Solitaire game

The famous game solitaire

It’s funny that for such a popular and important game, few people know the names of those involved in its creation. And those creators have seen little to no reward or recognition for their efforts. Kare displays her design work on her personal portfolio site, yes, but nobody has ever heard of Alfille and perhaps saddest of all, because the game is included “free” with Windows and because he coded the game as part of his regular work duties, creator Wes Cherry has said he has not received a cent for his troubles, despite Solitaire being one of the most popular video games of all time.

Just as sad is the fact that Solitaire’s place atop the office time-wasting food chain has in recent years come to an end. Steam, the Xbox Store and Chrome Marketplace have eroded the need for Microsoft to rely on bundled software, while the population’s increasing familiarity with computers, Windows and video games in general means folks are more comfortable playing more abstract, complex games in their downtime.

On that note, then, let’s leave things on this rather poignant quote from Cherry, which puts into perspective the countless hours “lost” to the game over the last 25 years.