55 years after its release, a bug has finally been found within the code of Lunar Landing, the groundbreaking game that simulated the historic Apollo moon landing in July 1969. Created by high school student Jim Storer just months after the actual event, Lunar Landing quickly rose to fame and became the most popular PC game of its time by 1973.
This early video game, considered a text adventure, was a remarkable achievement considering the limited technology available at the time. PCs were not yet a common household item, and the idea of carrying one in your pocket was as fantastical as David Bowie’s Moonage Daydream song in 1972.
The Legacy of Jim Storer
Jim Storer, the mastermind behind Lunar Landing, went on to achieve great success in the field of computing. He acquired multiple patents, completed his PhD in Computer Science from Princeton University in 1979, and eventually became a respected professor at Brandeis University, where he continues to inspire students today.
The discovery of this bug has sparked a renewed interest in Lunar Landing among retro gaming enthusiasts and historians alike. The bug, which had gone unnoticed for over five decades, is a testament to the complexity and ingenuity of early game development. It serves as a reminder of how far technology has come and how much we owe to the pioneers like Storer who laid the groundwork for modern computing.