Infocom used the term feelie to refer to the extra content included with the boxed versions of their interactive fiction computer games. Feelies differed from game to game and were of the same theme as the game they came packaged with. For example, Wishbringer, a fantasy game with magic, came with a "Magick glowing stone." These extra objects and documents sometimes served as a form of copy protection, as several games were impossible to solve without information found in their feelies.
Contents |
Some of Infocom's games and their feelies are listed below:
After the demise of Infocom, Activision became responsible for the Zork franchise. The first editions of the three graphical Zork games they produced each included printed feelies.
The word feelie (or feely) also appeared in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, as a form of motion picture that provides the sensation of touch in addition to sight and sound. The word suggests a logical extension to the moving picture ("movie") and the talking picture ("talkie"), and suggests an entertainment form with an incredible level of sensation but with minimal substance.
In recent years, giveaway bonuses have often been included with special deals of select titles, which may be likened to the early days of computer games coming bundled with "feelies." The PS3/360 game Catherine, a deranged sex-comedy nightmare, includes, in its deluxe edition, boxer shorts like the main character wears, a special pillow case like the one he has in the game, a shirt that his girlfriend wears, and the game itself comes in a mock-pizza box from the company he delivers for; while the older title Dead Rising 2 has been re-released at a cheaper price to include a special syringe pen, prescription notepad, etc., all drawing from the game's contents.