My Dad Banned Video Games. Then He Bought Us Zork.

Summary

Growing up in the 1980s, my family had pretty strict rules about what I could do on our Atari 800XL computer. Video games were basically off-limits unless I could prove I was being productive and actually using the machine to learn something worthwhile. But there was one glorious exception to that rule: Zork. My dad actually bought us Zork, and it completely changed how I thought about gaming and interactive storytelling. It wasn’t just a game—it was a gateway into understanding what computers could really do.

In this video, I walk through those memories of playing Zork as a kid and why it mattered so much to me during those early years of home computing. But I’m not just reminiscing—I’m also excited to share what I’m planning to do next. I’m working on putting together some livestreams where we’ll play through Zork together as a group, and I’m also experimenting with something really cool: using AI and large language models to play Zork autonomously. It’s a way of bringing this classic game into the modern era and exploring what happens when you combine retro gaming with cutting-edge AI. I can’t wait to show you what we come up with.

Key Points

• My family had a no-video-games rule on our Atari 800XL unless I could prove I was being productive with the computer
• Zork was the one exception my dad made, and it became a treasured memory from my youth
• Zork represented my early experimentation with home computers and interactive storytelling in the 1980s
• I’m planning to start livestreams featuring group playthroughs of Zork I
• I’m experimenting with using AI and large language models to play Zork autonomously
• This project is about bridging retro gaming nostalgia with modern AI technology

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Note: This post was generated from the video title and description as no transcript was available.

This post was automatically generated from my YouTube video. Watch above or view directly on YouTube.