Myst is one of the greatest successes of the early CDROM era. It sold millions of copies, back in a time when there were only a few million computers - no title today has anywhere near that percentage penetration. It was built using hypercard, and 8-bit graphics, and was a puzzle game where nobody dies and there were no sprites. Anyway there is a wonderful interview with the co-developer of Myst, well worth listening to IMHO.

I always say that I never play video games .. apart from once I played Riven and that's when I discovered what kind of game I would play: except that I really can't be bothered with the puzzles! (I cheat and look up the answers) For me it's all about exploring a beautifully-rendered world. Next was Dear Esther. Beautiful experience. The 3rd game I ever played and loved was Minecraft. Again, freely exploring a world and interacting with it being the core feature that hooks me. I haven't tried a fourth. 😄

Proteus, Gris, Firewatch

Thanks! I've got tabs up for those now.. 👍🏼 (great profile pic, btw 😄 )

I'm going to start some shit and say not Gris — the art is beautiful, but the music is saccharine cringe and the gameplay lacks polish, making the overall experience a bit clunky. (Opening myself up to being dunked on in retaliation, haha. I deserve whatever I get.) It was a popular and well-reviewed game when it launched, so I might be in the minority here. Proteus is neat and very short. Firewatch is superbly polished, and what it lacks in gameplay innovation it more than makes up for in mise-en-scene, and it tells a compelling story right from the outset. Dear Esther and Firewatch are both described somewhat jokingly as walking simulators. My favourite of that cohort is What Remains of Edith Finch. It's fairly short (maybe 4-8 hours?) and a little buggy in places, but it does things with the combination of gameplay and narrative that I found deeply affecting and profound. Many of the most meaningful / memorable game experiences I've had were about the surprising interweaving of gameplay and narrative at just the right moment in just the right way — where the story is told through the gameplay itself, in a way that couldn't be replicated in any other medium. I'm always on the lookout for games that manage to do a good job of that. What makes What Remains of Edith Finch worth recommending here is that it delivers a few such interweavings, and it is a game that's highly accessible to players of any skill level. While other games that top my personal list require the player to be adept at shooters or puzzles or platformers, Edith Finch doesn't ask for anything more than the ability to move around in a 3d world. The game is critically acclaimed and was listed as the "Game of the Year" or a "Game of the Decade" by many publications, for whatever that's worth. The company that published Edith Finch, Annapurna Interactive, has published a number of other games that I quite liked, so it might be worth taking a look at those to see if they have appeal. In particular: Journey, Gorogoa, Gone Home (another walking simulator), and Kentucky Route Zero.

Crikey, I got some diggin to do. Thanks for all these extra tip-offs! 👍🏼

Well I'll grant you one downside to not being Duncan — I've already had the one time life experience of some of those big gameplay-narrative revelations. I'll never get to have that first-time again. I'll forever know the realized joy and terror of Outer Wilds, and not feel the looming sense of vast discovery. I will, however, continue to be terrified of falling into a black hole for as long as I live, so at least I have that to look forward to.

I love how the transfer speed of the 1x CD-ROM dictated an aesthetic