Weekly Links #144: looking backwards edition

Welcome, readers, to another full week. For one thing, I had lengthy commentary to make on a couple of articles, that were banished to the other blog as a consequence (here and here), so as not to take up excessive space. In other news, there are still two weeks to go in the IFComp, and I'm working on yet another harebrained scheme, that seems to be working out for a change. Stay tuned!

Anyway, after a brief absence, Jimmy Maher is back with an article about how Jordan Mechner did cinematic games in the 1980s better than any modern studio with all their 21st century tech. On a similar note, Ars Technica offers a retrospective of the PLATO network, that birthed many of the concepts we take for granted in modern gaming. And over on Play the Past, there's a write-up comparing modern RPGs to... the Iliad and Odyssey. A fresh and surprising angle, to say the least. Once again, hooray for the increasing academic involvement in videogames.

Conversely, Hardcore Gaming 101 grouchily discusses the much more recent game Her Story. (I smell burnout. Not to criticize them; happens to everyone.) And to finish on a happy note, take a look at these photos of vintage computer stores. Those were the days!

Thank you for putting up with yet another post focused on the past, and keep your spirits up in the coming week. Pun not intended.