with Jason Boyd (Host), Patrick R. Dolan, and Tanya Pobuda (special surprise cameo by Elio the Cat)

Broadcast date: September 23, 2024

Writer: Jason Boyd

Producer: Jeremy Andriano

Myst is a first-person, point-and-click graphic exploration/adventure game with mystery and puzzle-solving elements designed by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller. It was originally released for the Macintosh in 1993, and was distributed on CD-ROM. Myst was marketed with the tagline, “The surrealistic adventure that will become your world.” It created a sensation when it was released in 1993, and went on to become the best selling PC game until surpassed by The Sims in 2005. Through a series and successive remakes, it has remained a presence in videogame culture up until the present. But what is the explanation for its longevity, especially when its flaws as a game and a story are now quite evident? And why is it worth revisiting today?

All audio clips in the podcast quoted from Myst.

Sources and Resources:

• “1993 in video games.” Wikipedia. Accessed 18 September 2023.
• Adkins, John-Gabriel. “Two Histories of Myst.” Picking Up the Pieces (Medium), 11 July 2018. 
• Ars Technica. “Myst Co-Creator Rand Miller: Extended Interview.” YouTube, 21 February 2020.
• D’ni Database (Myst Wiki). Fandom, https://dni.fandom.com/wiki/. 
• Ludodrome. “A Brief History of…Myst.” YouTube, 26 September 2016.
• Miller, Rand, and Ryan Miller. The Manhole. Cyan Worlds, 1988. https://archive.org/details/TheManholeMacintosh
• “Myst.” Wikipedia. Accessed 18 September 2023.
• “PC game.” Wikipedia. Accessed 18 September 2023.
• “Pyst.” Wikipedia. Accessed 18 September 2023.
• Walker, John. “Is Myst Still One of the Worst Games Ever?” Rock Paper Shotgun, 2 March 2020.