SHAREWARE HEROES: THE RENEGADES WHO REDEFINED GAMING AT THE DAWN OF THE INTERNET

Richard Moss

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Shareware Heroes takes readers on a journey through a critical yet long overlooked chapter in video game history: the rise and eventual fall of the shareware model.

As commercial game distribution professionalized in the 1980s, independent creators with scant resources or contacts were squeezed out of the market. But not entirely. New technologies and distribution concepts were creating a hidden games publishing market – one that operated by different rules and that, at least for the first several years, had no powerful giants.

It was a land of opportunity and promise, and a glimpse of the digital-first future. This is the story of the games and developers who relied on nascent networking technologies combined with word-of-mouth marketing in an era before social media.

Building on deep archival research and featuring interviews with creators, developers and other heroes of the shareware age, Richard Moss – author of The Secret History of Mac Gaming – once again brings to light a forgotten but all too important era of game development.

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PUBLICATION DETAILS

LANGUAGE	BINDING	EDITION	ISBN	YEAR	PAGES
English	Hardcover		9781800181748	2022	352

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TAGS

Authors: #RichardMoss

Publishers: #Unbound (Unbound)

Languages: #English

Format: #Hardcover #eBook

Accessibility: #TextToSpeech #ScreenReader #EnhancedTypesetting

Year: #Year2022

Genres: #EarlyYears #GameStudies #GeneralHistory #Homebrew #Magazines #Modding #PCGaming

Companies:

#AmbrosiaSoftware (Ambrosia Software)

#Apogee (Apogee Software Productions)

#Apple (Apple) #Epic (Epic Games, Epic Megagames)

#IBM (IBM)

#idSoftware (id Software)

#Llamasoft (Llamasoft)

#MVPSoftware (MVP Software)

#SoleauSoftware (Soleau Software)

#Somak (Somak Software, Inc.)

Public Figures:

#AdrianCarmack (Adrian Carmack)

#AlEvans (Al Evans)

#AndrewFleugelman (Andrew Fleugelman)

#AndrewWelch (Andrew Welch)

#AndyEdwardson (Andy Edwardson)

#ArjanBrussee (Arjan Brussee)

#BobOstrander (Bob Ostrander)

#BobWallace (Bob Wallace)

#CliffBleszinski (Cliff Bleszinski)

#DaveSnyder (Dave Snyder)

#DavidGray (David Gray)

#GeorgeBroussard (George Broussard)

#JayWilbur (Jay Wilbur)

#JeffMinter (Jeff Minter)

#JimKnopf (Jim Knopf, Jim Button)

#JohnBlackwell (John Blackwell)

#JohnCarmack (John Carmack)

#JohnRomero (John Romero)

#KenSilverman (Ken Silverman)

#KevinSantee (Kevin Santee)

#MartynBrown (Martyn Brown)

#MattBurch (Matt Burch)

#MeinolfAmekudzi (Meinolf Amekudzi)

#MichaelDenio (Michael Denio)

#MikePotter (Mike "Zugg" Potter)

#NelsAnderson (Nels Anderson)

#PeterOleFrederiksen (Peter Ole Frederiksen)

#RichardCarr (Richard Carr)

#RichardPetersen (Richard Petersen)

#ScottMiller (Scott Miller)

#TimSweeney (Tim Sweeney)

#ToddRepogle (Todd Repogle)

#TomHall (Tom Hall)

#TomWarfield (Tom Warfield)

#WilliamSoleau (William Soleau)

Games:

#3Demon (3-Demon)

#ActionSuperCross (Action SuperCross)

#Airfight (Airfight)

#AlienCarnage (Alien Carnage)

#AlienPlanet (Alien Planet)

#Amigoids (Amigoids)

#AndesAttack (Andes Attack)

#Asteroids (Asteroids)

#BlakeStone (Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold)

#CaperInTheCastro (Caper In The Castro)

#CapNMagneto (Cap'n Magneto)

#CaptureTheFlag (Capture The Flag)

#CommanderKeen (Commander Keen)

#Doom (Doom, Ultimate DOOM)

#DukeNukem (Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem 3D)

#EpicPinball (Epic Pinball)

#EscapeVelocity (Escape Velocity)

#Grandad (Grandad and the Quest for the Holey Vest, Grandad II: In Search of Sandwiches)

#HugosHouseOfHorrors (Hugo's House of Horrors)

#JazzJackrabbit (Jazz Jackrabbit)

#JillOfTheJungle (Jill of the Jungle)

#KaptajnKaper (Kaptajn Kaper i Kattegat)

#MahJongg (Mah Jongg)

#PetersQuest (Peter's Quest: For the Love of Daphne)

#PrettyGoodSolitaire (Pretty Good Solitaire)

#RingsOfTheMagi (Rings of the Magi)

#RiseOfTheTriad (Rise of the Triad)

#Sleuth (Sleuth) #TheAdventuresOfCaptainComic (The Adventures of Captain Comic, The Adventures of Captain Pixel of the Galactic Security Patrol in 34010 AD)

#TheAdventuresOfElBallo (The Adventures of El Ballo)

#TheAdventuresOfMicroman (The Adventures of Microman)

#Ultima (Ultima, Ultima Underworld)

#WillyTheWorm (Willy The Worm)

#Wolfenstein (Wolfenstein 3D)

#WorldEmpire (World Empire, World Empire II)

#ZZT (ZZT)

Misc:

#Amiga (Amiga)

#AppleII (Apple II Computer)

#AppleIII (Apple III Computer)

#BigBlueDisk (Big Blue Disk)

#CompuServe (CompuServe)

#ComputerGamingWorld (Computer Gaming World) #MUD (zMUD, MUD, Multi-User Dungeon)

#PCSharewareMagazine (PC Shareware Magazine)

#SDMUG (San Diego Macintosh User Group)