What IF?: History of Interactive Fiction

About this episode

This episode explores the transformative impact of interactive fiction and text adventures on the gaming industry.

Text adventures and interactive fiction might look primitive today, yet they changed gaming forever. Through imagination and clever code, these games laid the groundwork for everything from RPG dialogue trees to open-world exploration. Join us as we celebrate the witty, weird, and world-shaping legacy of interactive fiction. Please like, subscribe, and we look forward to seeing you when new episodes are released every second Wednesday. Sources: Consider the Consequences! ELIZA Colossal Cave Adventure Get Lamp: The Text Adventure Documentary We welcome you to get in touch with us! Visit us on: GamingHistory.Club Facebook Instagram Theme tune created by Tom Docherty

People in this episode

Host: Gaming History Club

Topics covered

• interactive fiction
• text adventures
• gaming history
• RPG dialogue trees
• open-world exploration

Keywords

• interactive fiction
• text adventures
• gaming history
• RPG
• dialogue trees
• open-world

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: GamingHistory.Club

Books & works: ELIZA, Colossal Cave Adventure, Get Lamp: The Text Adventure Documentary

More episodes of Gaming History Club

• SEGA Saga Continued · May 27, 2026 · 45 min
• SEGA Saga · April 29, 2026 · 35 min
• History of MMORPGs · March 25, 2026 · 47 min
• Resident Evil: The Survival Horror Legacy · February 25, 2026 · 42 min
• Gaming History Heroes: Mabel Addis · January 28, 2026 · 36 min
• Flicking Through: History of Video Game Magazines · January 14, 2026 · 35 min