10 Video Games That Were MASSIVE Jokes

6. Microshaft Winblows 98

pyst gaming
Parroty Interactive

Bill Gates' rapid overthrow of the office world in the mid-'90s led to many frustrated with Windows wanting to throw their new workstations out of one. The cost of defenestrating thousands of pounds worth of business equipment probably wasn't worth it, but at least they took take solace smashing metaphorical panes in Parroty Interactive's parody software, Microshaft Winblows 98.

The timing of the satire couldn't have been more pointed: just as the game was shipped, Gates was summoned before the US court for Microsoft's extensive, monopoly-ensuring antitrust practices. The jokes themselves are not quite as trenchant as they think, mind. It's basically a lampoon of the operating system - presented by a Microsoft janitor and Gates' personal assistant - with a number of minigames in the guise of parody programmes, including 'Internet Exploiter' and 'Pinbill'.

Microsoft, at the very least, saw the funny side, with spokesperson Mark Murray noting that his company's software was "probably a little more serious."

In this post: 
Desert Bus
 
First Posted On: 
Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.