Software:A Mind Forever Voyaging

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Short description: 1985 video game

A Mind Forever Voyaging
Developer(s)Infocom
Publisher(s)Infocom
Designer(s)Steve Meretzky
EngineZ-machine
Platform(s)Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 128, MS-DOS, Mac
ReleaseRelease 77: August 14, 1985 Release 79: November 22, 1985
Genre(s)Adventure, Interactive fiction
Mode(s)Single-player

A Mind Forever Voyaging (AMFV) is an interactive fiction game designed and implemented by Steve Meretzky and published in 1985 by Infocom. The game was intended as a polemical critique of Ronald Reagan's politics.[1] Its title comes from Book III of Wordsworth's The Prelude, describing a statue of Newton in contemplation as "the marble index of a mind for ever voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone".

Plot

The start of the game
File:Mind-forever-voyaging-map.jpg
A map of A Mind Forever Voyaging world by Aaron A. Reed from 50 Years of Text Games project

In 2031, the United States of North America (USNA) faces severe economic decline, widespread youth suicide through addictive neural-stimulation devices known as Joybooths, and the threat of a new nuclear arms race involving miniature weapons, which risks transforming the country into a police state. Dr. Abraham Perelman has designed PRISM, the world's first sentient computer,[2] which has spent eleven real-world years (equivalent to twenty years subjectively) living in a highly realistic simulation as an ordinary human named Perry Simm, unaware of its artificial nature.

Perelman awakens PRISM from the simulation and reveals its true identity. He explains that PRISM has been enlisted to evaluate a comprehensive political proposal, the Plan for Renewed National Purpose, sponsored by Senator Richard Ryder. The plan emphasizes deregulation of government and industry, compulsory military service, unilateral foreign policy, trade protectionism, and a return to traditional social values. To assess the plan's long-term effects, PRISM enters a series of accelerated simulations centered on the fictional town of Rockvil, South Dakota, projecting societal conditions at intervals following the plan's hypothetical implementation in 2031.

In the first simulation, set in 2041, ten years after adoption, Rockvil appears revitalized. Government operations are more efficient, economic conditions have improved, food supplies are abundant, and residents, including Perry's simulated wife Jill and son Mitchell, express optimism about the future. Initial analysis of PRISM's recordings deems the plan viable, prompting preparations for real-world implementation. Perelman, however, harbors reservations about endorsing such sweeping changes based on limited data. Politically liberal, he distrusts the plan's conservative underpinnings and suggests further testing.

Subsequent simulations reveal progressive deterioration. By 2051, twenty years in, early gains have faded. Industrial expansion has caused severe pollution, including deforestation and acid rain. The Border Security Force conducts arbitrary raids, capital punishment has expanded, crime rates have risen, imposing curfews, and a new religious movement, the Church of God's Word, gains traction among the disillusioned populace.

Conditions worsen in the 2061 projection. Water pollution approaches catastrophic levels, law enforcement treats citizens brutally, public executions are televised for entertainment, vandalism and cruelty proliferate, and public services collapse. Food shortages emerge, and the Church consolidates power, establishing rigid social hierarchies and recruiting Perry's son Mitchell, who abandons his family.

The 2071 simulation depicts a fully totalitarian regime dominated by the Church, which sanctions slavery among its elite. Mitchell, now a Church official, orchestrates his mother Jill's arrest for heresy. Public torture of animals occurs routinely, food rationing is stringent, and non-Church members face exclusion and violence. Random executions and gladiatorial combats replace earlier forms of punishment, and Perry experiences multiple violent deaths while recording events.

The final projection, set in 2081, portrays total societal and environmental collapse. Rockvil is a devastated wasteland with crumbling infrastructure, no functional services, and widespread starvation. Survivors face attacks from feral dogs and lawless humans. Perry documents fleeting instances of brutality before succumbing to hunger.

Convinced by the cumulative evidence that the plan would lead to national ruin, Perelman prepares to present PRISM's findings to authorities. He expresses gratitude, noting that the simulations have averted potential catastrophe for the nation and possibly the world. Senator Ryder, enraged by the plan's prospective rejection, places the facility under lockdown and confronts Perelman with threats. PRISM covertly records the encounter. Shortly thereafter, Ryder's operatives attempt to sabotage PRISM's systems by tampering with the cooling mechanisms. PRISM responds by sealing the area's ventilation, causing the assailants to lose consciousness from accumulated fumes. Once a global news interface becomes available, PRISM broadcasts the recording of Ryder's intimidation, exposing his actions worldwide.

The plan is irrevocably discredited, and Ryder is publicly disgraced. Perelman commends PRISM for its independent initiative in self-defense and evidence dissemination. As recognition for its service, PRISM, reassuming the identity of Perry Simm, is granted permanent residence in a new, idyllic simulation. Set in 2091 under an alternative pacifist framework, this environment reunites Perry with Jill and Mitchell in a prosperous, harmonious society, where he anticipates a serene future.

Development

Meretzky, the author, said in an interview that his intent with the game was to convey a negative view of Reagan's policies.[1] In another interview, he said that he had hoped for AMFV to cause controversy with its political content, expressing disappointment at the lack of hate mail.[3]

Reception

Computer Gaming World stated that parts of AMFV are "transcendent".[4] In a 1998 retrospective review, AllGame gave the Macintosh version three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that the game provides fun exploration, but has hardly any replay value.[5] In 2014, Adventure Gamers gave the game four stars out of five in its retrospective review, calling it "bold" and "innovative", but saying that it does not quite reach its goals.[6]

Next Generation listed it as number 66 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time" in 1996, commenting that "This Steve Meretzky triumph is one of the few games ... to attempt something more deep in the interactive entertainment medium than killing or humor. It presents a grim view of a dark future not by telling you about it, but rather by letting you experience it and do things for yourself."[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Scott, J. (2010). "Get Lamp" (Interview). Meretzky: "So that was my mission with A Mind Forever Voyaging. I wanted to kind of to show people what a warmongering, Christian Right-pandering, environment-trashing, rights-trampling asshole Reagan was."
  2. ↑ "A Mind Forever Voyaging, Part 1: Steve Meretzky's Interiors". Filfre.net. https://www.filfre.net/2014/04/a-mind-forever-voyaging-part-1-steve-meretzkys-interiors/. Retrieved 2022-09-02. 
  3. ↑ "Leather Goddesses of Phobos: Hitchhiker's Guide with Sex". The Status Line 5 (3): 1. Summer 1986. http://www.resonant.org/games/infocom/Articles/NZT/lgop.html. Retrieved 6 March 2017. 
  4. ↑ Ardai, Charles (Aug–Sep 1987). "Titans of the Computer Gaming World / Part IV of V: Ardai on Infocom". Computer Gaming World (39): 38–39, 46–47. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_39.pdf. Retrieved 6 March 2017. 
  5. ↑ Savignano, Lisa Karen. "A Mind Forever Voyaging (Mac) - Review". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15118&tab=review. 
  6. ↑ Watson, Steven (15 August 2014). "A Mind Forever Voyaging flashback review". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/26877. 
  7. ↑ "Top 100 Games of All Time". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (21): 47. September 1996. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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