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The Oregon Trail Game’s Minnesota Roots

The Oregon Trail game has sold over 65 million copies worldwide and it is considered to be the most widely distributed educational game ever. But it was created in Minnesota by three aspiring teachers. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson speaks with one of them, Paul Dillenberger, about why he and his friends created the game and what its popularity has meant for them. He also stops by the end of the Oregon Trail in Oregon City and talks with school children on a field trip about the game.

Guest

  • Paul Dillenberger, one of the creators of the Oregon Trail.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The Oregon Trail game has sold over 65 million copies worldwide. (Pure Geekery/Flickr)
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The Oregon Trail game has sold over 65 million copies worldwide. (Pure Geekery/Flickr)

The game is considered to be the most widely distributed educational game ever. (theNerdPatrol/Flickr)
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The game is considered to be the most widely distributed educational game ever. (theNerdPatrol/Flickr)

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