Artifacts: Stories from the Emotional History of the Internet

·S2 E6

The Shareware Games That Asked Us to Trust Them

September 4
9 mins

Episode Description

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Before app stores, digital storefronts and endless in-game purchases, there was shareware. You could get a game for free, play it, and decide whether it was worth sending money to the person who made it.

In this episode of Artifacts, I look back at shareware games, registration cards, and the surprisingly personal relationship between creators and players, and how that compares with today's world of DLC, premium editions, and paying to unlock more of what you've already bought.

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