Before modern MMOs or esports, there was DECWAR—a 1978 experiment at UT Austin that turned a mainframe into a living, multiplayer universe. This short teaser explores an upcoming overview of how students built real-time, text-based space combat decades ahead of its time—and how historians and developers today are uncovering its code, secrets, and lessons for the future of online play.
I remember seeing DECWAR at South Hedland High School, Western Australia in 1981. I wonder how they distributed this from Austin around the world to other PDP-10 sites. We all stood around the few terminals watching and were just in awe, it didn’t seem like a game, but like some science fiction come to life.
