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I showed up at the ION Storm HQ somewhat nervous. I was, after all, an interloper, and this wasn't a press event, it was a party for programmers. I've never programmed anything for the Apple II, unless you count a BASIC program that made my name flash on the screen repeatedly. As I searched for my name tag on the reception table, my intimidation only grew. Names like Bill Budge (Pinball Construction Set), Jordan Mechner (Karateka), and Dan Gorlin (Choplifter) stirred up old memories, while names I didn't recognize were conveniently associated on the name tags with that person's most famous games, many of which I had played to death, like Blade of Blackpoole, Sherwood Forest, and Dino Eggs. I was actually - for the first time in my career in the games industry - feeling somewhat starstruck.
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"Early in the evening I could do little else but simply stand around and gawk."
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Early in the evening I could do little else but simply stand around and gawk. As the night wore on (and after a few trips to the open bar), I mustered the nerve to corner a few of the luminaries in attendance to pick their brains about the early days of the computer games industry.
Easter Everywhere
Looking around the room, I spotted an accessible Warren Robinett, who's name sounded familiar but it took me a second to place it. I remembered that he developed one Apple II game (Rocky's Boots) and was the cofounder of The Learning Company. But old gamers might remember him better as a famous Atari 2600 programmer - and at one time he was probably the most recognized name in the game industry
For those who can't remember, Warren Robinett basically invented the concept of the "Easter Egg" in games with the inclusion of an extremely hard-to-find room in Adventure that contained the simple message "Created by Warren Robinett." It was the stuff of legend at the time, and Robinett recalled the experience for me.
Next: Hatching a game Easter Egg
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