Starting Up: An Interactive Adventure that Challenges Your Entrepreneurial Skills
Authors: David E. Rye and Craig R. Hickman
Illustrators: Thomas Nevy (cover design) and Myron J. Dorf (cover photo)
First Published: 1997
ISBN: 0-13-312240-9
Length: 326 pages (77 chapters)
Number of Endings: 41 (15 defeats and 26 successes)
Plot Summary: You have been laid off from your corporate job and
decide to try your hand at being an entrepreneur.
My Thoughts: I think the idea of using the gamebook format for
educational purposes is a good one, and this is certainly not the first time
such a thing was tried. Unfortunately, this is a rather weak attempt. The
writing is extremely bland, resembling a typical motivational business book
more than a work of fiction; indeed, most dialogue seems to consist of
people quoting motivational business books. The only characters who seem at
all human (and that's saying very little) are the player character's family
members, but they largely fade from sight after the first couple of chapters.
Strong efforts are made to keep the player character gender-neutral, but this
leads to awkwardness and seems odd considering that other details, such as
age and number of children, are explicitly mentioned in the text. Of course,
none of this would matter if the business elements were really strong, but I
was unimpressed. I was hoping for a real simulation of running a business,
but since there is so much text, so few choices and no game system, it all
feels rather arbitrary. It also doesn't help that I didn't like the blunt,
self-assured way the authors presented their philosophies or that I came
across some rather dated subjects (especially regarding computers). Perhaps
a more business-oriented, entrepreneurial soul than myself would get
something out of all this, but it's a waste of time for the average gamebook
fan.