Robert Bryant, one of my design teachers, often asserts that "the essence of fun is surprise." During the late '80s and early '90s, adventure game developers pushed this idea as far as they could -- and adventure games eventually became so surprising as to be nonsensical (Gobliins 2 stands out in my mind as a prime example).
Developers simultaneously discovered that such designs boosted demand for game guides, and so a new pre-internet business was born. The guides had higher profit margins than the games themselves, and it was only a matter of time before adventure games were specifically designed to sell guides. This mild form of cheating eventually became the only possible way to get through the games, and it was common practice for pirated copies of the games to be distributed along with .txt walkthroughs or even barely-legible photocopied game guides.
Developers simultaneously discovered that such designs boosted demand for game guides, and so a new pre-internet business was born. The guides had higher profit margins than the games themselves, and it was only a matter of time before adventure games were specifically designed to sell guides. This mild form of cheating eventually became the only possible way to get through the games, and it was common practice for pirated copies of the games to be distributed along with .txt walkthroughs or even barely-legible photocopied game guides.
Alternatively, you could ask one of your friends who had played through the game for advice on how to get past a certain sticking point -- a rudimentary precursor to the internet forum system we all leech off of today.
Perhaps the format of all media is determined by the constraints of its funding, presentation, and consumption. Is adventure gaming a valid storytelling mechanism, or merely a peculiar technological oddity that arose with and was only appropriate for a simpler age? An age of limited hardware, when there were few PC gaming options and adventure gaming was really the only show in town? When there was no internet to subvert companies who earned their keep by peddling the secret keys to their elaborate digital puzzles? When fan devotion to the pluck and humor of the folks at Sierra generated enough surplus of goodwill to offset all the are-you-f#@%ing-kidding-mes they put us through?
It is my fervent hope that torch-bearers like Telltale Games can continue to adapt and innovate this formerly beloved genre of mine. Otherwise, should adventure gaming go extinct within the next 15 years... you heard it here first, folks.
It is my fervent hope that torch-bearers like Telltale Games can continue to adapt and innovate this formerly beloved genre of mine. Otherwise, should adventure gaming go extinct within the next 15 years... you heard it here first, folks.
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