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Vintage erotica game found on ‘80s Mac would still be NSFW today

reddit user finds early erotica game on 80s mac macplaymate
Imgur/wowbobwow
Old school Mac computers have a unique cult following that can draw surprisingly high prices for vintage Macs. Enthusiasts scour sites like eBay and Craigslist to find, repair, and sell old Macs to collectors. One Reddit user, wowbobwow, found more than he bargained for on an ‘80s era Macintosh SE with a rare-for-its time Ethernet card. Wowbobwow said in a post that unit would have cost a considerable $3900 in 1987.

A long-lost interactive erotica game called MacPlaymate was hidden away several file levels deep in a folder labeled AOL. The game, developed by Pegasus Productions and Mike Saenz, was innovative for its time and likely difficult to develop with the technology available. Users today may find it humorous and more than a bit creepy. The monochromatic rendering of onscreen playmate Maxie, in all her pixelated glory, is certainly dated, but would still qualify as not safe for work.

The program was designed with the NSFW aspect in mind, and has a built in panic mode that toggles to a spreadsheet loaded with a list of Apple dealers, should a player need to quickly change the screen to guard against nosy passersby (or the boss). The game offered players the ability change Maxie’s outfit, toggle bondage mode, experiment with toys, and add other digital sex partners.

The ultimate goal of the game was to bring Maxie to a simulated orgasm. Oddly enough, one of the game’s successful scenarios involves a little person with an eight ball mask. Commenters suggested this proves that even in the ‘80s, game developers were behind the eight ball when it came to the birds and the bees department.

When the game was released in 1986, there was not much competition in this arena, and as such, it experienced a certain level of popularity as an alternative to traditional printed or VHS erotica. Unlike the Leisure Suit Larry series of games, however, MacPlaymate did not survive beyond the original version.

Wowbobwow documents the process he took to repair the Mac, his discovery of MacPlaymate, and his experience with the app. He thoroughly pokes fun at the game, while obviously enjoying the platform that brought it to life.

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