Robert McNeesJun 7, 2023
Prince Rogers Nelson – musical genius and one of the greatest multi-instrumentalists to ever walk the face of the Earth – was born OTD in 1958.
Jen The RNJun 7, 2023
Show threadRobert McNees

In the fall of 1971, Prince was an 8th grader at Bryant Junior High in Minneapolis.

Across town, student teacher Don Rawitsch was developing a card and dice game called "Oregon Trail" in his 8th grade history classes at Jordan Junior High.

Rawitsch showed the game to Bill Heinemann and Paul Dillenberger, who were student teachers at Bryant. They coded it up and play tested it with their school’s 8th graders.

It is very likely that Prince was an early playtester of Oregon Trail!

Jun 7, 2023 at 2:37pmIvory for Mac
Show threadRobert McNeesJun 7, 2023

The game was *wildly* popular with the junior high students. Access to the teletype terminal was limited, and demand was high, so students had to play in groups of 4 or 5. They would come to school early and stay there late to play Oregon Trail.

So, while there are no records (that I know of) definitively showing Prince was involved, the game was so popular with the kids that it is very likely he was playing that first version.

Show threadRobert McNeesJun 7, 2023
My head canon is that somewhere deep in the Paisley Park vaults, there is a forgotten tape labeled “When Doves Die of Dysentery,” containing a grand soundtrack for the game.
Show threadJoene 🏴Jun 7, 2023
@mcnees Well he didn't die of dysentery in 2016. But he declared himself dead in 1993 (to continue as  until 2000), so maybe he died in 1993 from dysentery virtually. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Show threadProf. Sam LawlerJun 7, 2023
@mcnees My kids have been hilariously delighted about playing Oregon Trail here: https://classicreload.com/oregon-trail.html
The Oregon Trail

Choose a persona and jump right into exploring the Oregon Trail on Classic Reload! First released to the masses in 1974 by MECC, The Oregon Trail stands out as the most important educational game of all time, holding a worthy spot in the Video Game Hall of Fame. You will need to ration food, hunt, trade, and ford rivers while prioritizing your party’s survival. The character

ClassicReload.com
Show threadJack GrahamJun 7, 2023
@mcnees 🤩
Show threadadorferJun 7, 2023
@mcnees the storyline of Oregon Trail didn't age well.
Later text adventures wisely turned towards dragons, elves and other imaginary creatures.
Show threadwhutJun 7, 2023
@mcnees ... and maybe Prince wasn't a tester. He hated school and was only interested in hoops and music. Watch the YouTube interview with Morris Hayes from a few days ago at the 8 minute mark https://youtu.be/P4szpb6Ua3g
Prince was great at EVERYTHING! How? Morris Hayes explains!

YouTube
Show threadRobert McNeesJun 7, 2023
@PaulPukite Maybe! From what I've read, all the kids were crazy for it. I'll check out the video.
Show threadwhutJun 8, 2023
@mcnees a few years younger than Prince but at the time mid 70s it was TIES in the Twin Cities schools. One time my dad bought home a DEC terminal and we dialed in to TIES to check it out. In a few days the math teacher announced to the class that someone had logged on w/o permission. Never heard of Oregon Trail until recently.