Page 28 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #41 FREE Edition

Prodigy: The Family-Friendly Network
Prodigy, launched in 1988 as a joint venture between IBM and Sears, aimed to be a family-friendly online service. It provided access to email, news, weather, shopping, and educational content. Prodigy’s graphical interface was user-friendly, and its fixed monthly pricing model was innovative. This made
it accessible to families and attracted a broad user base. Prodigy’s rigid content control, however, limited its flexibility compared to more open platforms like AOL. Despite these challenges, Prodigy was a significant player in the early online service market. One memorable feature was its graphical online shopping experience, which allowed users to browse virtual storefronts, a precursor to today’s e-commerce sites. Prodigy also had its own set of shortcuts similar to AOL’s Keywords, known as “Jumpwords,” which allowed users to quickly navigate to different content areas. Unfortunately, Prodigy struggled to compete in the rapidly evolving online market, hamstrung by its own rigid, inflexible framework
that served it so well in its early years. What was initially an advantage turned into a liability, and Prodigy lost money until it was eventually acquired by International Wireless in 1996, and its services were gradually discontinued.
Sierra Network (ImagiNation Network): A Gamers’ Haven
Sierra Network, later renamed Imagination Network (INN),
was launched in 1991 by Sierra On-Line. It was one of the
first online services dedicated to multiplayer gaming. INN offered a variety of games, including role-playing games,
card games, and strategy games, fostering a strong sense of community among gamers. The platform’s focus on interactive entertainment and social gaming made it, in a way, a precursor to today’s massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). Despite its niche appeal, INN’s influence on the gaming community was profound. One popular game on the network was “Red Baron,” a flight simulation game where players could dogfight in World War I-era biplanes, creating a sense of real-time competition and camaraderie among players. INN also featured “Clubhouses,” which were virtual spaces where players could gather, chat, and form teams, much like modern online gaming guilds and clans. The Sierra Network was eventually acquired by AT&T in 1994 where it struggled for a few years before
being purchased by (you guessed it!) AOL, and eventually was discontinued. While it doesn’t officially exist any longer, the senior programmer of the ImagiNation Network, Jim Leiterman, has rebuilt the back end from scratch and you can experience it at www.innbarn.com.
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OLD SCHOOL GAMER MAGAZINE • ISSUE #41