Myst

electronic game

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Myst, graphical puzzle-adventure electronic game that debuted in 1993 and was designed by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller for American game manufacturers Cyan Worlds and Brøderbund Software. Advanced graphics and an engrossing story line helped Myst sell fans on what was essentially a very pretty series of puzzles, which showed the industry that grenades and machine guns were not always needed to sell games. Myst was the best-selling computer game of all time until the gaming company Electronic Arts released The Sims in 2002.

In Myst players assume the role of the Stranger. Using magical books to travel through the island of Myst, players obtain items and complete puzzles to open up new levels, or Ages. The majority of scenarios consist of players getting clues and finding items or switches throughout the island and then using them to complete an objective. As a commercially successful software game without death, violence, hoards of enemies, or a visual barrage of noise and action, Myst helped pave the way for other popular titles in the same genre.

Myst spawned four direct sequels, Riven (1997), Myst III: Exile (2001), Myst IV: Revelation (2004), and Myst V: End of Ages (2005). Although the series went on to sell more than 12 million copies, the original title made up more than half the total sales, with the sequels unable to match the success of the original. The series achieved a broad cultural appeal, with English rock musician Peter Gabriel contributing his voice to Revelation.

This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch.

electronic adventure game

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electronic adventure game

electronic game genre

Written by William L. Hosch

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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electronic adventure game, electronic game genre characterized by exploring, puzzle solving, narrative interactions with game characters, and, for action-adventure games, running, jumping, climbing, fighting, and other intense action sequences. Many modern electronic games, such as role playing games (RPGs) and shooter games, contain some adventure characteristics, making precise categorization impossible.

Pure adventure games

Text-based adventures

The first electronic adventure game was Will Crowther’s Adventure (c. 1975) for the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-10 minicomputer. This text-based adventure is often referred to as interactive fiction, and it became the prototype for later games such as Zork (1977), which was written by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the school’s computer system. Some of those students formed Infocom in 1979, which ported the game to early personal computers (PCs) and followed up with a few more text-based adventure games.

Graphic-based adventures

The next step in the evolution of the basic genre is usually credited to writer Roberta Williams and her computer programmer husband, Ken Williams, who formed Sierra Entertainment (1979). In particular, beginning with King’s Quest (1984) for MS-DOS, Sierra released a steady stream of successful graphical adventure games throughout the 1980s and early ’90s. While the graphics consisted of nothing more than colourful static images that players could “point-and-click” on to load text or other screens, it was the interactive fiction elements in Roberta Williams’s stories that enthralled fans. The company’s other best-known titles were Space Quest (1986), Leisure Suit Larry (1987), and Police Quest (1987), all of which generated numerous sequels for play on a wide assortment of computers and home video consoles. As more advanced computers and video systems became available, such pure adventure games declined in popularity. However, a hybrid adventure game involving complex puzzles, Brøderbund Software’s Myst (1993), was the best-selling PC game in the 20th century, and it and its sequels sold well on various computer and video consoles. Graphic-based adventures did not fade from the scene entirely, however, and the developers at LucasArts virtually defined this genre throughout the 1990s. Witty dialogue, clever puzzles, and striking visuals were hallmarks of a series that included The Secret of Monkey Island (1990), Sam and Max Hit the Road (1993), Full Throttle (1994), and Grim Fandango (1998).

Action-adventure games

The first action-adventure game, Atari, Inc.’s Adventure (1979), loosely based on Crowther’s text-based game, was released for the Atari 2600 home video console. The game used a top-down view and allowed players to carry and use items without inputting text commands.

The popularity of the action-adventure genre got a big boost with the release of Nintendo Co., Ltd.’s The Legend of Zelda (1986) for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES; 1983). The game and its sequels continue to be among Nintendo’s best-selling titles for its various video consoles. Similarly, Brøderbund’s Prince of Persia (1989) helped to popularize the action-adventure format on PCs, and sequels have been made for most video consoles. Perhaps the single most identifiable action-adventure character is Lara Croft, star of Eidos Interactive’s Tomb Raider (1996), which was first made for the Sega Corporation’s Saturn (1994) console. It and its sequels have been made for PCs and most video consoles. In addition, two films, both starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, have been released: Lara Croft Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003).

Action-adventure games with horror or survival elements are also popular. Early examples that have produced several sequels for multiple platforms include Infogrames Entertainment’s Alone in the Dark (1992), Capcom Company’s Resident Evil (1996), and Konami Corporation’s Silent Hill (1999).

William L. Hosch