Early BASIC games
ethosBASIC may have been designed expressly for game developers, but programmers had been using BASIC to create amusing diversions for decades by the time it was released. These early games were collected in a compendium, appropriately titled BASIC Computer Games, which was released in 1973. Written by David H. Ahl, this book collects the code for 101 different games which could be run on a BASIC interpreter. A few of them are summarized belowthey’ll seem either quaint or nostalgic to you now (depending on your age), but at the time these were the boldest examples of what BASIC could accomplish.
- Chomp This 2-player game has many mathematical implications, but the basic rules state that on a grid made up of small blocks, each player must take turns choosing a block. That block, and any below it and to the right of it, disappears. The person who eats the block in the top-left corner loses.
- Hamurabi A precursor to modern strategy games, this input-based text game allowed players to take on the role of an ancient ruler (like Hammurabi). By deciding how much land to buy and how much grain to give your kingdom, for example, you determine whether your kingdom lives or dies.
- Hexapawn This 2-player game is played on a board like that of chess, except it can be any size. Each player starts with a row of pawns and must move all of them to the other end, or block all of their opponent’s possible moves.
- Nim Another 2-player game. Players take turns removing different numbers of objects from discrete groups. The person to take the last item loses (or wins, depending on the variant).
- Pawn Duel This game is played on a chess-board, usually with three pawns for each player. The goal is not to reach the other side, but to block all of your opponent’s moves.
- Super Star Trek A text-based game is based off of the legendary cult series. Using a combination of short and long range scans, the player must use phasers and photon torpedoes to destroy the Klingon warships.