20 Things Only 30-Something Gamers Will Understand
7. Graphics Didn't Matter
The Hobbit, now a major motion picture, was a bestseller on the BBC and the Commodore 64, winning Best Strategy game at the Golden Joystick awards in 1983.
Not bad for a game without a controllable character, bereft of HD backdrops and or without a cinematic cutscene in sight. Back then each level literally rendered before the player's eyes.
Typical of text-based adventures on the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and even the Apple 2, gamers navigated The Hobbit with simple commands in what programmers called Inglish by using phrases like "Open Door", "Get Key", "Read Map" and everyone's favourite "Shoot Dragon".
Try it in today's world and people will think you're a bit special.
It was simple stuff but it required a hell of a lot more thought than today's hint-laden romps where running around pressing X will reveal something after a few minutes. This was pure logic-based puzzle gaming at its toughest - and it all started off in a comfortable tunnel-like hall.