I grew up on Sierra adventure games!

[Unknown,Unknown]

I was only 7 years old in 1989 when my dad brought home a copy of Space Quest 2 for PC that a co-worker had copied for him (yes, I know, evil evil pirating…). He and I played the first few minutes of the game, and I was entranced. I INSISTED that my dad aquire more of these sorts of games, and he obeyed by buying me Space Quest 1 and 3, and we played the games together in sequence, firmly captivated by the science fiction setting and engrossing puzzles. I was too young to grasp all of the humor – I didn’t even know what an insurance salesman was! – but my young imagination was firmly taken hold by scenes of sleek space ships, friendly robot companions, alien worlds, and the menacing Sludge Vohaul.

By 1991 I was a 9 year old computer game junkie. My dad made me a deal – for every A I recieved on a report card, I’d get a new Sierra game! Unfortunately I didn’t get as many A’s as I wanted, but I got enough. I remember eagerly ripping the shrinkwrap off my copy of Space Quest 4 and loading it up to be dazzled by the digital sound effects and richly animated 256-color graphics. Space Quest 5 and the entire line of King’s Quest, Police Quest, Liesure Suit Larry, and more soon followed. I’ve never had so much fun playing a computer game as I did when I was engrossed in the middle of a Sierra adventure game.

In a lot of ways I was brought up by the game designers at Sierra. I think I’ve inherited a keen problem-solving intellect that has aided me tremendously in my real life, whenever I encounter hungry fishermen, mean dogs, maze-like corridors, keycard slots, vegas gambling (all you have to do is save every time you’re ahead, then restore every time you lose! I came back with $1000 on my 21st b-day!), dirty marble floors, and of course evil bastards plotting to ruin my day.

I’ve also inhereited a refined, sophisticated concept of storyline – one that considers the Space Quest saga a grand epic unparalled by anything in either film or literature. I can casually claim at fancy dinner parties that I’m well-read, which is true, because I’ve probably read several books-worth of text and aquainted myself with all manner of folklore and pigeon-versions of the main subject matter of all sorts of popular novels and historical documents, making me a very interesting and enlightening person to hold a conversation with.

Thank you, Ken Williams, for periously driving your loyal workers as hard as you could push them, even if it meant sleep deprivation, caffeine addiction, mal-nutrition, muscular atrophy, cardiovascular disease, psychotic episodes, and brain cancer in order to provide me, and others like me, with the upbringing I so desperately needed. I am forever in your debt.

– Chris McGraw
Sierra Adventure Game Addict

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