Text Based Past

Whatever happened to text-based games? It seems that as our gaming consoles become more and more powerful we are more apt to forget gaming’s past. However, even as we strive to beat out our friend’s graphics card, it is still nice to take a trip back to the humble beginnings of games. Although most end-users won’t like the thought of the graphics-free gaming experience of a fictional world, they may be, much like I was, surprised at how much fun they can have while playing one of these classic games.  Even though most people would look at the lack of pictures and maps as a loss, once they get deep into a game, one can find that having a picture of the world solely in your mind allows a person to closely scrutinize the environment that a console-based graphics-fueled game would never allow you to do.  If this post has made you curious to experience the classic gaming magic that is a text-based adventure, there are many ways to enjoy a game across a number of platforms.  Now, if you download an interpreter and are afraid that you may come across a shortage of games, fear not because there is an entire database of free (and paid) games.  This website is here, at the IFDB (Interactive Fiction Database).  Happy Typing!

Client for Mac OS X:  Splatterlight

Client for Linux (Requires Compiling) :  Choices Here

Client for Windows:  Filfre

Client for iOS:  Frotz

For a more complete list of clients head over here.