Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings (Williams, Ken, 2020)

Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings (Williams, Ken, 2020)

Have you ever wondered what was it like in the now so distant, less computerized days of 1980, when computer games were still in their infancy, looking for the right people to finally notice them and start their journey from kids toys to one of the biggest forms of entertainment ever created? This is one thing the book written by the former CEO of now long since defunct Sierra On-Line Ken Williams is shedding some light on.

There are other books that have been written about the legendary company that once trailblazed the industry, but this is the tale told from the point of view of its founder.  It's not a book where he tries to shift blame or try to make himself better than he was. Truth is in the perspective of the one telling the tale and this is one side of the tale told many times before. 

I thought I'd begin this review from an entirely different place than where Ken Williams begins his own tale. It's at times easier to start with the laurels, as they can make the impact more meaningful. Sierra was an innovative company. Among the first-ever, in the company's long history are things like the first adventure with graphics (Mystery House, 1980), a first adventure game with colours (Wizard and the Princess 1980), The first game to support a music card (King's Quest IV, 1988), the first animated adventure game (king's Quest, 1984), the first online games network (The Sierra Network, 1990), the first game on IBM PC (Wizard and the Princess), the first flight sim with modem play (3D Helicopter Simulator, 1987). The list is much longer, but you get my drift, Sierra was a company that did a lot of innovating. Much more than most companies ever manage during their lifespans. 

Had you heard of Ken Williams prior to him and Roberta founding Sierra, you might not have thought he'd be the man to strike it big with making games. He was a college dropout who figured he'd get a degree in computer programming because he thought that would be his way to success. He had no interest in games as such. But after he presented Roberta, his wife, to the legendary grandfather of adventure games, Colossal Game Adventure, it was evident Roberta had an interest in both of them.

Roberta did her design for Mystery House and then recruited Ken to help her. Ken, who was more interested in porting Fortran for Apple II, decided to build tools for Roberta so that she could do the implementation. They also decided the game would need graphics in order to stand out from other adventures of the time and thus, the first adventure ever to have graphics was born. On a side note, Ken also had to make a drawing app for Roberta.

From there the company grew. At first, they were known as On-Line Systems according to Ken's own business name. They changed the name to Sierra On-Line in 1982 after receiving venture capital. As far as computer game studios go, it's either Sierra or Electronic Arts which were the first to receive venture capital.  

Sierra was almost wiped out by the 1983 computer games crash, but they survived thanks to fiances coming from IBM, who were bankrolling the development of a game for their IBM PC jr. The system was a failure, but thanks to compatibility with Tandy systems, King's Quest saved Sierra and from there, the rest was history, for the second time.

Besides games, Ken wanted to make sure there were other products as well. Sierra did word processors, utility software,  educational software and even dabbled in hardware. From Ken's perspective, there had to be more eggs in several baskets, some of which were a success, some of which failed. Sierra Network was a solid effort in building a first-ever online gaming network, but they never could make it profitable. The experiment was later sold and renamed as Imagination Network.

By 1996, CUC acquired Sierra and from there, the problems begin the brew. According to Ken Williams, the promises that were made to him during the sale were unceremoniously thrown out the window and the management began to go in shambles. In 1997, Ken left CUC and Sierra, after which it was found that there had been several financial mismanagements in CUC, now known as Cendant after a merger with HFS, accounting. Walter Forbes, CEO of CUC, was sentenced to 12-years in prison in 2007. He also was to pay restitution for 3.2 billion dollars. 

I think it is needless to say, that by this point Sierra, a company that was once been a shining jewel in the field of computer games, was now in shambles. Ken and Roberta had left the company and were both slapped with 5-year preclusion to enter the games business. By the time their term was over, both had moved along to retirement. Roberta, once one of the best-known game designers in the world has not designed a game since, nor does she appear in public that often.

Ken Williams spares a thought for the Sierra employees as well, of which many suffered significant financial losses after their shares plummeted. Above all, the fall of Sierra was also a human disaster, affecting the lives of hundreds of people who worked under the company, some from the early days of the company.

There have been books written about Sierra, usually from the point of view of the people who designed the games. This is the tale as seen by the company's founder. And for what it is worth, it is a well-written account that spans two decades. From the humble origins to the massive heights to the fall. This is a book full of anecdotes, historical tidbits, hints for software developers and information about Sierra's marketing and products strategies. It all is, even surprisingly so, rather interesting. 

If you want to get the book, you can get if through Amazon or Lulu. Or check Ken's page for more info. Personally, I think it is more than worth it, even if you aren't a fan of Sierra, old games or adventure games. it should still provide for an intriguing read.