A strange little side quest
Between one round of Platformer and the next, this is worth knowing: Donkey Kong arrived in 1981 with a character called Jumpman, who would later become one of gaming's most recognizable figures: Mario. That old idea kept changing rather than disappearing. Early computer role-playing games helped turn rules, inventories, exploration and character progression into systems that could support long-form digital adventures. That history is one reason familiar mechanics can still feel new when they are recombined well.
