I started playing M.U.L.E. the day it was released

[Original Mule Farmer]

I worked at a small, local computer shop in The Woodlands, TX. We sold Atari computers and game consoles, and a few Commodores (nobody seemed to want those). The owner helped start an Atari user group. We'd have game nights just to play M.U.L.E.

That store, sadly, closed down, but one of the owners opened a new store in late 1983/early 1984. He made arrangements for the game developers who created games for the Atari through Electronic Arts (now just EA). He wanted to see if the local people we knew were pirating the games would come and meet those they were stealing from. None of them showed.

I got the opportunity to speak with the incredible Dan Bunten. Used to have an autographed poster signed by all the game designers who were there.

Many years later I went looking for Dan. I wanted to know if he would ever develop M.U.L.E. for the newer computers out there. That's when I learned that Dan had become Danielle. So I contacted her, and told her I was glad she'd found her true self. Danielle told me there were others who wanted to revive M.U.L.E., but they wanted to add guns and other things. She refused.

When I read that Danielle's daughter was working on bringing M.U.L.E. back, I was elated. A search for the game to show some friends led me here.

Glad to be here, too.

The photo is from 1983, playing M.U.L.E. on game night.

[Carriway]

Hey, I loved my commodore 64!