Few educational games can match the reach and impact of The Oregon Trail, originally released in 1971 and subsequently ported or adapted to run on all sorts of hardware.

So how did it happen? At GDC 2017, The Oregon Trail co-creator Don Rawitsch set off on a journey to explore the development of the classic educational game that took the world by storm.

It was an interesting story, too: Rawitsch discussed the serendipitous invention of the game, its simulation model, how it maintained popularity for a period of over 20 years, and its influence on other educational software. 

If you missed his talk in person you can (and should!) now watch the entire talk for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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