# Early computer game - Scientific American - late 70's/early 80's **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2007, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-computer-game-scientific-american-late-70s-early-80s/405888 "2007-05-29T10:31:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-computer-game-scientific-american-late-70s-early-80s/405888/21 "2007-05-30T12:42:44Z")
[QUOTE=Princhester] I’m certain there would be. Actually, I think my father may even still have all his old SA’s. It’s just that given a 10 or more year time span and not even a clear idea of what title to look for in a content page, well, I was hoping to shortcut the process. [/QUOTE] Do they publish any sort of index? I really hope you manage to find what you’re looking for, as it sounds fascinating and I’d like to take a bash at re-implementing it. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-computer-game-scientific-american-late-70s-early-80s/405888/22 "2007-05-30T12:51:54Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Dude, you can find [Timex/Sinclair T1000 emulators](http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/ts1000/) on the web, so I’d think that it’s entirely possible this thing is out there, somewhere. [/QUOTE] I look at the emulators and program archives. I find a lot of software that was sold, is missing from the earlt 80’s and before, and I haven’t found a site that has stored the type in programs from magazines. I know a lot is missing because I’ve used computers and programed them since 1978. Looking up the magazine is the way to go if you want this game. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-computer-game-scientific-american-late-70s-early-80s/405888/23 "2007-05-30T15:59:42Z")
The (1990s) graphical adventure **Obsidian** had a puzzle that was very similar (and may have been inspired by it). The important difference is that there was only one robot. It only had 7 programming spots, which wasn’t enough to do what you needed it to do. However, the programming interface was not on the robot, but on a wall of a room that the robot could enter. To solve the puzzle, you had to send the robot into the room, so that it could modify its own code and continue. (In-game, the AI that was trying to take over the world was using this to teach you how it became self-aware.) I know that [Scott Kim](http://www.scottkim.com/) did many of the puzzles in Oblivion. I used to have the strategy guide which talked about who designed what; I’m not sure if that was one of his or not, but you could try asking him. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-computer-game-scientific-american-late-70s-early-80s/405888/24 "2007-05-30T16:49:50Z")
I won a t-shirt for the Obsidian contest. Sent in the contest answer maybe as little as an hour before the contest ended. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-computer-game-scientific-american-late-70s-early-80s/405888/25 "2007-05-30T23:57:23Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Do they publish any sort of index? I really hope you manage to find what you’re looking for, as it sounds fascinating and I’d like to take a bash at re-implementing it. [/QUOTE] Having an offer like that on the table is way too good to pass up. I’m going to track this thing down if it kills me. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-computer-game-scientific-american-late-70s-early-80s/405888/26 "2007-05-31T03:42:36Z")
Since you say it appeared around 1980 (and I remember it myself from around that time), it would have been in one of Martin Gardner’s _Mathematical Games_ columns, which are all available on [this CD](http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Gardners-Mathematical-Games-Gardner/dp/0883855453). It isn’t cheap, but it’s worth the price for any old fans or current fans of math or puzzles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-computer-game-scientific-american-late-70s-early-80s/405888.md?page=1)