David Farrier

So then I was like, okay, this video game, did the video game have barrels in it? And so I was like, who invented the video game? How does this thing work? So in 1971, three teachers invented the game because they wanted to teach kids in their class about the Oregon Trail.

So then I was like, okay, this video game, did the video game have barrels in it? And so I was like, who invented the video game? How does this thing work? So in 1971, three teachers invented the game because they wanted to teach kids in their class about the Oregon Trail.

Roosevelt did. I did not. Because I was homeschooled. And so I was raised in the ways of the Baptist church. And we didn't have the Oregon Trail. But Rosabelle did. So no, basically what blew me away when I started thinking about this is Oregon Trail was one of the very first games that was out ever. And it wasn't at home, it was at school.

Roosevelt did. I did not. Because I was homeschooled. And so I was raised in the ways of the Baptist church. And we didn't have the Oregon Trail. But Rosabelle did. So no, basically what blew me away when I started thinking about this is Oregon Trail was one of the very first games that was out ever. And it wasn't at home, it was at school.

And so if you were playing it at school, you were fucking obsessed with it because this was like the first video game you had ever played and it was incredible. And it kind of was like the first ever form of edutainment. It's a great word. So I was like, okay, do I talk, I want to find out about these barrels that Roosevelt was going on about.

And so if you were playing it at school, you were fucking obsessed with it because this was like the first video game you had ever played and it was incredible. And it kind of was like the first ever form of edutainment. It's a great word. So I was like, okay, do I talk, I want to find out about these barrels that Roosevelt was going on about.

And so I was like, can I find these three men that invented the video game? And then I realized, no, that wasn't the video game that Roosevelt would have played because that was just in American schools.

And so I was like, can I find these three men that invented the video game? And then I realized, no, that wasn't the video game that Roosevelt would have played because that was just in American schools.

And so then I found out that in 85, the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium bought the rights to the educational game and they wanted to overhaul the whole thing and make it like so you could play it at home. They chose three games to renovate and go into the home market. One of them was called Lemonade Stand. It was a big hit.

And so then I found out that in 85, the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium bought the rights to the educational game and they wanted to overhaul the whole thing and make it like so you could play it at home. They chose three games to renovate and go into the home market. One of them was called Lemonade Stand. It was a big hit.

One of them was called Odell Lake, which apparently it's a lake in Oregon. And in the game, you play a fish in the lake. Which is incredible. And the third game they chose to renovate and make big and put out into the home market was the Oregon Trail. And that is the game that eventually made it to New Zealand where Roosevelt played it in her grandfather's lounge.

One of them was called Odell Lake, which apparently it's a lake in Oregon. And in the game, you play a fish in the lake. Which is incredible. And the third game they chose to renovate and make big and put out into the home market was the Oregon Trail. And that is the game that eventually made it to New Zealand where Roosevelt played it in her grandfather's lounge.

I tracked down the man who invented that particular game. He was the one that made Oregon Trail mainstream. Phillip Bouchard is his name. Living legend, because in the original, one of the big enemies in the game was the Native American people, and one of the main enemies. If you were on the Oregon Trail, you'd get killed by Native Americans.

I tracked down the man who invented that particular game. He was the one that made Oregon Trail mainstream. Phillip Bouchard is his name. Living legend, because in the original, one of the big enemies in the game was the Native American people, and one of the main enemies. If you were on the Oregon Trail, you'd get killed by Native Americans.

Philip Bouchard came along and he was like, no, that's bullshit. Native Americans were actually very friendly and helped out. What killed people was dysentery. And the odd animal attack. And so he removed that Native American stuff and put in the reality, which is that most white people on that trail just got sick and died because they were kind of useless. Yeah.

Philip Bouchard came along and he was like, no, that's bullshit. Native Americans were actually very friendly and helped out. What killed people was dysentery. And the odd animal attack. And so he removed that Native American stuff and put in the reality, which is that most white people on that trail just got sick and died because they were kind of useless. Yeah.

And so he put that into the game and made a much more accurate version. And that is the version that spread out of the American school system into like commercial land and then made it into New Zealand and made it into Roosevelt's house. Of course, all of this is to say, I wanted to find out about these fucking barrels.

And so he put that into the game and made a much more accurate version. And that is the version that spread out of the American school system into like commercial land and then made it into New Zealand and made it into Roosevelt's house. Of course, all of this is to say, I wanted to find out about these fucking barrels.

And so I zoomed with Philip Bouchard, the guy who made the game that Roosevelt played, and I talked to him about the fucking barrels. And I just want to play this for you now. Were barrels a big part of the gameplay in the game, or is my friend misremembering?

And so I zoomed with Philip Bouchard, the guy who made the game that Roosevelt played, and I talked to him about the fucking barrels. And I just want to play this for you now. Were barrels a big part of the gameplay in the game, or is my friend misremembering?