Adventure games started as just black on white, or perhaps green on black. Word told the story. Words described the scenery and through words people played.

Text adventures like Pyramid 2000, Adventure and Zork, didn't just passively entertain, they taught us to imagine, to think, even to type.

But as the medium of gaming continued to thrive, to grow, to evolve, it left behind its roots as money losers, relics of a past that today's gamers may not be interested in.

Ironically though, it's that same evolution of technology that may now be able to breath new life into classic adventure games and open them up to a new audience of gamers.

Earlier this week LucasArts announced a deal with digital download service Steam to start releasing some of their classic games through the on-demand gaming service.

Among the short list of initially offerings are a number of LucasArts' early graphic adventures. While they aren't text adventures, titles like The Dig and Loom rely more on imagination than graphics to deliver fun.

It's a shift in philosophy at the company spurred by the increasing popularity of downloadable games and the increasing number of platforms, like the iPhone, Dsi and upcoming PSPgo, that are built to support them.

LucasArts had, at one point, mostly given up on their adventure titles, Mary Bihr, LucasArts vice president of global publishing, told Kotaku.

"We thought, 'Gee, maybe classic adventures don't do well in the market," she said.

But that changed when LucasArts replaced much of their upper management and they started looking at the potential of digital distribution.

"In looking at the history and heritage of LucasArts it's clear we have some much beloved titles," Bihr said. "With the advent of digital distribution it opens up a whole new avenue where are games can be experience by new players and delivered in new ways.

"These games have stories that are broad enough and games that are deep enough to attract that audience. We are looking at new markets, people who have never played adventure games."

The hope is that the release of these titles on both platforms known for these adventure games, like the computer, and platforms perhaps new to the genre, like the iPhone, portable gaming devices and consoles, will allow LucasArts to both extend their titles among older fans of the genre and build up an entirely new fanbase.

And because the publisher doesn't have to reburn the game on discs, put them in boxes and worry about distribution, the barriers for success have been greatly reduced.

The Steam announcement comes at a time when LucasArts is making waves with other classic titles as well.

The publisher put classic adventure title Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis as an extra game on their Wii title Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. They're also releasing a "reimagined" version of The Secret of Monkey Island, now with easier controls and better graphics. And they've cut a deal with TellTale Games to continue the Secret of Monkey Island story as episodic content.

"Those decisions were all made in parallel," Bihr said. "They are all tied to the larger decision to revive our classic games and bring them out to new markets."

Bihr said that LucasArts is looking over their library to see which of their other classics could be reimagined, turned into new games or released to Steam.

"I think we will explore any and everything," she said. "We will allow the marketplace to inform us."

And that means, she said, keeping a close eye on both the reaction to and success of these three announcements, essentially using them as test cases.

When asked if LucasArts adventures could make their way to the iPhone or the Dsi, or PSPgo, Bihr would only says that the company is platform agnostic and that they are "looking at a number of different platforms." Apple's guidelines don't allow a developer to announce a game before it has been approved.

"We are looking at a broad spectrum of ideas," she added.

What is obvious is that as the popularity of digital distribution continues to increase its impact on gaming spreads in interesting ways, making some games and ideas, once financially implausible, a possibility.

"There are so many different types of customers," Bihr said. "The way in which they consume games and media is so different now."

The in-depth look at a variety of puzzle forms moves from the premise that puzzles are so integral to adventure games, bad ones can easily ruin a game:

Adventure games are different—in that the core features of gameplay cannot be effectively evaluated without actually playing it or giving so many details away as to detract from the experience of playing the game. In many respects, the quality of an adventure game depends upon the quality of its puzzles, whether they are ingenious and rewarding or just frustratingly illogical. Having been told an explanation to how a puzzle works means you will never be able to play it as intended, since a big part of the experience is the enjoyment of figuring it out for yourself. You can evaluate the art, voice acting, and even the story or humor present in an adventure game to a certain extent without diving too deep into it, but an adventure game with terrible puzzles can make all those other elements irrelevant, since you likely will never have the patience to finish the game in the first place.

In this article, I will be taking a closer look at the various types of adventure game puzzles, how they relate to the gameplay, and even how some of these basic forms relate to other game genres.

From two basic classifications ('self-contained' and 'key'), a wide variety of puzzle types appear; the analysis is interesting and the article is worth plowing through if you're interested in the nitty gritty of game design.

Adventure game puzzles: unlocking the secrets of puzzle design [Adventure Classic Gaming via GameSetWatch]

However, the extreme peculiarity of these discoveries has not diminished my interest in exploring games’ resource files in the least. Seeing the graphics, sounds, and codes neatly grouped in separate sections and finding out how they intermingle to bring the game to life may not be quite as entertaining as playing the game itself, but for those few who have the patience and a lot of free time, it is an interesting experience.

There is always the possibility of discovering an unused background, animation or sound file, or even just an interesting little comment made by a programmer in a script. As small and uncommon as these discoveries that I have made may be, they add a new dimension to the experience of enjoying these adventure games. In a way, they can be compared to the deleted scenes or audio commentary on a DVD release of a movie, and they give the interested gamer some true insights into the games’ design. Since I have only looked at a small portion of the files in just a few adventure games, who knows how many other hidden treasures have yet to be uncovered?

It's a neat, nostalgic (if sort of odd) look at some of those classic adventure games.

Resource Quest: hidden treasures in Sierra’s adventure games [Adventure Classic Gaming via GameSetWatch]

Sadly, when I first found this the other week I decided not to take a picture of the On-Line Systems anniversary party page. It featured people from the early eighties (a theme of this blog if you haven't noticed) enjoying what looked like a California themed ho-down, and men who look like Ewoks wearing aviator sunglasses (though Ewoks didn't yet exist, so I guess they are proto-Ewoks). I'm upset that I didn't take a picture of it, because I think it allows you to see (as these other pages do) the small and familial nature of a company that would balloon into one of PC gaming's most prominent companies.

A post on 'Sid Meier's First(?) Game and an Early Look at MicroProse', about a game no one — including Meier — seems to remember, is also worth a look.

The Beginnings of Sierra Part 1 [How They Got Game]

Despite my fondness for the adventure games of yore, it appears the days of puzzles in narrative games have come and gone. Puzzles - especially the serial unlocking variety found in the old LucasArts games - seem to have become a relic of a bygone era. Where they once provided a necessary ludic element to a clever and often complex narrative - designed to add challenge and force the player to earn his progress through the story - few modern players have the patience for such challenges anymore ....

Combat has replaced puzzles as the progress-impeding mechanic du jour for modern gamers, and fast-paced action, quick reflexes, and gamepad dexterity are the premium skills. To be sure, games like SOCOM and Call of Duty also require strategic thinking, and online multiplayer often requires fine tactical thinking and cooperation. But puzzles - the kind you study for awhile, scratch your head about, and maybe even mull over in your sleep - have largely disappeared from narrative games.

Is there a place for puzzles of the old school stripe in current games? Abbott suggests considering the purpose of such puzzles in narrative-driven games while re-thinking their implementation; it's a difficult puzzle, to be sure, but one whose dividends could pay off in future gameplay.

Puzzles are for geezers [Brainy Gamer]

ADVENTURE GAMING EXPO CONVENTION TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Adventure Game Fans - It's Time to Get Your Game On This Summer

MATAWAN, New Jersey - May 1, 2008 - Adventure Gaming Expo, the largest convention dedicated to adventure game fans, today announced that tickets are now available for the inaugural event. Adventure Gaming Expo will take place August 29 - 31, 2008 in Atlantic City, New Jersey at the brand new luxury resort ,The Water Club which is connected to the world-famous Borgata hotel, casino, and resort. From old-school text adventure games to the classic Sierra and LucasArts hits, to Myst and modern day adventure games, the Expo has something for every fan of the genre.

"This will be an exciting weekend for every adventure game fan," said Howard Sherman, Chairman, CEO, and Implementor at Malinche Entertainment, the organizer of Adventure Gaming Expo. "Meeting the legends who created these classic, timeless adventure games would be reason enough to go, but throw in a charity auction loaded with dozens of rare adventure gaming collectibles, workshops, discussions, and a live-action adventure game, and you end up with a life-changing experience."

All Adventure Gaming Expo guest will have the opportunity to personally meet all of our VIP Celebrity guests, as well as attend a series of workshops and panel discussions focused entirely on adventure games — from playing them, to beating them, to designing them.

VIP Celebrities include:
Scott Adams - Pioneer of the first personal computer adventure games
Lori & Corey Cole - Creators of the Quest for Glory series & the Shannara adventure game
Chris Jones - Creator of the Tex Murphy series
Al Lowe - Creator of the Leisure Suit Larry series
Scott Murphy - Co-creator of the Space Quest series
Tony Van - Exec producer of Myst V: End of Ages and creator of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation game series

Charity Auction to Benefit Pencils for Kids
The charity auction will feature rare adventure game artifacts, including the original Zork game (zip-locked TRS-80 version), background art used in producing Space Quest, autographed games from legendary designer Steve Meretzky, a CSI game signed by all eight cast members, and a myriad of other antiquities from the treasure vault. All proceeds will be donated to Pencils for Kids, a foundation dedicated to giving impoverished children the tools to learn.

Live Action Adventure Game
For the daring adventurer who wants to prove their mettle, text adventure game Implementor Howard Sherman is crafting a live-action adventure game that will be played across the expansive Borgata/Water Club Property. What's a live action adventure game? Think REAL locations with REAL objects (and real red herrings) as well as REAL people acting as NPCs.

Extra surprises are planned during the weekend and additional events and activities are constantly being added.

Special Early Registration is $99 until May 31st. Discount rooms are also available for registered Adventure Gaming Expo attendees.

Additional information and event registration can be found at: http://adventuregamingexpo.malinche.net/

Jeff Howard's Quests is an incisive and highly accessible book that leads the reader on an exploration of literature, computer games, and a connection between them .... The book offers useful discussion of the history of adventure games and detailed analysis of quest elements using concepts from narrative theory, poetics, game studies, and other fields. Quests equips students and scholars as they journey onward to read, play, and fashion games and narratives.

Sounds like a delightful diversion from modernization theory. The book is being published by A K Peters and the hardback is retailing for $45.

Jeff Howard's Quests [Grand Text Auto]

No, not futile, but not mainstream either.

They're not the majority audience as they were in the 80s. That same small slice of people who enjoy puzzle solving, being stuck, and figuring things out still exist. Of course, the Internet has hurt the puzzle aspect of adventure games. When you know that Google can find the answer to any puzzle, it's very tempting to go take a look!

This is a prime example of why drinking and GDC don't mix. I was actually given this information by a slightly drunk PR girl at the Sam and Max party, only to completely forget it due to blue alcoholic beverages. All part of their sinister plot, I'm sure.

I believe that this is the future of adventures games, released like television episodes over the internet, and then collected in boxed sets after the fact. As the proud owner of over fifty seasons of various television shows, it's a business model that really speaks to me. Michael Fahey

JoWooD Productions And Telltale Announce Partnership To Bring Sam & Max: Season 1 To Retail

JoWooD will distribute funniest PC game of the year

Vienna, Austria. March 15, 2007. Sam & Max, the legendary dog and rabbit crime-fighting stars that have been reintroduced to the gaming public with Telltale's downloadable episodic series Sam & Max: Season 1, are finally returning to retail stores worldwide beginning in August 2007.

Sam & Max aren't your average crime-fighting duo. Sam is a six-foot tall canine shamus with a love of justice. Max is hyperkinetic rabbity-thing with a taste for violence. Together, Sam & Max are the Freelance Police, ridding the streets of bottom-feeding sludge one dastardly miscreant at a time.

Over the last two de cades, Sam & Max have appeared in a number of formats, including independent comics created by Steve Purcell, an interactive PC adventure game, a Saturday morning cartoon, a webcomic strip, and now innovative episodic games developed by Telltale. The Adventure Company's Sam & Max: Season 1 release marks this series' first foray into retail stores, giving customers worldwide an opportunity to see why the game's bizarre humor, crazy characters, vivid 3D graphics, and good, old-fashioned point & click gameplay make Sam & Max: Season 1 the funniest PC game in years.

"We are excited about working with Telltale. Sam & Max is a strong franchise and fans across Europe, and the world over, are highly anticipating Sam & Max: Season 1," said Albert Seidl, CEO of JoWooD Productions Software AG. "The worldwide retail release will allow us to bring Sam & Max to a wider audience since the game will be available in the five main languages."

Sam & Max: Season 1 will be released for Windows with a targeted global release date of August 2007.

About the JoWooD Group

Shares of the JoWooD Group are traded at the Vienna stock exchange. They are one of the leading publishers of computer and videogames with a worldwide network of distribution partners. JoWooD develops and publishes state-of-the-art entertainment software for all major existing and new generation systems. For more information please visit www.jowood.com or http://corporate.jowood.com.

About Sam & Max

Steve Purcell published "Monkeys Violating the Heavenly Temple" as his first Sam & Max comic in 1987. Sam & Max solved assorted crimes and mysteries as Freelance Police in their sturdy 1960 Black and White De Soto Adventurer from their home base in New York City. After a series of follow-up comic books, Purcell worked with a team at LucasArts to create the critically acclaimed Sam & Max Hit the Road adventure ga me in 1993. The dog and rabbity-thing duo moved to television in an award-winning animated series in 1997, and are now appearing in an all-new webcomic series at www.telltalegames.com.

About Telltale Inc.

Telltale delivers Tales for Your Imagination - high caliber interactive entertainment which features engaging stories, strong characters, and rich environments. A new era of interactive entertainment is emerging, with customers expecting more from their investment in play time. Telltale is developing and deploying cinematic quality animation and storytelling technologies, to create entertaining and exciting interactive adventures which meet these new expectations. Staffed with long time industry veterans, Telltale creates tales based on Jeff Smith's Bone series, Steve Purcell's Sam & Max characters and television's popular CSI program in partnership with Ubisoft. Telltale offers content development and custom publishing services for license-h olders interested in adapting their properties for interactive delivery. Telltale has created innovative tools, designed specifically for rapid development of high quality, space-efficient titles for digital distribution. Telltale titles can be downloaded from its website, as well as online partners such as Yahoo! Games, Direct-to-Drive, Trymedia Systems, Boonty, and CNET. To learn more about Telltale, please visit www.telltalegames.com.

Old and old-shool gamers who have a fondness for The Longest Journey, Zork, or Gabriel Knight should clear their calendars for the August 28th and 29th get together as it promises some pretty big names... in the adventure game world, of course.

Registration is open now and the whole shebang will set you back $599 per person (including hotel rooms, meals, and con tickets), but cheaper packages are available. Hardcore adventure games hitting Vegas in the middle of summer? I expect a sexy, texty time! Michael McWhertor

AdventureCon Plans Adventure Game Celebration [Gamasutra]

I take it back, what I meant to say when I denied that Sid Meier was the Merchant Ivory of video games, is that Shmorky is the actual Merchant Ivory of video games.

I was going to link the awesome new Flash Tub directly into our hallowed, greeny-pink halls, but I figured it would be more polite to direct the clicks their way.

At right is a screen from Something Awful continuing feature, the Flash Tub, in which Shmorky n' friends showcase their oddly skillful flash creations. Simply titled "Tub Adventure", this rollicking point-and-click romp takes you through a challenging empty room, marriage to a fat lady, and into a plesiosaur's vagina for a five-star dining experience. It was loosely based on a novel that Florian wrote about our first date, which has been described as both "synaesthetic" and "coprophilic".

This may not be the best Flash Tub to demonstrate this, but my favorite thing about the series was hard to put my finger on until my good friend Sizzlepig pointed it out yesterday: Flash Tub is created with actual animated drawings, as opposed to the simple moving shapes used in most flash cartooning.

That, my little airborne simians, is raw class. Next time someone tells you video games are artless drivel, you sit them down for a nice game of Tub Adventure. Eliza "I'm on a penny" Gauger

Tub Adventure [Something Awful]

My very favorite grump is on blast at Gamasutra, grumbling about topics ranging from how there are no decent stories in games anymore, to how he is trying to remedy this and being thwarted at every turn by stonefaced game company executives. Full of piss, vinegar, and baseball metaphors, Gilbert gives us what-for:

GS: Is there anyone in particular that you would single out as doing the right things?

RG: Honestly, I have not played anything in a long time that I thought was doing a particularly good job at telling a story.

Computer games, as I just addressed, age very poorly. It must be insanely frustrating to have shed so much of your blood into a project that becomes unplayable to everyone but the gibbering fanatics (such as myself) a few scant years after it is birthed steaming onto the shelves.

Still, the news that he is still working, still campaigning for adventure games, is vastly hopeful. I'm rooting for you, Mr. Gilbert. Eliza Gauger

Ron Gilbert Interview [Gamasutra]

Destructoid tells us that an indie remake of the classic King's Quest III went live 4 days ago on the creators' website. The death of the Adventure Game is just now starting to be properly mourned, and I swear I can see the bloated corpse twitching a little here and there.

I'm ready for an adventure game zombie apocalypse, readers. I am fully prepared to dig the new Sam and Max that's looming on the horizon (heh, see what I did there?)

But alas! There has risen a plucky group of gamers called Imfamous Adventures that have taken it upon themselves to bring back those true 2D adventuring golden days, starting with a completely 1:1 remaster of Roberta William's classic 1986 hit, King's Quest III.

They even rescored it, and offer the new tunes on the same page as the game itself. Also hinted at is a new voice cast, but the download link is appended with a dubious "coming soon".

Destructoid has gathered comparable screenshots of the actual game and put them side-by-side with grabs from the remake, just to demonstrate the sheer amount of work that went into this. Eliza gauger

Download the game and score here. [Infamous Adventures]

Destructoid gallery and post here. [Destructoid]

A team of Barnett college students has released a demo of their SCUMM-based adventure title, Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth.

SCUMM, or "Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion", is a powerful scripting language by Grumpy Gamer Ron Gilbert. It has long since entered its dotage and been replaced by upstarts like the GRIME system (created for Grim Fandango), but has found new life in the continuing efforts of independent adventure game developers who prefer their players to do exactly as they're told, with none of this "nonlinear" jibba-jabba.

The game, Fountain Of Youth (known by many as FoY) is a freeware point and click adventure game with a similar style to the classic LucasArts adventure, Fate of Atlantis. It is being developed by an international team of enthusiastic fans of both Indiana Jones and point & click adventures.

A ten-room playable demo is available on the site right now, so I checked it out. Man, it brought me back (I miss you, Guybrush!). It's a pitch-perfect replica of the old LucasArts SCUMM games, with all the artistry, gratifyingly bad puns, and tantrum-throwing frustration that those titles entailed. It has all-new art, music, and story; a comprehensive website; forums; and the vague language of all volunteer-based freeware projects: "We'll let you know when its ready, so check back then!" Well okayyyy.

Not particularly encouraging, but the demo seems hopeful. I wish them luck and I'll be checking in. Eliza Gauger

Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth Homepage [Barnett College]

UPDATE: An observant reader pointed out that this game is actually being developed with the general point-and-click engine Adventure Game Studio, which allows users to create remarkably SCUMMlike games. Fooled the hell outta me!