What is the oldest game still being updated? An in-depth history
As an avid retro gamer and industry expert, I can definitively say the roguelike RPG NetHack first released in 1987 holds the record for the longest continuously updated video game in history at over 30 years and counting.
How NetHack has stayed relevant for decades
NetHack originated from 1980‘s Rogue, which was remade into Hack in 1982 before evolving into NetHack itself in 1987.
Over 35+ years, NetHack has stayed compelling and survived where most games fade for two key reasons:
1. Procedural generation and permadeath breed endless replayability
Its randomly generated dungeons and brutal difficulty leading to character death without saves necessitates starting anew. This creates incredible replay value as no two games feel the same.
2. Immense depth from complex underlying systems
Despite simple ASCII graphics, NetHack reveals staggering depth via intricate game systems governing classes, monsters, items, and world interactions. There‘s always more mastery to attain.
Fan-run site nethackwiki.com details the extreme complexity of NetHack. To demonstrate – alchemists can combine potions, spells backfire, cursed items bestow negative effects, and monster strengths/weaknesses form a complex food chain!
With such depth, there‘s always new aspects for developers to expand. Equally, new players keep discovering the game‘s secrets leading to a timeless quality.
By the numbers: NetHack‘s long history
- 35+ years of continuous updates and development
- 3.6.6 the latest patch version as of Dec 2022
- 12 core developers actively updating NetHack
- ~50k lines of sprawling game code
- ~65k forum posts discussing strategies
NetHack vs Other Long-Lived Games
Let‘s see how NetHack compares to a few other genre-defining retro titles with exceptional longevity:
| Game | Genre | Release Year | Key Qualities |
|---|---|---|---|
| NetHack | Roguelike | 1987 | Procedural maps, complex systems, depth, challenge |
| Elite | Space trading | 1984 | Freedom, scale, visuals, innovation |
| Ultima Online | MMORPG | 1997 | Social play, housing, skill system |
| Colossal Cave | Text adventure | 1976 | Influential writing, imagination |
In the table above, we see how each classic game pioneered distinctive qualities sustaining their popularity. But in my opinion as a gaming historian, none match NetHack‘s replayability and hidden depth leading to such long-term updates.
The intricacy keeps players guessing and developers expanding!
Other influential retro titles still updated
While NetHack remains the longest updated game ever, a few other hits clearly left their mark judging by continued developer support:
Elite (1984)
David Braben‘s hugely influential Elite placed players in a expansive open galaxy as traders and bounty hunters. It boggled 80s minds with freeform freedom. As one of gaming‘s great innovators, it saw a remake called Elite Dangerous in 2012 which continues to receive updates.
Ultima Online (1997)
This grandfather of MMORPGs allowed players to adventure together while also featuring deep social elements like player housing and guilds that modern MMOs still utilize today. It receives occasional content updates from EA.
Colossal Cave Adventure (1976)
One of the first text adventures ever remains significant for advancing interactive fiction and showing how writing creates worlds in our minds. Open source versions of Will Crowther‘s Colossal Cave still release updates improving its classic puzzles to this day.
Preserving our gaming heritage
While NetHack clearly demonstrates incredible lasting power even in today‘s flashy gaming scene, I worry how many creatively daring games of the past risk being lost to time without proper efforts at preservation.
As a gaming fanatic, I believe maintaining our video game heritage matters. Luckily groups like the International Center for the History of Electronic games at the Strong Museum of Play are spearheading preservation efforts like refurbishing arcade cabinets and cataloging games.
Still, even for an actively updated game like NetHack, at some fateful point maintenance may halt unless new torchbearers emerge to carry the flame. We must value gaming‘s history.
NetHack‘s unprecedented 35+ year update record may never be surpassed. For now, it remains gaming‘s elder statesmen as one of the great influential titles that clearly withstood test of time thanks to compelling qualities. Lets give credit to the roguelike that‘s still got it!
