A strange little side quest
Put The Sock Epic next to the history of role-playing games and a few unexpected connections appear. 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. And the history keeps stacking up: Computer Space reached arcades in 1971 and became one of the earliest commercial electronic arcade games, even though its controls proved demanding for many players. The details change, but the appeal of learning a system and trying again is remarkably persistent.