Glossary Entry: Text Adventure
Quick Definition
Although most people recognize Pong as one of the first video games, text adventures were probably the original computer games. Unlike modern games, they usually didn't feature any graphics, nor did they use controllers, the mouse, or any of the keyboard control schemes that are popular today.
Instead, they interacted with the player via text, just like the command line interface that was already used by the operating system. In general, they would usually describe the current area and then wait for the user to enter a command. For example, the player may type "view inventory" to ask for a list of what they are currently carrying, or "take candle" to pickup a candle that's present in the room.
Although text adventures are limited to a small niche in today's gaming community, they have not been forgotten and still have their fans.
Instead, they interacted with the player via text, just like the command line interface that was already used by the operating system. In general, they would usually describe the current area and then wait for the user to enter a command. For example, the player may type "view inventory" to ask for a list of what they are currently carrying, or "take candle" to pickup a candle that's present in the room.
Although text adventures are limited to a small niche in today's gaming community, they have not been forgotten and still have their fans.
Example
A screenshot of Advent, one of the more famous text adventures
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