- This article is about the game by the name of Paper Computer Game. For PCGs in general, see Paper Computer Games
Paper Computer Game is the title of the first Paper Computer Game ever made. It was made by Chris. It introduced the character of Xaq, putting him on an adventure to save Colette. The game launched Series 1, an era of PCG history that would last for years, producing hundreds of issues before retiring. Series 2 and other PCG series have followed.
The game is a surrealistic adventure through Xaq's world, which has turned against him.
Story and Situation[]
A painting of the first screen of the original PCG - from Þe Mansion of Mystery. Art by Xaq.
The actual story of the game has been largely lost in the annuls of time, yet the basic premise is that Colette had been spirited away by some mysterious someone, and it is Xaq's job to rescue her.
Xaq is a normal young boy, just hanging out at his best friend Chris's house one day as he always does. Things are going normal until he gets word that Colette has been captured.
Making it his mission to rescue her, Xaq sets out only to find that suddenly, everything and everyone is inexplicably trying to kill him. Even Chris's family have turned on Xaq, and he must escape to save his life.
One of the first screens involves a fight with Chris's Dad in the garage, where Xaq finds an inflatable boat. Next, Xaq battles the neighbor's dogs, and the large muscular neighbor himself (which is where Xaq first dies).
Then he might have had some other adventures, but ultimately he ends up in a river on his inflatable boat. The river feeds into the moat of the castle where Colette is held prisoner. The walls are hundreds, if not thousands, of feet high, and almost as thick. The draw bridge is up, there are archers in the parapits, death traps in the archways, and alligators in the moat. Could this be the end?
Ending[]
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead
Somehow, Xaq found a way to rescue Colette, and they escaped via the inflatable boat to adventure another day. Namely in series 1 episode 2.
The Character[]
Xaq is just a normal (well...) kid who falls into incredible circumstances. An especially dogged hero, he's incredibly intelligent but dies frequently. After each death, he stubbornly gasps, "save game" and is once again off to save [insert goal here, i.e. Colette, the world, his dignity, etc.]
Allies[]
None. No one helps Xaq.
The Game[]
The quintessential paper computer game, which garners this title by strategically being the first made, episode 1 introduced a lot of long standing PCG traditions. Saving a game, verses loading it, was developed here, as Chris accidentally said the former and was too proud to admit he was wrong...the rest is history. The concept that Xaq cannot live was also developed here, which in turn was aided by the concept that most puzzles should be barely logical, and when they were, that Xaq should still take forever to figure them out. This started the trend of Chris giving Xaq hints, much to the latter's aggravation.
Tie-ins & Remakes[]
Tie-ins[]
Xaq's PCG "Þe Mansion of Mystery" featured a painting on the wall of one room, of the first screen of the original PCG (the Apple Tree screen).
In Xaq's 2018 PCG "Zoovac: The Life and Times of a Clown on a Stick", part of the game takes place in parallel to the events of the original game, and we play through the events of the game but from Zoovac's perspective.
Remakes[]
Cover to the remake of the original PCG, by Logan Avila.
Logan Avila created a remake of the game in 2021. It followed the same general beats as the original game, while also adding in some new content, especially in the areas that are poorly remembered.
Epic Worlds PCG also did his own take on the first PCG ever made.
Media Adaptations[]
Xaq made a video retelling the story of the game, as well as how it was played, on the Paper Computer Games Youtube Channel, titled "The First Paper Computer Game Ever Made". Watch it here!