MYSTeries Revealed
An Interview with Rand and Robyn Miller
Jonathan Bird
October 1, 1996
For three years now, Myst has been getting in the eyes of computer gamers everywhere. To be more precise, copies of this interactive cd-rom adventure-mystery-developed by Cyan, Inc. and published by Brøderbund-have found their way into the computers of over 2.5 million people worldwide, grossing an estimated $100 million. Not surprisingly, all this Myst has affected the vision of the industry as well. At its debut, Myst boasted unparalleled graphics. It has won awards, including a critics' choice award for best consumer program. Teachers herald its potential for honing problem-solving skills. Parents and kids alike enjoy it as an alternative to the ultra-violence that has dominated the market for over a decade.
The industry and its consumers stress something else, too: Myst not only established a new standard of gaming software, it launched a new form of art. Its beautiful graphics, moody sounds, and challenging interactive plot create for the player a compelling universe, complete with its own sensory experiences, its own history, and its own dangers. Myst isn't so much a game as it is an eerie, captivating place in which to lose yourself.
Were I to interrupt your play during one of Myst's more uncanny and mythical moments, you probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that the game has spiritual roots. In fact, those roots are embedded in the Christian faith.
You might begin to suspect as much from even a sketchy outline of the game. You're given no instructions at the start; you discover and decipher them as you go. You soon learn that Myst Island is home to a certain Atrus who passes his time writing books that give rise to various worlds, or "ages," in parallel dimensions. Judging from your surroundings on the island and ...
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