MDA in Atari Adventure and Colossal Cave Adventure

“Somewhere lost in the clouded annals of history lies a place that few have seen—a mysterious place called the Unknown, where long forgotten stories are revealed to those who travel through the wood” – Over the Garden Wall

To play games like Colossal Cave Adventure and its companion piece Atari Adventure is in many ways entering the Unknown—with only text as our guide in the former, and with extremely rudimentary graphics in the latter, we are left to ourselves to find the adventure, create the characters, and the motivations.

Going through these narratives (especially Colossal Cave Adventure) I found myself experiencing a feeling I haven’t felt in a video game since Earthbound—the feeling of being lost, and of not knowing how to proceed… and it was beautiful. The Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics all work together to create that feeling of losing yourself to an environment–of walking into another world. Rather than being disparate elements, they’re all working together in harmony to evoke that mysterious feeling—to get sucked into the Unknown.

Mechanics play a strong role towards that feeling of being lost, Colossal Cave Adventure throws you into a forest beside a house with no map and only vaguely tells you how to begin your quest. The lack of tutorial I think is key here. If the game had laid out precisely what to do or had some sort of fairy guide character I think the effect would be ruined.

To move our adventurer you simply type where to go and which objects to interact with. You have an inventory with a limited number of slots for items, and later on you learn magic spells to teleport you around (adding to the maze like nature of the CCA). The mechanics here are essential to that feeling of wonder. With no visuals, you are left to your own accord to draw up a map, and discover which directions you’ve traveled.

Atari Adventure begins in a very similar fashion, you start off in a cave and once again you aren’t given much background information. You move left and right, pick up objects, and avoid dragons that look suspiciously like giant ducks. Your goal is to retrieve a chalice from an evil wizard. Not unlike CCA the mechanics reinforce the feeling of entering a new space, of entering into the Unknown. What these objects are and what you do with them to advance is up for you to find out.

Dynamics: Starting CCA felt like waking up with amnesia, simply finding my bearings proved difficult as I wandered meadows, rivers, and eventually worked my way into the cave. I wrestled with the text trying desperately to unlock the grate, and found myself sinking into that other worldly feeling of being a lost adventurer.

Atari Adventure unlike Colossal Cave Adventure begins you in the cave, and as soon as I began to move those terrible dragons descended upon me, blocking my progress at every point. It took an online glossary for me to realize that the arrow thing was indeed a sword. It was touch and go, but my avatar and I made it through.

Aesthetics really are the pinnacle of this mountain; I firmly believe that the motive behind both Colossal Cave Adventure and Atari Adventure wasn’t to create a time killing program but to walk past normal life and evoke a fantasy setting—with all of the ups and downs that come with that strange world. They both undoubtedly fall into Fantasy or Games as Make Believe but also Discovery as both games are predicated on finding or searching both times without maps or notes beyond the instruction manuals.

In these stories you stride forth into the shadows… and hopefully like Greg and Wirt, eventually find the way back out again.