The Ages of Myst (a note on a current assignment)

As part of the 'study' part of my study abroad, I have to take a Game History class. I am hoping it will be interesting despite how much I already know on the subject. On the first day, our instructor divied out the one assignment we will be responsible for, a 30 minute presentation on a specific gaming genre. I partnered up with my roomie for this and we unanimously chose 'point and click adventure' because I had wide knowledge of a particular title in the genre: Myst.

Myst was released in 1993 after about three years of development in the garage office of Rand and Robyn Miller. It was their intention to create a whole world that a player could immerse themselves in and learn about the mysterious family that inhabited the main setting. The gameplay is unlike anything anyone had experienced at the time and became a phenomenon. Myst consisted of a series of still 3D images that linked together and made it seem as though a player was moving through the space. Quicktime animations and videos are integrated seamlessly to add to a player's interaction with the world.

The puzzles in Myst are ridiculously frustrating, but the sights and sounds of the world make the journey worthwhile. It falls under the category 'point and click adventure' because it is just that. A player clicks their way through everything without having to battle monsters or destroy things. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy games like that, but Myst is something special. It is a more cerebral, sometimes meditative experience. Granted, I just picked the game up two years ago, so my experience of it is different.

The other titles in the Myst franchise are similar in style, getting more detailed and advanced as technology changed. If it isn't broken, why fix it? The franchise did take a turn in the 2000s to bring in a different audience, but the ideas and story remain unchanged.

Beyond the beautiful imagery and haunting music, the story of Myst is equally attractive. I read the books before I played the game, which may have had a strong impact of my experience of the games. But it was the story that captured me first.

Myst centers on man named Atrus and his family (and sometimes ancestors). Atrus is one of the last remaining descendants of a power civilization that made its home in a huge cavern underground. The D'ni (pronounced either 'dunny' or 'duh nee') possessed a wonderful gift which they called 'The Art' or 'Writing'. With the Art, they were able to create portholes to any possible world from any time and any place. They did this by writing a descriptive book that maps out the geology, nature and inner workings of the world. Since anything is possible, it was like they actually created the worlds they described. They call these worlds 'Ages'.

The D'ni civilization came to a catastrophic end, leaving the remaining members lost on other Ages. Myst: The Book of Ti'ana catalogs the events leading to the downfall of the D'ni. As fantastic as the story is, it holds a great deal of realism and insight into human (or sometimes D'ni) nature. The characters have a depth I did not expect and I really felt connected to them in the book. Atrus' grandfather (also named Aitrus, spelled with an 'i') is probably my favorite character in the entire series along with Anna.


All passions aside, Myst is a great experience. There is so much I could say, but I will leave it up to the reader to explore more.

Shorah b'shemtee!