GamesHorrorThis 44-year-old horror game was so indie that its legendary dev sold it in a plastic bag, and after one day on eBay a rare original copy is already over $4,000When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesHorrorThis 44-year-old horror game was so indie that its legendary dev sold it in a plastic bag, and after one day on eBay a rare original copy is already over $4,000When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: wcwhitson on eBay)
The Williamses are best known as the founders of On-Line Systems, which would become Sierra On-Line, and the creators of the King’s Quest series. But On-Line Systems was originally intended to be a business software company, and it’s only after Roberta got obsessed with the adventure game Colossal Cave Adventure that they decided to make a game.
That game was called Mystery House, and it’s about as indie an indie game as you could have in 1980. Roberta handled the writing and design, while Ken did the programming, collaborating to create a murder mystery where the bodies piled up faster than a slasher flick. It was one of the first graphical adventure games and one of the first horror games, in both cases predating the very terms we use to describe those genres.
The first run of Mystery House was sold through mail-order ads in various computer magazines, and proved successful enough to sell 10,000 copies - which Roberta personally printed and packed into Ziploc bags. On-Line Systems would later reprint Mystery House with more formal packaging, and while all versions of the game are pretty rare, the original version is downright legendary.
All this is preamble to explain just how wild it is that a copy of Mystery House in its original form hasshown up on eBay, as Digital Eclipse’s Chris Kohler has noted onBluesky. “Roberta Williams probably bought that baggie at the supermarket and put that sticker on at her kitchen table, is what I’m saying,” Kohler jokes.
Later printings of Mystery House already go anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousandon eBay, but just one day after posting this original copy has already eclipsed $4,000. And with six more days left to go, it’s likely to go a whole lot higher. “I don’t think I touched it for 40 years before I unearthed it from a box of old software this week,” the seller says, but remarkably they claim that the disk remains in working condition after all these years.
“Man, if I had any idea what kind of price this might go for, I would have tried to clean it up a little more, but I guess you have seen it now,” the seller says in a recent addendum to the post.
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There’s clearly interest in this early edition of Mystery House, but collectors are going to have to be cautious. Back in 2022, there was a notable scandal in the PC game collecting scene when a number of titles - including Ultima predecessor Akalabeth and a Japanese copy of Mystery House - were discovered to be likely counterfeits. Our friends atPC Gamerreported on it at the time, and it’s a notable warning about just how hard it can be to detect a fake PC game of this vintage.
I certainly don’t have the budget to be bidding on a game like this either way, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that this Mystery House listing is legit. It’s such a cool item that I need this story to have a happy ending.
Ken and Roberta got back into game development to remake Colossal Cave Adventure.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”