Video game product package:Windows 95/98 Close Combat III: The Russian Front - Signed Product Package

The desire for adventure can be found in nearly all aspects of life, and gaming is no exception. In 1978, designer Scott Adams programmed the first adventure-style video game for personal computers. Also known as interactive fiction, games of this genre generally feature storylines focused on exploration and puzzle-solving.

In 1978, Adams co-founded the publishing company Adventure International and released his first game, Adventureland, for the Radio Shack TRS-80 personal computer. Programmed in BASIC, this text-based game led players on a hunt for 13 lost artifacts, during which they traversed various locations and solved puzzles. Though it had a simplistic plot, the basic elements of Adventureland inspired future adventure games with epic stories, including Sierra's King's Quest and Broderbund's Myst.

Adventure International published 57 games between 1978 and 1985, with Adams designing the initial 12, along with several later installments, including the Questprobe trilogy dedicated to Marvel super heroes in 1984. Adams took a development hiatus following Adventure International's bankruptcy, but he reemerged on the gaming scene in 2000 with Return to Pirate's Island 2, and again in 2013 with his Bible-based adventure The Inheritance.

This artifact is part of a donation from Scott Adams, representing titles published by Adventure International.