A Mind Forever Voyaging

1985 · Atari ST · Infocom

A Mind Forever Voyaging is a 1985 interactive fiction game written and designed by Steve Meretzky and published by Infocom. Set in a future United States in 2031, players assume the role of PRISM, an artificial intelligence tasked to observe the impact of sweeping conservative policies on a simulated South Dakota town over several decades, leading to societal and ecological collapse. Following the success of co-writing another Infocom title, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Meretzky wrote the game as a narrative-focused and political science fiction title, prompted by his dismay at the 1984 re-election of Ronald Reagan. Whilst the game was not a commercial success upon release, critics praised the writing and scope of Voyaging, considering it ambitious for a text adventure. The game has received a positive retrospective reception and listed as one of the best text adventure titles and games of all time, with some critics viewing its themes as prescient to contemporary political, social and environmental issues. Synopsis from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.