Oregon Trail: Saddle up
Summary
Host David Pierce and guests Chris Grant and Philip Bouchard explore the history of the classic educational game *Oregon Trail*. Bouchard, a key designer, details his 1985 reimagining of the game for the Apple II, explaining how he transformed a simple text-based simulation into a complex resource management experience with landmark-based travel and a new hunting mini-game. The episode covers the game’s origins in 1971 Minnesota classrooms, its spread via *Creative Computing* magazine, and the technical constraints that shaped its iconic aesthetic.
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