Orson Scott Card Lays it Out

An ancient article (in game industry terms) has been passed around over the last few days based on a recent link from Curmudgeon Gamer. It's a 1983 treatise by acclaimed science fiction author Orson Scott Card published in Compute! Magazine on what is needed in a good computer game. Twenty years later, Card wrote the script to GlyphX's hyped but underwhelming Advent Rising (Xbox, PC), but he is hopefully better remembered for his work on classic LucasArts adventures The Secret of Monkey Island, Loom, and The Dig. Ever wonder who wrote all the insults for insult swordfighting in Monkey Island? Yeah, that was him. Anyway, back in '83, Card made a list of what he expects from a great computer game. By his own admission, they are high standards. He points to one company fulfilling all of that and more, however. Can you guess which it is?

1. A home computer game should not be designed to minimize playtime - it should not be designed to take away quarters by making the game impossible to beat.
2. It should use the full power of the computer - it should do things that only the computer can do well, and it should use all the appropriate resources the computer provides. 3. It should be an excellent game, not just excellent programming - the play itself should be exciting and not serve merely as an excuse to show off the programmer's expertise. 4. Above all, the game should be designed so the player controls and, to some degree, creates the game as he plays - I have little patience with games that play me, forcing me to follow only one possible track or learn one mechanical skill if I hope to win. If those requirements sound like what you want, too, I have good news for you: there are finally some software companies making a serious effort to create exactly this kind of game. The software firm [spoiler] has added a fifth requirement for itself: The game must be truly original. No Donkey Kong or Pac-Man clones in this group, of games. Even though each of their games has roots in gaming traditions, the object has not been to recreate a favorite board game, or duplicate a sport, or translate an arcade game.