Lance Micklus

Biography

Lance Micklus developed a strong interest in technology and electronics early in life. By the mid-1970s, he was working as a studio engineer for Vermont’s public television station. Because the station was affiliated with the University of Vermont, he gained access to their mainframe systems. It was on those university computers that Micklus discovered the pioneering mainframe text game Colossal Cave Adventure. This initial encounter sparked his fascination with how words could build virtual, interactive worlds. When the TRS-80 Microcomputer was launched by Radio Shack in 1977, Micklus bought one and immediately began programming in BASIC. Sensing a booming consumer demand for home software, he founded Lance Micklus, Inc., running a small software house out of his home alongside his wife, Dianne. Micklus quickly became one of the most prolific developers for the TRS-80 platform. Between 1978 and 1979, he developed a diverse portfolio of software:Strategy & Text Games: He launched hits like Star Trek III (later renamed Star Flite), Treasure Hunt, and Mastermind.Utility Software: He wrote practical programs like Checkfinder, designed to help users balance their checkbooks.His games were commercialized via cassette tapes and marketed through early computer publications like The TRS-80 Software Exchange, Mad Hatter Software, and SoftSide magazine. In May 1979, Micklus achieved a permanent place in video game history with the release of Dog Star Adventure. Heavily inspired by Star Wars, the game tasked players with infiltrating an enemy battle station to rescue a princess.Rather than keeping the code a trade secret, Micklus made the revolutionary decision to publish the entire, complete BASIC source code in the pages of SoftSide magazine. This was the first time a commercial text adventure's complete inner workings were openly shared with the public. It served as the definitive "how-to" manual for an entire generation of bedroom programmers, who copied, modified, and learned how to parse text commands based entirely on Micklus’s work. While Lance Micklus, Inc. was highly regarded, Micklus later noted that the early hobbyist software business was rarely deeply profitable. As larger gaming corporations emerged, Micklus chose to pivot away from the gaming market. He channeled his programming skills into telecommunications software, writing early terminal programs and bulletin board infrastructure that helped shape the pre-internet online space.In 2006, documentarian Jason Scott tracked Micklus down to preserve his story. His segment in the 2010 documentary Get Lamp cemented his legacy as a friendly, passionate pioneer who helped lay the foundation for modern interactive fiction.