While surfing around recently, I came across the following Wikipedia article: PLATO
This is the best source I've yet found for information about what was probably the birthplace of computer casual games: the PLATO computer system at the University of Illinois in the 1970s and 1980s.
Although PLATO was designed for computer-based education, many consider its most enduring legacy to be the online community spawned by its communication features. PLATO Notes, introduced in 1973, was among the world's first online message boards, and years later became the direct progenitor of Lotus Notes. By 1976, PLATO had sprouted a variety of novel tools for online communication, including Personal Notes (email), Talkomatic (chat rooms), and Term-Talk (instant messaging and remote screen sharing).
PLATO's architecture also made it an ideal platform for online gaming. Many extremely popular games were developed on PLATO during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Empire (a massively multiplayer game based on Star Trek), Airfight (a precursor to Microsoft Flight Simulator), the original Freecell, and several "dungeons and dragons" games, including dnd and MMORPG Moria, that presaged MUDs and MOOs as well as popular shoot-em-up games like Doom and Quake. Avatar, PLATO's most popular game, is one of the world's first MUDs and has over 1 million hours of use.
The first computer version of MahJongg solitaire was also done on Plato, in addition to the invention of FreeCell and the first computer version of FreeCell. Jim Horne, who wrote the Microsoft FreeCell game, saw it on PLATO. It's where I first saw many computer games (the PLATO lab was a great place to avoid studying).
Yeah, too many people don't know about PLATO.
I programmed some medical simulations on PLATO the summer after 8th grade at IUPUI back in the early 80s. Then I went to the U of Illinois in Urbnana from 85 to 89 and continued to use it.
Some people have revived PLATO
http://www.cyber1.org
Posted by: Steve Rhodes | June 06, 2006 at 05:20 PM
A million hours of use?! Dang. Although, I wouldn't doubt if PGS has that many among all it's users.
Posted by: yacoubean | June 09, 2006 at 10:36 PM
They had online games way back then?
I thought they just played cards then.
Posted by: EarBoost | June 11, 2006 at 02:36 AM