Excerpt because it's be a pain in the ass to reformat the whole article for forums.
4. Matt's character has a pipe. If this game were designed today do you believe you would be required to remove the pipe from Matt's mouth? Did you feel any responsibility about the high rate of tobacco use among children of the 1980's?
If all those kids had taken up pipe smoking, then I would definitely feel guilty – but I think I’m in the clear! Honestly, if I were to design another Oregon Trail, I don’t think we would see Matt using any form of tobacco.
Even back then, any references to tobacco could be controversial. We got away with the pipe for Matt (which was the visual designer’s idea – not mine), but in Lewis & Clark I ran into a bigger controversy. The real Lewis & Clark took along tobacco as one of the items to trade with Native Americans. But I was told by the publisher to remove this trade item from the product.
Oregon Trail brings back memories of the times in our computer class, all we would do is play Oregon Trail. Sometimes it was extremely fun too as there were times when it was a race to the bell.
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
I remember playing this on both Macintosh Classics and Apple IIs in grade school. We would have casual contests, and travel as light as possible with the maximum number of oxen to see how blindingly fast of a b-line we could make to the West Coast, or see just how much we could shoot on hunting trips, with particular effort on how many buffalo we could kill.
We also had the game at home after we upgraded from our old IBM PC in the early 90s, and I recall Uts and I spending time coming up with some incredibly amusing journals.
Good memories...
EDIT: Pretty neat interview, too.
EDIT2: Holy crap, I remember the 800 pound/Indian rumor!!
Last edited by Spanky The Dolphin on 2005-09-23 04:48pm, edited 3 times in total.
Even back then, any references to tobacco could be controversial. We got away with the pipe for Matt (which was the visual designer’s idea – not mine), but in Lewis & Clark I ran into a bigger controversy. The real Lewis & Clark took along tobacco as one of the items to trade with Native Americans. But I was told by the publisher to remove this trade item from the product.
............... Ok, so screw with that part of history, just because we're too PC for tobacco use.
Sometimes, I think we go too far protecting children.
Nitram, slightly high on cough syrup: Do you know you're beautiful?
Me: Nope, that's why I have you around to tell me.
Nitram: You -are- beautiful. Anyone tries to tell you otherwise kill them.
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" -- Leonard Nimoy, last Tweet
Even back then, any references to tobacco could be controversial. We got away with the pipe for Matt (which was the visual designer’s idea – not mine), but in Lewis & Clark I ran into a bigger controversy. The real Lewis & Clark took along tobacco as one of the items to trade with Native Americans. But I was told by the publisher to remove this trade item from the product.
............... Ok, so screw with that part of history, just because we're too PC for tobacco use.
Sometimes, I think we go too far protecting children.
Quite. Just toss in some bit about how it was a widely accepted habit back in the day when they were unaware of the health risks that we know about now... seriously, that's just a wee bit retarded, though in retrospect I suppose I couldnt' really blame them for that line of thinking.
I can't agree, Tev....but only because you used the word 'sometimes.'
Every last character in Oregon Trail is also horribly killed in some way or another dozens of times over by elementary-school players. Should we nerf that because it makes death look cool?
Chronological Incontinence: Time warps around the poster. The thread topic winks out of existence and reappears in 1d10 posts.
Out of Context Theatre, this week starring Darth Nostril.
-'If you really want to fuck with these idiots tell them that there is a vaccine for chemtrails.'
Ahhh oregen trail. I killed my way across the plains many a time. Seven hundred pounds of meat I can't use? Ooooh welll.
"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe Pardon me for sounding like a dick, but I'm playing the tiniest violin in the world right now-Dalton
Funny he should mention the tombstones in that interview. Whenever someone brings up Oregon Trail, I always think about this one guy who named all his people after charaters in Loony Toons. When his last character died, upon my suggestion, he put "that's all folks" on the tombstone.
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
