[game_preservation] Hunt the Wumpus - 1972 or 1973?

[Henry Lowood]

Devin,

from word-of-mouth stories, I have the impression that he did the work 
here, quickly (as you say) at the PCC.  In fact, part of the story is 
that he noticed people playing certain kinds of games at the PCC and 
thought that other topologies would be intriguing.  But again, this is 
just an impression I have from various conversations over the years. I 
have written about it just a bit from the available sources, which from 
your account must have been the same ones that you used.

You might try asking people like Liza Loop or Jim Warren, who were 
around during the PCC days. They might know.

I was not aware of Yob's passing  nor his decision to be cryofrozen.  
Interesting.

Henry

Devin Monnens wrote:

> Wikipedia states that Hunt the Wumpus "was noticed on mainframe 

> computers as early as 1972". However, in Gregory Yob's article for 

> Creative Computing (published Oct/Nov 1975), he states that he 

> designed that game "about two years ago", placing it squarely in 1973. 

> He says he dropped it off at the People's Computer Company and about 

> one month afterward went to the Synergy Conference at Stanford (held 

> May 9-13, 1973). This would mean he built the game probably in April 

> 1973 - or at least dropped it off at PCC in late March, early April. 

> From the way he tells the story, it sounds like he built it in one 

> afternoon (which would make more sense if he was visiting out of state 

> - though I can't get confirmation that he was a Dartmouth alumni 

> because Wikipedia is the sole source of info - and I think there it's 

> referencing Dot Eaters.). So...was this built on a teletype at 

> Dartmouth in 1972 or in California in 1973?

>

> Also...Greg Yob passed away in 2005, which I wasn't aware of. However, 

> he has been cryofrozen and so when the technology becomes available, 

> we can resurrect him and ask him more about Wumpus. I can envision 

> people from the future resurrecting Yob to hunt real wumpuses (Wumpi?) 

> that have infested the Arizona desert after the apocalypse.

>

> -- 

> Devin Monnens

> www.deserthat.com <http://www.deserthat.com>

>

> The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

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-- 
Henry Lowood, Ph.D.
Curator for History of Science & Technology Collections;
 Film & Media Collections
HRG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford CA 94305-6004
650-723-4602; lowood at stanford.edu; http://www.stanford.edu/~lowood 
<http://www.stanford.edu/%7Elowood>
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