The success of the hunt depends on the player’s accuracy and the type of animal targeted. Hunting is a vital aspect of the game, where players use a pixelated pioneer with a gun to hunt for wild animals like deer, elk, bears, bison, squirrels, and rabbits. The game offers a realistic experience of the challenges pioneers encountered, such as river crossings, illnesses, and hunting for food. In The Oregon Trail, players assume the role of a wagon leader, guiding a group of settlers on their arduous journey through the wilderness. The game was designed as an educational tool to teach 8th-grade students about the challenges faced by 19th-century pioneers traveling along the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, to the Willamette Valley in Oregon during 1848. It was later released by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium ( MECC) in 1974. The Oregon Trail, an iconic and beloved computer game, traces its roots back to 1971 when it was developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger.
