There was a time when talking about gigabytes was a delirious dream. When CD-ROM was a strange laboratory thing that wanted to replace vinyl. When the guy with a color-screen computer was something like the god of the neighborhood. And among software, one word was repeated left and right: Shareware. Video games were no strangers to this term, and for many users, the first titles that ran on their computers belonged to the shareware category. This time, we'll review its history and mention some of the most important games that were distributed that way.
A guy advanced with a pistol in his hand through what seemed to be an old castle, leaving Nazis in their own pools of blood. The question was short: "What is that?" The answer too: "Wolfenstein". Ten minutes later, the one playing made a copy of the game on a floppy disk, and the one who had asked went happily home to try it out. There was no Internet, floppy disks cost a fortune, hard drives were for a few privileged people, and access to BBS almost belonged to another dimension.
To know about a game you had to see it in person, read its name in a catalog, or wait for monthly publications that reviewed it across several pages. However, what we now see as limitations and restrictions were simply neither of those things back then. The Internet was a true revolution as a distribution channel for programs and video games, but before that, we had our formatted and verified floppy disks, friends' gatherings in small computing caves, and of course, we had shareware.
The history of shareware games
The story says that the first example of shareware was the PC-Talk, a DOS communications program created in 1982 by the late (or technically disappeared) Andrew Fluegelman, widely recognized as founder of PC World and Macworld. PC-Talk was presented using a curious word: Freeware. That word speaks of a type of license that sought to "stimulate" users to make voluntary payments for the program, and allowed its unrestricted copying as long as the terms and license text itself were not altered. Shortly after, two more programs appeared: PC-File and PC-Write, a database and a word processor respectively. The first used the term "user-supported software", while the second fully adopted the word "Shareware".
Both cases were particularly striking. The creator of PC-File, Jim Knopf, initially created the software under the name Easy-File to manage a church's mailing list. Eventually, the program became known, people began to request copies, and Knopf agreed on the condition that they help with its distribution, and that those satisfied with it make a voluntary payment. The computer world was smaller back then, and one user managed to have a copy of both PC-Talk and Easy-File.
Knopf contacted Fluegelman, and they talked about how to refine this distribution method they were both exploring. They agreed on three points: both would mention the other's program in the documentation, Easy-File changed its name to PC-File for better reference, and the donation value was set at 25 dollars. The response was impressive. At that time, Knopf worked for IBM, but there came a point where income from PC-File exceeded tenfold his salary at the blue giant.
Fluegelman, Knopf and Wallace came to be known as the "three fathers of shareware"
For PC-Write, its creator Bob Wallace, known as Microsoft's "ninth employee", requested a voluntary payment of 75 dollars, but there was something more. If a user paid the amount, they got a serial number that could be added to all copies they made afterward.
If another user received one of those copies and made the same payment, they were asked, if it existed, for the serial number. And from that number, the user associated with the serial number received a 25-dollar commission for each paid copy. It was an enormous incentive to distribute PC-Write, but the most important point was that the model worked.
Finally, it was necessary to adopt a kind of "general term" to describe the model. "Freeware" was licensed, "user-supported software" was awkward. "Shareware" was chosen by the majority of users, and since Wallace had not turned it into a trademark, he let it be used generally. That is how Fluegelman, Knopf and Wallace came to be known as the "three fathers of shareware".
Now, the model seemed to work with "serious" software, but could it be applied to video games? Basically, the key was in what we now know as "episodic content". Several companies began to release games in which a player would have access to a "complete episode", which could be distributed without restrictions, and making the corresponding payment enabled access to the rest of the episodes that made up the game.
Kroz (1987)
Although they had already released shareware before, Kroz was basically the one that started it all for Apogee, since they "inverted" the shareware model. Kroz had several episodes (the first one free), and instead of waiting for the user's donation, they encouraged them to pay to get the rest of the game.
Commander Keen (1990)
With a Green Bay Packers helmet and a chilling IQ, young Billy Blaze becomes Commander Keen, who must battle his archenemy Mortimer across the galaxy, with a total of seven episodes. Development was by id Software, while Apogee handled its publication.
Lemmings (1991)
Who in their right mind could fail to mention the Lemmings? The shareware version only had four levels out of a total of 120, but those four were more than enough to make you an addict. The large number of Lemmings-based games that followed are proof of that.
Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
Honestly, it needs no introduction. The original adventure of B. J. Blazkowicz was probably the "first shareware" for a huge number of users. Hans Grosse was barely the first boss of the game. The rest of the episodes take the player through various castles and terrible enemies, one of them being Hitler himself.
Cannon Fodder (1993)
You probably forgot about this one, but when we first saw Cannon Fodder, we couldn't do anything but ask for more. Addictive, with excellent graphics for its time, and some nightmare levels that made us come back again and again. And of course, controversial, but critics had no idea what was coming.
Doom (1993)
"Come on marine, the base is full of demons, your weapons stink, and Hell awaits on the other side. Oh, one more thing: You're alone in this." Personally, I don't think id Software even imagined what it would achieve with Doom. The quality bar wasn't raised: it was put on a rocket and sent to Mars. Wolfenstein 3D may be the father of "3D shooters", but Doom set the standard.
Descent (1995)
The story reveals that the shareware of Descent was released in December 1994, while its final version arrived in March '95. The shooting continues, as do the 3D graphics, but instead of representing a lone soldier, Descent placed the player aboard a ship. And the mission was not only to defeat the enemy, but also to escape before everything blew up...
Rise of the Triad (1995)
As with Descent, the shareware of Rise of the Triad was released in 1994, but its official launch came in February of the following year. At first it had been planned as a sequel to Wolfenstein 3D (it used the same graphics engine), however, Rise of the Triad managed to carve a place for itself, and LAN multiplayer matches were excellent. They say it will have a "reboot". Could it be true?
Duke Nukem 3D (1996)
Apogee changed its name to 3D Realms, but kept Duke Nukem as one of its main characters, and thus Duke Nukem 3D was born as a sequel to the two previous titles. Aliens, half-naked women, acidic humor and a formidable multiplayer mode made Duke Nukem 3D a success, and its shareware reached almost everywhere. Fifteen years later, DNF appeared... and it would have been better if they had canceled it.
Quake (1996)
There were many who believed that id Software would not be able to surpass what it had achieved with the Doom saga. And that is exactly what it did with Quake. When I first saw its shareware, I didn't believe there was a computer that could run it, and I wasn't far off, to tell the truth. The first of the saga, Quake was a masterpiece in every sense. Now, the quality bar was in another galaxy.
Am I leaving out other titles? Where to start...? Shadow Warrior, Heretic, Blake Stone, Blood, Terminal Velocity, Bio Menace... and I could go on until next weekend. There has been a lot of shareware out there, but over the years, the term fell into disuse. Why? Because beyond its stellar beginnings, very few paid for their shareware.
Electronic payment was in its infancy, international money orders cost a fortune, and wait times for receiving full versions were chilling. Developers abandoned the term and adopted "demo" for general use in their samples. Still, there are games we will never forget, and in our heads, they will remain shareware. Good luck!
