation as a curious, friendly and inclusive community.
Archivist Jason Scott did extensive research on Infocom for his 2010 documentary GET LAMP. Scott talked to creators, management, fans and academics about the Infocom story, and produced this 45 minute overview.
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