Preserving Worlds S1 Ep5: NeoHabitat
Means TV
•
24m
Directed by Derek Murphy and Mitchell Zemil • Documentary • 2021 • 28 minutes
Habitat, the first ever graphical massively multiplayer online game, emerged on the Commodore 64 home micro computer in 1986. Because the game was the first of its kind, its developers tried a number of odd experiments that would never be repeated in the online games of today. The game shut down after only two years, but it survived for a time in the offshoot game Club Caribe.
In 2017, the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment partnered with a few of Habitat’s original creators to bring the game back to life, 30 years after its demise. It was completely unprecedented for a museum to revive an online game and make its servers publicly accessible. The MADE argued in front of US copyright courts, and were able to secure an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that makes projects like this far more viable going forward.
Today, the revived Habitat (referred to as NeoHabitat) can be played in a web browser for free, and anyone can easily log on and socialize in this time capsule of the late-80’s. We spoke with Steve Salevan, one of the main software developers on the project, to learn about Habitat’s history, and how its revival was accomplished.
Up Next in Means TV
-
Preserving Worlds S1 Ep6: Second Life
Directed by Derek Murphy and Mitchell Zemil • Documentary • 2021 • 30 minutes
Arguably the most well known social virtual world, Second Life started in 2003 and it’s still online today. The software is extremely flexible, and users are able to customize almost every aspect of the experience. The...
-
Preserving Worlds S2 Ep1: RPG Maker -...
Directed by Derek Murphy and Mitchell Zemil • Documentary • 2023 • 26 minutes
The illegally cracked and fan-translated version of RPG Maker was one of the most popular hobbyist game engines of the early 2000's. The creator of the cult classic Space Funeral shows us how RPG Maker's collage-like n...
-
Preserving Worlds S2 Ep2: Meridian 59...
Directed by Derek Murphy and Mitchell Zemil • Documentary • 2023 • 41 minutes
Meridian 59 was one of the first graphical massively multiplayer online RPGs, and it's still one of the most violent. For almost 30 years, its players have enjoyed all the scheming, backstabbing, and intrigue of a neve...
