It’s National Solitaire Day! Celebrating the solo card game that has been around for more than 200 years. I remember playing Solitaire a lot as a kid. I also remember cheating a lot when I played it. I feel I need to defend young Kevin’s character here. Somebody told me that I was playing against the devil! I couldn’t let that red scoundrel and his pitchfork win, so I cheated from time-to-time. Can you blame me? I was representing humanity and all that’s good in the world!
Solitaire’s popularity really exploded thanks to our buddy Bill Gates. Microsoft Solitaire was included on computers in Windows 3.0 in 1990. The developers figured the game would help people learn to use a mouse, amping up those drag-and-drop skills! Not only did it do that, but it went on to become one of the most played video games in history. It’s estimated to have been installed on more than a billion devices! Each year, 33 billion games are played with over 3 trillion cards being dealt! Those stats are hard to ignore, so this month Microsoft Solitaire was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
I remember thinking that being able to choose your deck was the height of computer technology. The screen-cap above features my favourite deck from back in the day. That spooky castle on the hill really added a sense of urgency. Let’s not forget the very best part though, let’s celebrate National Solitaire Day with the most rewarding part! That amazing ending screen when you finished the game (and beat that pesky devil!) Click below to relieve your past glory!
