What game first got you interested in IF? (1994 or earlier) - an IFDB Poll

What game first got you interested in interactive fiction? This may, or may not, be the first IF game you ever played. Respond to this poll only if you first played the game IN 1994 OR PRIOR; otherwise, respond to one of the two other similarly-titled polls. Select a poll based on when you first played the game, not when the game was published.

Other polls: 1995–2012, 2013–present

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	Zork I, by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling 5 votes "the first computer game I ever played, followed by many more IFs" [+]"the first computer game I ever played, followed by many more IFs" --Passerine... "Many stupid "old style" situations, but oozes with atmosphere" [+]"Many stupid "old style" situations, but oozes with atmosphere: Well, it's one of the first and most widely-known IF games." () --Miron... "Started when I was 6" [+]"Started when I was 6: I first played this game with my dad and brother when I was 6. Many of the puzzles were too challenging for me at the time but I still recall feeling like I was helping. Took me 12 years to finally finish it as I gained more life knowledge and aged into some of the more difficult puzzles. The reward of solving puzzles slowly over time was very memorable. It seemed like everytime you were stuck if you left for a month (or a year) when you came back to it, there was a puzzle who's solutions your brian sort of worked out." --TheLateJC... "I might have been..." [+]"I might have been in fourth grade? I played a pirated copy on my C64. 1983, probably" --Drew Cook... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Geckster... Vote for this game

	Zork, by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling 3 votes "Lots of puzzles I was able to solve on my own, and a few others I got help gor" [+]"Lots of puzzles I was able to solve on my own, and a few others I got help gor: The first IF game I played was Infidel— in about 1983. That proved too difficult for me at the time (I couldn’t even figure out how to light the torch) then when I played again later the rest of the puzzles seemed repetitive (matching hietoglyphs one with another) and the ending a grave disappointment. But ZorkI caught my attention right off, and kept me engaged enough that I was eventually able to solve it, over a period of about two years. Lots of Easter eggs to discover." --Doug Egan... "I was 15 in 1979 and enthralled..." [+]"I was 15 in 1979 and enthralled...: This was the first true IF game, though extremely cruel. I still believe everyone should play this without hints. Might take a year, but it's worth it." --David Cornelson... "Played in about..." [+]"Played in about 1980-81. Was hooked for life." --Amanda Walker... Vote for this game

	Colossal Cave Adventure, by William Crowther and Donald Woods 2 votes "Discovered in 1992, at age 7, in the games section of my dad's Compuserve account." [+]"Discovered in 1992, at age 7, in the games section of my dad's Compuserve account." --dfranke... "The first IF game I played, back in 1980 aged 8" [+]"The first IF game I played, back in 1980 aged 8" --Vivienne Dunstan... Vote for this game

	Corruption, by Rob Steggles, Hugh Steers 1 vote "Not my first IF..." [+]"Not my first IF game, that was The Pawn (far too difficult for me). I loved Corruption because I could follow people around. And then I discovered Infocom." () --Karlok... Vote for this game

	Nythyhel, by Anthony Collins 1 vote "Zzap!64 Megatape rereleased this pretty good GAC horror game in 1992" [+]"Zzap!64 Megatape rereleased this pretty good GAC horror game in 1992" () --Denk... Vote for this game

	Korenvliet, by Alexander van Oostenrijk 1 vote "A Dutch text..." [+]"A Dutch text adventure included in an MS-DOS compilation I had as a kid." ( - Full review) --Victor Gijsbers... Vote for this game

	Bureaucracy, by Douglas Adams, The Staff of Infocom 1 vote "The feelies and..." [+]"The feelies and the opening sequence where everything you type in is ignored had me hooked immediately. Didn't matter that I was seven and terrible at it. " ( - Full review) --deathbytroggles... Vote for this game

	Pirate Adventure, by Scott Adams and Alexis Adams 1 vote "You always remember the first time." [+]"You always remember the first time.: This game taught me how to spell "flotsam and jetsam."" --BadParser... Vote for this game

Is there another game that you think should be on this list? Just fill in the title of a game you'd like to vote for.

Poll created on December 30, 2024