Microsoft’s Solitaire, which taught the world to use a mouse is turning 30 today. The game first came along with Windows 3.0, launched in 1990 with great fanfare, and is still played by 35 million people per month in 200 markets and 65 languages.
Ask a group of veteran computer users about their earliest gameplay memories and you’ll likely hear fantastic tales about the first time they killed a baddie in Doom, explored the lush worlds of Myst or went hunting in The Oregon Trail.
But for many others, the first game they ever took for a spin on a PC was a much simpler affair that came bundled with Windows. I’m of course referring to Solitaire.
The version of Solitaire we all know and love debuted 30 years ago today, on May 22, 1990, as part of Windows 3.0. Not only was the game a great way to pass the time, it also helped scores of people learn how to drag and drop on-screen items using a mouse which was a rather novel tool at the time.
Microsoft Solitaire was even inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame by the Strong National Museum of Play in 2019.
