In 1974, the very first Oregon Trail game came out on the computer. This game was very popular amongst elementary school students and it later became popular on the internet. Today, almost every student who grew up in elementary school in the 80s and 90s remembers playing this game. In 1992, a version of this game was released which was the same sort of game play as the first one, except the graphics were improved. It was called Oregon Trail Deluxe and the same company that released the first one, MECC, also released this version, but what made the game play so memorable that made this game become a cult classic?

As you can see, the title screen shows a woman in a bonnet pointing a gun at a snake. Now that's hardcore.

First, you start off learning about what the Oregon Trail is, because remember this is an educational game, but no-one cared about this part, they just wanted to play. You first started by selecting which month you want to leave, whether it be March, April, May, June, July, or August. Selecting an early month like March or April was important because if you left too late, you could hit winter near the end of the game and die. Then, you select your occupation (Doctor, Banker, Teacher, etc.) which may become vital in the game, for example, if you were the doctor, less people would get typhoid fever, or if you were a carpenter, you would break less axles.

This is the screen that monitors food, your load on the wagon, rations, pace, etc.

Anyway, it also depended on how much money you start with. Bankers have the most, while teachers have the least. Then you can start buying stuff such as food, oxen, clothes, bullets, axles, and other goods. Then the game begins. You start in Independence, Missouri and head west. As you go along the Oregon Trail, you stop by landmarks and forts. You can also get sick and die (as well as the other four people with you), have people rob from you, find berries and abandoned wagons, and hunt.

Stopping by forts and landmarks was a vital part of the education that was in the game. If you never played Oregon Trail, how else would you be aware of places such as Chimney Rock, Fort Walla Walla, Fort Laramie, or the Kansas River? The only way is if you actually pulled out a book at the time and read about it, which no kid obviously wanted to do. Stopping at forts was also very important in the game. It was the only time you could ever buy more supplies after you left Independence. Besides stopping at landmarks and forts, it was a real bitch when you came across a river. At that point, you have three choices: Walk through the river (suicide), caulk the wagon, or pay $5.00 for a ferry. It was about a 50% chance that you could get across the river by caulking your wagon, otherwise, you could sink in the river, resulting in a loss of items, or sometimes, the lives of some of your companions.

Uh-oh, Jonas got typhoid fever.

Besides rivers, forts, and landmarks, you usually had to stop all the time because of sickness or anything else. You could hit a blizzard, fog, or a bad storm, which mostly stopped you for a day or two. It’s a pain in the ass when you “went on the wrong trail and have to return” (I quoted that because it’s not YOUR fault, it’s the computer). That usually takes like four days. Even worse is if you find an impassable part of the trail, which takes like ten days for some reason. One thing that made this game is how people get sick and sometimes die. Sickness range from typhoid fever, dysentery, measles, cholera, and sometimes snakebites. If you don’t feed your companions enough food, the chances of them getting sick are higher, and if you don’t rest for a while, they could die.

The hunt is on for this thing.

There is no doubt that the most fun part in Oregon Trail is when you get to shoot animals for food. One strategy in this game is to buy practically no food but hunt the whole way there. The problem with doing that is sometimes, the animals in the area can only consist of tiny squirrels and rabbits, resulting in tiny amounts of food. While you hunt, you may find larger animals such as elk, deer, bears, and buffalo. Buffalo are the best animals to hunt, since they are large and walk slow so its easier to shoot, and the fact that they are large provides you with more food. Sometimes, you don’t have to hunt to get free food. Occasionally, you come across berries, or if you’re low on food, an Indian can bring you a dead rabbit, but what’s more fun than shooting a gun and getting a lot of food for it in an educational game that you play in school?

Eventually, after about a half hour from starting, you near the end of the game. You have a choice of going to Fort Walla Walla or going to The Dalles. The easier way is taking the shortcut to the Dalles. When you get there, you caulk your wagon to go down the river (I’m guessing the Columbia River). As you head down the river, you have to dodge large rocks otherwise your wagon sinks. It is the most amazing and epic end to a video game yet, and when you finish riding down the river, you get to see the Oregon Trail ending, which is equally as awesome.

Afterward, you get to put your score on the scoreboard. Your occupation that you chose in the beginning becomes important yet again, because depending on what you chose, it adds an bonus multiplier to your final score. The teacher provides the largest multiplier. Since being a teacher in the game gives you the least amount of money and no special skill(s), they make it up to you in the end if you actually care about the score you got. What makes this game awesome is the fact that everything you do matters, such as how much food you eat, how fast you travel, how much food you got over oxen, and many other factors, making this the most strategic game that you played in elementary school.

The amazing ending to Oregon Trail.