Pixels and Paper - Hybrid Computer Role-Playing Games of the 1980s
Explore the often underestimated narrative function of manuals in popular 1980s computer role-playing games in this 55-minute German conference talk from the Vintage Computing Festival Berlin 2024. Delve into how these hybrid computer-roleplaying games combined digital and physical elements, with manuals providing vivid descriptions and images to supplement the symbolic representations in the software. Examine how this technique not only served a practical purpose but also connected to existing storytelling methods from the pen-and-paper world. Analyze 16 selected manuals to uncover various hybrid narrative structures, demonstrating how software and manuals formed cohesive design units. Get a hands-on look at the original "paperware" accompanying these classic games, offering insight into this unique era of gaming history.