How The Oregon Trail became a generational icon

# How The Oregon Trail became a generational icon Source: [https://www.theverge.com/podcast/995432/how-the-oregon-trail-became-a-generational-icon](https://www.theverge.com/podcast/995432/how-the-oregon-trail-became-a-generational-icon) Whether you played it in the back of your classroom or on your computer at home, if you were a kid in the last 30 years you almost certainly grew up playing*The Oregon Trail*\. On[the season 5 premiere of*Version History,*](https://pod.link/1840983742)our fearless wagon leader David Pierce is joined by gaming journalist Chris Grant and Philip Bouchard, the designer and team leader of the game’s most iconic version\. They talk about the academic origins of*The Oregon Trail,*the game’s complicated legacy, and whether anyone ever really died of dysentery\. This is the first episode of the fifth season of*Version History*, and this time we’re going back to school\. In the weeks to come, we’re taking on the iconic TI\-84 graphing calculator, One Laptop Per Child, Chromebook, LeapPad, and the overhead projector\. Plus, this Friday, we’ll livestream a playthrough of*The Oregon Trail*from[The Verge’s YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/theverge)\. Find out which Verge staffers make it to the end, and which ones fall along the way\. Here’s how to get every episode as soon as it drops: If you’re a*Verge*subscriber, you can also[get access to*Version History*](https://www.theverge.com/bulletin/795051/verge-podcast-ad-free-set-up-how-to)\(and all our other podcasts\) with no ads\. All you have to do is[visit your account settings](http://theverge.com/account/podcasts?_gl=1*16vcfij*_ga*OTAwMzUyLjE3NDU5MzQ4MTg.*_ga_9GXHZT6RVE*czE3NjgxMzkyMDMkbzI3NCRnMSR0MTc2ODEzOTMwMSRqNDkkbDAkaDAkZEVrd3AyZ2pzZHdDeEc2OE5RM0NFS3hmMVlwZU9QVi1XLXc.)\. If you want to know more about*The Oregon Trail*, here are some links to get you started: **Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\. - David Pierce - Travis Larchuk