A strange little side quest
The fun part of looking behind Google Doodle: Halloween 2024 is seeing how many older ideas are still alive in modern play. By 1987, fantasy role-playing had become a major computer-game direction, with Zelda, licensed Dungeons & Dragons games and other story-led adventures expanding the form. A second detail makes the picture even better: The word 'checkmate' is linked to the Persian expression 'shah mat', used when the king was trapped. The screen is modern; the urge to test skill, pattern and timing definitely is not.
