What inspired to you create this website? What was the first adventure game you covered on the website? How large had the website's readership grown since then?
There's nothing really wrong with that, but surely that doesn't mean the old style of games has to disappear? Or better yet, if people were better integrating the old school with the new school? That's what developers would be best to learn. Today, games are meant to be rollercoaster experiences. In many ways games were simpler back in the 80s and 90s, but there's a certain straightforwardness to them and a larger emphasis on skill.
This is any genre, not just adventure games. Not to sound like an old fogey (I'm not that old, really!), but they don't make games like they used to. Why are you fascinated particularly by video game history? To what extent is the study of video game history underappreciated by current game developers?
HG101 LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE 2 BOX ART MOVIE
Now, try to transfer those emotions into a book or a movie telling the same story. It creates this just insane, madcap atmosphere where you're on your toes at all times, but it's all so ridiculous that it's still funny even though it's incredibly frustrating. Like if you would try to hit on a girl you'd almost all die in incredibly gruesome death. There are dozens of ways to get stuck or get killed in the most innocuous and absurd ways. Like, for example, the second Leisure Suit Larry game. What sort of devices exclusive to gaming could it use to tell a story and to elicit emotion? The most interesting part is seeing how these games of old were able to communicate an experience like this with such limited technology. Part of the fun was exploring, looking at all of the different stuff to see if the game commented on them, trying out different stuff (which was more fun with the text parser) to see if it would understand them, and find goofy ways to get yourself killed. For a lot of the most popular games nowadays that just involves watching cutscenes, which aren't all that involving, but a lot of older adventure games really made you an active participant in the game world. I absolutely disagree with that, because there's a lot of fascinating ways you can involve the player that you can't in any other medium. You often hear people complain that stories in video games are terrible, and they just shouldn't even bother, that if you wanted a story you should just read a book or watch a movie. What appeals to you most about adventure games, both as a gamer playing them and as a journalist writing about them? Not coincidentally, one of my first memories of going into a book store was heading into the back to the "games" section to check out the hint books to figure out what I was supposed to do in whatever game I was trying to play.
HG101 LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE 2 BOX ART TV
If there was any kind of precedent to that in the comics or TV show, the five year old me certainly didn't know it. You needed to type in "bite lip", which apparently enraged you so much that you transformed and burst free. Obviously you needed to turn into the Hulk to escape, but typing in "turn into Hulk" just didn't work. If I remember correctly, you started off as Bruce Banner and you were tied to a chair. The one that burns brightest in my memory was one of the Scott Adams text adventures, one based on the Incredible Hulk. My dad had bought an Atari 400 around the time I was born, so I spent a lot of time playing games with him growing up. What were your first memories of playing adventure games? In the interview, Kalata speaks about his passion for adventure games, the history of Hardcore Gaming 101, his inspiration to compile The Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures, his opinion of the current state of the adventure game genre, and what the future holds for him and his website. We are privileged to have an opportunity to interview Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101. This compendium, aptly titled Presents: The Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures, would serve as a comprehensive guide and bible for any fans of the genre as well as newcomers who might be interested in learning more about the genre's turbulent history. Soon after launching the website, Kalata began another ambitious game project-to create a compendium that would chronicle in detail the early history of graphic adventure games. The website is notable for its in-depth coverage of many classic games-with a particular focus on their histories, many of which make for stories that are as fascinating as the games themselves. Created by Kurt Kalata in 2004, this website has grown to become a rich underground resource for gamers who are interested in learning more about their favorite games of yore. Fans of classic gaming are undoubtedly familiar with Hardcore Gaming 101.