Many things could mean instant death, from broken bones and accidental gunshot wounds to perhaps the most memed of The Oregon Trail game deaths: DYSENTERY. Along the way, kids would learn about famous Oregon Trail stops and landmarks, as well as the ever-present dangers along the way. Leave too late and your wagon could end up snowbound before ever reaching Fort Dalles. If you left too early in the year, flooding was a concern. On a black 16-color VGA background, your job was to guide your wagon from Missouri to Oregon, braving the dangers of rattlesnake bites, dangerous river crossings, and attacks by hostile tribes.

Classic Gameplay, Educational Purposes The best way to die in video game history? There have been subsequent updates all the way up to 2021, but the original is still the most nostalgic for many people. He wanted a learning aid to teach his class about what life was really like on the trail from Independence, Missouri to The Dalles, Oregon in the 1850s.īy 1984 the version that I knew and loved as a kid was published, and a year later it was developed for the Apple II computer. A Brief History of The Oregon Trail GameĪs early as 1971 there was a very early version of the game developed by an 8th-grade teacher in Minnesota. When I found out that you can actually play an online emulated version of the original game my adult heart leaped for joy. Our classroom had a Commodore 64 computer, and I spent hours upon hours playing The Oregon Trail game with its beautiful 8-bit graphics. Let’s ford the river! I was in fifth grade at my school in Forest Grove, Oregon, and the memories are so fond.

Oregon trail 6th edition