The original iteration of the great wagon adventure is one of the oldest games around, having first come out in 1971. Since then, it's gone through countless revamps (including the excellent zombie-apocalypse version, Organ Trail), but the basic premise and focus on preserving lives remain the same. At the start of an Oregon Trail run, you assign names to your travelling party, which means that inevitably you name them after your real-life friends. You must then guide them across the country, combating random events like ambushes and disease outbreaks, while keeping them healthy and well-fed by going hunting and making regular stops. Even nearly 50 years on from its initial release, the graphics in these games are basic, yet they're incredibly immersive because of how much of the game is left to your own imagination. As soon as you name your party members after your real-life buddies, you envision them in that trailer or car traversing America, and are determined to keep them alive and well. This, combined with the permadeath, means that you're heavily invested in that pixellated little crew of travellers. If one of them dies, then you envisionyour friend, family member, whoever you chose to name your party members after, dying, and that's pretty powerful stuff. You can keep your flashy graphics and cinematic deaths in video games. This stripped-back experience remains one of the most profound stories about death in the medium. Let us know which games really got you thinking about death in the comments, and create an account if you'd like to write for the site!
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
