''Avatar'' is an early graphics-based multi-user highly interactive
role-playing video game
Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
, created on the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
'
PLATO system
PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations), also known as Project Plato and Project PLATO, was the first generalized computer-assisted instruction system. Starting in 1960, it ran on the University of Illinois's ILLIAC I compu ...
in the late 1970s. It has graphics for navigating through a
dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette (fr ...
and chat-style text for player status and communication with others. It can currently be played
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...
via Cyber1 or a simulation called Javatar. What makes ''Avatar'' popular is the high level of interactivity with other players and the sense of community that develops. Development on ''Avatar'' began on the University of Illinois PLATO system around 1976 by
Bruce Maggs
Bruce MacDowell Maggs is an American computer scientist and professor at Duke University whose research interests include computer networks, distributed systems, and computer security. He was a founding employee and served as vice president for Res ...
and Andrew Shapira, who were junior high school students at the time. They were soon joined by David Sides, who was a student at the University of Illinois. The first version was released in 1979.
History
''Avatar'' was a successor to several innovative and highly successful role-playing games on the PLATO system, most notably ''Oubliette'', written by Jim Schwaiger and published on the PLATO system in 1977.
It was so difficult that one could not play it alone; in order for players to survive, they had to run in groups. Following ''Oubliette'', also on PLATO, was a game called ''
Moria
Moria may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Moria (Middle-earth), fictional location in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
* ''Moria: The Dwarven City'', a 1984 fantasy role-playing game supplement
* Moria (1978 video game), ''Moria'' (1978 video gam ...
'' written in 1977, copyright 1978.
Classic as well as modified versions of ''Avatar 84'' are operating on Cyber1. When the NovaNET system existed, it hosted original versions of both ''Avatar 95'' and ''Avatar 90''. It was also possible to play versions of ''Avatar 84'' and ''Man 60 Avatar'' on Novanet. These last two games operated with the old game data on the ''Avatar 95'' engine, which was not quite the same as playing through the original engine. The NovaNET system was shut down in November 2015.
Gameplay
''Avatar'' is inherently a MMO multi-player game.
See also
* ''
Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol'' - a PC based clone of ''Avatar''
References
{{reflist
External links
PLATO@50: Games Panel Video with Co-Author Dr. Andrew Shapira"Want to see gaming's past and future? Dive into the "educational" world of PLATO"by
Ars Technica
''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
Role-playing video games
PLATO (computer system) games
1979 video games
Video games developed in the United States
Fiction about purgatory