The earliest games from On-Line Systems were from a series called HiRes Adventures. It included Mystery House, the first graphic adventure game ever created for the PC. These games were later released under the SierraVenture label. What were the early challenges you faced as an independent game developer and publisher, from programming to packaging to marketing the games in stores? What worries (if any) did you have with releasing Softporn Adventure, an adult-oriented game written by Chuck Benton, under the same label as kid friendly games written by Roberta?

When Sierra started, it was a very different world from what we live in today. There was no internet. Floppy disks were just being invented. The little bit of software that was being sold was shipped on audio cassette. Most products didn’t have packaging. There were no computer magazines beyond a few hand-typed newsletters.

This worked in our favor. At the time I was a 25 year old “kid” with no experience running a business. In today’s competitive world, we wouldn’t have survived six months. But at the time, we could get away with horrible packaging, selling products in zip-lock baggies, and no thought whatsoever given to things like brand image. We released Softporn, complete with Roberta’s racy picture on the cover, without ever thinking about issues like branding or appropriateness. At the time, I don’t think we had much more strategy than just to have fun.