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Hitchhiker's Guide To Douglas Adams' Secret Gaming Passion
Welcome to a special episode of The Game Informer Show podcast. I'm assuming you're aware of the sci-fi/comedy writer Douglas Adams and his work on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Dirk Gently series of books, but you might be less familiar with his work in the games industry. Starting in the early 1980s, Adams brought his enthusiasm for technology and storytelling to the games industry and worked on creating interactive entertainment until his death in 2001. In this podcast episode, we take a deep dive into Adams' work in the gaming industry by talking to his fans and game developers that worked with him in creating Infocom's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text adventure game, Bureaucracy, Starship Titanic, and more.
Special thanks to Gary Whitta, Tim Schafer, Emma Westecott, Robbie Stamp, and Steve Meretzky for sharing their memories of Douglas Adams and his work. If you're interested in playing some of Adams' work, you can check out the full Hitchhiker's text adventure game online, Starship Titanic on Steam, or read about why Hothead's mobile take on the Hitchhiker's license didn't come together. This episode was made for fans of Douglas Adams, so please share it with a fellow fan if you enjoy it. Also, if you enjoy this format, you can check out similar episodes on recording the first Metal Gear Solid or writing a bizarre Pokémon musical.
You can watch the video below, subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes or Google Play, or listen on SoundCloud.
To jump to a particular point in the discussion, check out the time stamps below...
0:01 - Intro
4:45 - Infocom's Steve Meretzky and designing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
23:00 - Creating Bureaucracy
31:17 - Founding Digital Village and creating Starship Titanic
56:50 - The lost Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy console game
58:13 - Conclusion
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