Welcome to the second installment of "It Came From the Internet." Each week the intrepid crew of the H-PCAACA will venture boldly into the farthest reaches of the internet to find interesting and offbeat sites relating to American, world, and popular culture.
This week we look at one man's quest to play through forty year's worth of English language computer role playing games (CRPGs). Under the psuedonym Chester Bolingbroke, this crusading blogger has delved into the deepest dungeons of 165 games as of October 2014. What sets the CRPG Addict blog apart from more encyclopedia style resources such as MobyGames is the fact that Bolingbroke personally plays through each game, commenting on mechanics, storyline, history, and connections to other CRPGs. Bolingbroke also has reached out to the creators of some of the games to ask questions and obtain commentary. While doing so, the CRPG Addict has solved a series of minor mysteries regarding publication dates and game authorship.
Bolingbroke freely admits to having little experience with programming or gaming prior to embarking on his quest. He is a consultant with a hobby. Each game is rated by a home-grown system and the playthrough is well documented with screenshots. Navigation around the site is a little clunky due to Blogger's style and the number of pages already up, and there is no master directory to easily jump to a particular game. A Google Doc is available with a listing of games however.
The CRPG Addict is useful for its detailed insights into nearly forgotten games and a look at computer gaming history from the viewpoint of a casual--albeit dedicated--player. For anyone researching older games, its worth a look. Bolingbroke has included a lengthy FAQ and has discussed the issues involved in obtaining and playing old games meant for long discontinued computer systems. For a reader interested in a different take on the history of computer gaming, the blog is still going strong with 250 games currently on the agenda. The CPRG Addict is also a good example of a small private blog that has gained a following.
Sharpen your +2 longsword, dust off that shield, and ride the internet to the CRPG Addict.
http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/
Have a site you would like to recommend for It Came From the Internet? Contact us at the link to the right.
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Dan Fandino is a history graduate student at the University of Central Florida. He was raised on the virtues of the Avatar through an old copy of Ultima IV and is still waiting for new sequels to Starflight and Star Control.
It Came From the Internet is an H-PCAACA feature on interesting web sites relating to American, world, and popular culture. Feel free to comment by clicking on “Discussions” in the right side panel. If you are interested in contributing a post or if you would like to create your own blog or feature, let us know through the email link.
Content reflects the views and opinions of the author and not necessarily that of H-Net.
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