What 'The Oregon Trail' Co-Creator Thinks of Apple's Plans for a Movie (cbsnews.com) 18
It's one of the most successful — and oldest — computer games of all-time. This week CBS News Minnesota interviewed Bill Heinemann, who in 1971 co-created "The Oregon Trail" as an educational video game simulating pioneers travelling west.
"It's surprising and gratifying and humbling, in a way, that a little thing that I spent two weeks on has become a worldwide phenomenon," Heinemann said... The game's become known for the many ways players can die, including by dysentery, but Heinemann's favorite was death by snake bite. "It only happened once every several hundred times, and so people could've played it for months and all of a sudden, 'What? I got bit by a snake and died? This has never happened to me before!'" he said.
The game has been the subject of numerous satirical articles by McSweeney's. And long-time Slashdot reader whois_drek points out that a sketch comedy group also based a movie on the videogame in 2023.
So how does the game's co-creator feel about Apple's plans to film a new big-budget movie based on the game? "Surprising to me how popular it's become and how long the interest in it has been around," Heinemann said. "And this is just the next step I guess."
He won't be making any money off the movie. In fact, Heinemann's never seen a dime from the iconic game. He and his two co-creators, Rawitsch and Paul Dillenberger, turned it over to the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium shortly after they invented it. Heinemann says it doesn't bother him. "I didn't do it for money," he said. "I did it for just the love of the game and the love of teaching."
Thanks to Slashdot reader quonset for sharing the news.
The game has been the subject of numerous satirical articles by McSweeney's. And long-time Slashdot reader whois_drek points out that a sketch comedy group also based a movie on the videogame in 2023.
So how does the game's co-creator feel about Apple's plans to film a new big-budget movie based on the game? "Surprising to me how popular it's become and how long the interest in it has been around," Heinemann said. "And this is just the next step I guess."
He won't be making any money off the movie. In fact, Heinemann's never seen a dime from the iconic game. He and his two co-creators, Rawitsch and Paul Dillenberger, turned it over to the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium shortly after they invented it. Heinemann says it doesn't bother him. "I didn't do it for money," he said. "I did it for just the love of the game and the love of teaching."
Thanks to Slashdot reader quonset for sharing the news.
"A Million Ways to Die in the West" movie (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
After stepping on a poo-covered needle.
In 21st century San Francisco
Re: (Score:2)
I don't get it.
All of the red states in the union despise homelessness. They are too stupid to understand the root cause of it.
Instead of fixing the underlying problem (american capitalism), they either make it illegal to be homeless or ship their bums to warm weather states. Las Vegas, Phoenix, SF & LA are full of crazy, red state bums.
They just send their problems west and start disparaging the cities that can't solve the very expensive problem they created with their stupidity and apathy.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't get it.
All of the red states in the union despise homelessness. They are too stupid to understand the root cause of it.
Instead of fixing the underlying problem (american capitalism), they either make it illegal to be homeless or ship their bums to warm weather states. Las Vegas, Phoenix, SF & LA are full of crazy, red state bums.
They just send their problems west and start disparaging the cities that can't solve the very expensive problem they created with their stupidity and apathy.
“Despising homelessness” is a good thing and your warm weather and capitalism hypotheses don’t hold water - homelessness spiked on the west coast only after it abandoned vagrancy laws, a pattern that was also seen in Europe. This trend accelerated in SF when Gavin was mayor then in all of California while he’s been governor. These abandoned laws made peeing on your neighbor’s porch a punishable offense, made looting a punishable offense, and allowed the courts to force intransi
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Believe it or not, it's actually the true story of Annie Oakley with a bunch of slapstick comedy filler about how dangerous it was to be a pioneer.
Re: (Score:3)
I always thought of the comedy movie "A Million Ways to Die in the West" as a good unofficial adaptation of the game "Oregon Trail".
”1883” is probably a far better example. The Oregon trail is only comedic from behind a keyboard. The reality of the story is much more harsh. Dysentery still kills over a million people every year. Pretty sure none of them ever thought dying from shitting blood, was funny.
America hung advertisements in many countries asking for foreigners to come “settle” the West. Oh, the native Indians that will come take (back) their land from you with deadly force? Yeah, the advertisements
Careful - if it follows "Person of Interest"... (Score:2)
The main "Oregon Trail" player will end up buried under a concrete slab.
Finally! (Score:4, Funny)
Very few survive.... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I managed it once by luck on the original on an Apple II. I bought a (I think) the max amount of oxen, a big stack of spare wagon parts and spent most the money on bullets. Regularly hunted more than I could carry back to camp. After dozens of tries just got lucky enough not to die of disease or drown fording a river.
He didn't do it for the money (Score:4, Insightful)
but Apple sure does.
Re: (Score:1)
He won't be making any money off the movie.
And apple will keep up the tradition.
Jack Black? (Score:2)