Scott Adams

Scott Adams
Adams, Scott
Born	July 10, 1952 Miami, Florida
Occupation	Founder, Software Developer

Career

Scott Adams is an American computer programmer and game designer best known as the founder of Adventure International and for creating the first commercially available text adventure games for home computers. Born in 1952, Adams played a pivotal role in defining the interactive fiction genre during the formative years of the personal computing era.

Early Work and Breakthrough

In the late 1970s, inspired by the mainframe game Colossal Cave Adventure, Adams developed his own text-based adventure game using a TRS-80 computer. This led to the release of Adventureland in 1978, considered the first text adventure game available for personal computers. It allowed players to interact with a story by typing simple commands, ushering in a new genre of home computer entertainment.

Recognizing a market opportunity, Adams co-founded Adventure International in 1979, one of the first companies devoted exclusively to publishing games for home computers. He created a series of text adventure games known as the Scott Adams Adventures, which became hugely popular on systems like the Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, and TRS-80.

The Adventure Series

The original series included 12 titles. Each game used a simple two-word parser, allowing players to input commands like “GO NORTH” or “GET LAMP.” Despite technological limitations, Adams’s games were known for their challenging puzzles, quirky humor, and imaginative worlds.

Marvel Adventures and Multimedia Expansion

In the mid-1980s, Adventure International licensed characters from Marvel Comics, leading to the Questprobe series, featuring superheroes like Spider-Man, The Hulk, and The Human Torch. These games were an ambitious mix of comic book storytelling and interactive puzzles, blending media in a new way.

Unfortunately, despite critical acclaim, financial struggles led to the closure of Adventure International in 1985.

Later Career and Legacy

After the closure of his company, Adams stepped away from the game industry for a time, working in various technology roles. However, he returned to game development in the 2000s, launching new interactive fiction projects including The Inheritance and reimaginings of his classic titles.

Adams is widely recognized as a pioneer in the computer game industry. His work laid the foundation for interactive storytelling and inspired generations of game designers. His original adventures remain influential and are still played and studied today.

Notable Achievements

• Created the first text adventure for home computers
• Founded Adventure International, a landmark publisher in early computer gaming
• Developed over a dozen classic adventure titles
• Blended comic books and games in the Questprobe series
• Inducted into the Adventure Game Hall of Fame

External links

• Wikipedia
• Mobygames
• Software People Page 5
• Software People Page 44
• Software People Page 124ff.