# Have you ever played a text adventure game? Would you play it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Adventure/Lucasfilm Games\ **Created:** [June 20, 2017, 10:28pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818 "2017-06-20T22:28:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/41 "2017-06-24T15:50:46Z")
Interesting… of all the people I know who read books, about one half _only_ reads them at the beach. The other half only reads them in bed before going to sleep. Given that… if a text adventure cannot be used either at the beach or in bed (lying down), at first glance I’d say that’s the reason they are not popular. You don’t need to look for other reasons. I might be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/42 "2017-06-24T16:15:14Z")
> [@PiecesOfKate](#): > > Maybe it’s partly because I live in the UK and being at the beach somewhat of a luxury event Isn´t it also incredibly windy? > [@seguso](#): > > of all the people I know who read books, about one half only reads them at the beach. Maybe in italy more people have access to the beach? Either way I´m a bit saddend by this whole discussion that seems to imply that these days products can only be popular if they´re easy to be casually consumed. ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/43 "2017-06-24T16:34:05Z")
> [@milanfahrnholz](#): > > Maybe in italy more people have access to the beach? Well, yes, by now you might have guessed I live by the beach. 🙂 you need to bring kids to the beach, and the parents get stuck there with nothing to do. It’s then that they read. ---
**Author:** ![PiecesOfKate](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/piecesofkate/32/93_2.png) [@PiecesOfKate](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/PiecesOfKate)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/44 "2017-06-24T16:51:22Z")
> [@milanfahrnholz](#): > > Maybe it’s partly because I live in the UK and being at the beach somewhat of a luxury event > > Isn´t it also incredibly windy? Sometimes - it varies. Brits are weather-toughened though, hurrrgh! ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/45 "2017-06-24T17:13:07Z")
> [@seguso](#): > > But to me the interesting question is: “why are point&click text adventures not popular among readers of books?”. Because they are complete different mediums? You have to interact with a text adventure - and you have to solve puzzles. If you read a book, you can just enjoy the story. You don’t need to “think”. So reading a book is relaxation, _playing_ a text adventure is “work”. At least I don’t want to solve puzzles after a long working day in my bed. ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 9:49am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/46 "2017-06-25T09:49:59Z")
I don’t know… I tried last night in bed. A text adventure on the phone, instead of reading. it was relaxing, not different from reading. It felt totally like “reading”, not at all like “working”. I mean, ideas come naturally, that’s how the brain works. To our consciousness, ideas look like they “popup out of nowhere”… it’s not something you must consciously work to obtain. The only real pain was typing on the phone. But point&click text adventures solve this. ---
**Author:** ![DZ-Jay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@DZ-Jay](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/DZ-Jay)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 10:52am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/47 "2017-06-25T10:52:51Z")
> [@Someone](#): > > > [@seguso](#): > > > > But to me the interesting question is: “why are point&click text adventures not popular among readers of books?”. > > Because they are complete different mediums? > > You have to interact with a text adventure - and you have to solve puzzles. > If you read a book, you can just enjoy the story. You don’t need to “think”. > So reading a book is relaxation, _playing_ a text adventure is “work”. > > At least I don’t want to solve puzzles after a long working day in my bed. Wow, what kind of job do you have where you spend a long working day in your bed? (Just kidding!) 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:07am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/48 "2017-06-25T11:07:14Z")
> [@DZ-Jay](#): > > Wow, what kind of job do you have where you spend a long working day in your bed? > > (Just kidding!) 😆 What if I tell you, that my office is actually in my home. Near my bed. Extremely near my bed… ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:09am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/49 "2017-06-25T11:09:31Z")
> [@Someone](#): > > Near my bed. Extremely near my bed… You´re making it sound like “office” was an euphemism for chamber pot. ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:11am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/50 "2017-06-25T11:11:59Z")
> [@seguso](#): > > A text adventure on the phone, instead of reading. it was relaxing, not different from reading. Really? But then it wasn’t an infocom adventure? 😉 But seriously: Solving puzzles turns my brain on and keeps me awake, while books are relaxing to me. Beside that, the display of a phone has blue light, that keeps you awake too. So I for myself won’t solve adventure games in my bed (at night) - especially when they have difficult puzzles. ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:12am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/51 "2017-06-25T11:12:54Z")
> [@milanfahrnholz](#): > > You´re making it sound like “office” was an euphemism for chamber pot. Ehm. Uhrm. I can’t tell you more… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:14am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/52 "2017-06-25T11:14:13Z")
That´s why we´re calling it “doing the business!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:17am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/53 "2017-06-25T11:17:31Z")
> [@DZ-Jay](#): > > Wow, what kind of job do you have where you spend a long working day in your bed? He´s a rock star obviously ![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/4/43353737ff9034313197c03d6f6e7672078c1b9b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:21am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/54 "2017-06-25T11:21:02Z")
> [@milanfahrnholz](#): > > He´s a rock star obviously Shhhhht. (You know too much. And you know what such people happens…) ---
**Author:** ![milanfahrnholz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@milanfahrnholz](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/milanfahrnholz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:24am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/55 "2017-06-25T11:24:35Z")
> [@Someone](#): > > You know too much. And you know what such people happens They become subjects of Alfred Hitchcock movies… ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:26am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/56 "2017-06-25T11:26:26Z")
> [@Someone](#): > > Really? But then it wasn’t an infocom adventure? No, it was the one about the pig 🙂 Yeah, I wasn’t considering infocom adventures. these AFAIR were very frustrating, forcing you to do repetitive actions (spells, reagents). I can understand that these cannot be compared to books. Maybe we should distinguish between interactive fiction and text adventure. ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:28am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/57 "2017-06-25T11:28:31Z")
> [@seguso](#): > > Maybe we should distinguish between interactive fiction and text adventure. In which way they differ from your point of view? IF are easier text adventures? IF has no “real” puzzles (= walking simulators in text form)? ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:30am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/58 "2017-06-25T11:30:38Z")
IF: they do have puzzles, but they they seem very exploration based, which I found relaxing. you can just visit a lot of rooms before you even start solving puzzles. However, I need to play a bit more to be sure-- I don’t have much experience with IF. ---
**Author:** ![Someone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Someone](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Someone)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:35am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/59 "2017-06-25T11:35:21Z")
Hm… I thought of IF as another term/synonym for text adventures. But consulting the corresponding [Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_fiction), it seems that today IF is used as a generic term (cite): > Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, is software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:39am UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818/60 "2017-06-25T11:39:10Z")
I did have the impression that, in IF, puzzles are secondary, while story and exploration are primary. However, I am basing my impression on just Detectiveland (the point&click one), and the one with the pig. What I know for sure is that I just bought 7 Daedalic games on sale and I don’t know if I’ll ever play them, cause IF is so much more immersive… [Previous page](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818.md?page=2) [Next page](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/have-you-ever-played-a-text-adventure-game-would-you-play-it/818.md?page=4)