#2.164 – Start New Game, or Journey Onward?

First published on March 18th, 2013. 
“Start New Game” and “Journey Onward” are the choices presented to you at the start of Ultima IV, more poetic versions of “New” and “Load Saved Game”. As we enter the new year, that feels like the choices we also have in life – whether to start anew, wipe out the old, clean the slate, or push ahead, deal with the choices already made, accept the baggage and get on with it.

#2.164 - Start New Game or Journey Onward?
#2.164 - back
sent from: Esher, Surrey, UK. destination: Bielefeld, Germany

20-something years ago I obsessively played the “Ultima” Role Playing games on my Commodore-64. It was but one expression of my nerdy interests in fantasy, gaming, video-games, stories, other worlds. This experience was not unique, although very few people around me shared these interests, so I generally kept them to myself.
My chosen fields of study and work attracted others like me, so I’ve found myself as an adult surrounded by like-minded people, something that has been very gratifying.
What I could not have predicted is that these ideas about gaming and story have managed to permeate the culture; from zombie-chase running apps, to city-wide treasure hunts, to immersive free-roaming location specific theatre.
I found “Ultima IV” available free on gog.com the other day. I fired it up, suited up my character, and went off exploring.

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