Remembering Repton

An alternative history of co-creativity in 1980s Britain

Abstract

This article explores some of the histories of player creativity in the 1980s through the inclusion of early level editors in games. Drawing on Huhtamo’s (2011) media archaeological framework of tracing “alternative histories” the article will trace the histories of level editors in games created for the BBC Micro through the case studies of Repton 3 (Superior Software 1986) and Repton Infinity (Superior Software 1987). Whereas current writing about fan practices and user-generated content by players focuses on the online possibilities of creating and sharing, this paper recognises these practices inherent in offline spaces. Using archival documents from magazine articles and reviews, the concept of player as producer and the role of user-generated content will be re-examined as a way of exploring another facet of this history.