In a text-only “video” game released in 1986, participants take on the role of a man who suddenly finds himself in a Manhattan hotel with no clothes—and no memory. Players must negotiate a series of puzzles to get decent and navigate the city; as they gather clues and avoid challenges, they discover plot points involving a forgotten fiancé, an assassin in hot pursuit, and charges for murder in Texas.
Yale University archivists recently unearthed the game to exhibit as a digital cultural artifact, and to experience it does require a visit to New Haven. However, the frustration of amnesia may not be for you: As one librarian said, “If you’re unsure about how you’re supposed to know to do something, please know it’s not you. The game was hard for players in 1986, too.”