The Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is an educational game that launched in 1971, it attempts to simulate what it was like to travel the Oregon Trail in 1848.
Why I think it became one of the most popular games of its time:
Personalization
I was asked to choose what the scope of my journey was, when to start my journey, what kind of person I would be (farmer, banker, or carpenter), the names of the people in my family, and what resources to buy for my journey.
Story
The games is based on a true story. I think that it catches the interest of people to play the game over others.
Strategy
I had to constantly think about the health of my family, how much longer it will take to get to my destination, if we had enough clothing. I had to strategize my journey to avoid any problems.
chance over choice
The obstacles that would happen on my journey were random. This could be about the weather, one of my oxen dying, a robbery, or a family member getting injured. I think that randomness in games keeps the user engaged because they can’t predict what’s coming next.
Pong
Pong is an electronic table tennis video game that launched in 1972.
Why I think it became one of the most popular games of its time:
simplicity
The game is simple, defend your goalie and attempt to score the opponent’s goalie. The game is also simple with its user interface: a black screen with white paddles, ball, and text. A simple game can mean that more people can play, this widens the target audience.
velocity
When someone scores, the velocity of the ball speeds up, making it more challenging to play. I think that this is a good way to keep the attention of players.
Goal
The goal is to beat your opponent, I think this is a good way to to keep the game alive as players challenge themselves. This keeps the user engaged ever after losing.
Sources:
“The Oregon Trail/Walkthrough.” 2020. StrategyWiki. February 26, 2020. https://strategywiki.org/wiki/The_Oregon_Trail/Walkthrough.
“Pong.” 2022. Wikipedia. March 12, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong#:~:text=The%20player%20controls%20an%20in.
