A strange little side quest
If Squid Game sends you down a curiosity rabbit hole, start here. Nintendo's Donkey Kong arrived in 1981 and introduced the character first known as Jumpman, who later became Mario. The surprising part is how quickly the next milestone followed. 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. That history is one reason familiar mechanics can still feel new when they are recombined well.
