On Jul 12, 2007, at 11:10 PM, Joe Wiltrout wrote:

> I'm just going to finish up reading Why's. I wish I had it in text
> though. I be alot easier and wouldn't be lagged by my crappy comp. I
> just wish it wasn't so distracting with the funny foxes though. It  
> makes
> my learning slower, but it makes it more enjoyable too. This guy was
> smarter than Einstein. Make it fun to read For Dummies books. GENUIS!
>
>
> -- 
> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
>
If you want to know or try an excellent (but not easy) Text  
Adventure, try the classic Zork, there are some free online versions  
available. The original is still hosted online, accessible from the  
command line. Originally it was only on a university's unix network,  
back in the days of dumb terminals and no internet. It's old, but the  
history of the game and its development is interesting and worth  
reading if you want to create a game...
The first MUDs (multi-user dungeons) were pretty much inspired by  
Zork and similar games (and dungeons and dragons of course). Ruby is  
an excellent way to create just such a game for starters.
Later Text Adventures added some still pictures. The genre died out  
long ago, with the advent of faster computers and better graphics  
abilities.