Chris Crawford pursued computer games as genuine art, beginning with the simple social game Gossip and later focusing on Arthurian themes.
He created interactive storytelling platforms—Erasmatron, Storytron, and Siboot—but none attracted users due to their complexity and steep learning curve.
His final self-directed project, Le Morte d’Arthur, succeeded as interactive art but reached only a small audience.
A 2024 presentation at Narrascope failed to generate interest in his simplified web-based storytelling tool.
After decades of work and financial investment, Crawford concludes that designing for others did not succeed and he will leave interactive storytelling to others.
He compares his experience to Charles Babbage’s early computing, feeling his innovations were ahead of their time.
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