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The First DOS Game: How It All Began and Why It Still Inspires Developers TodayFrom Command Line to Fun

Retro CRT monitor running DONKEY.BAS, the first DOS game, representing the origins of PC gaming.

Before “Start Game” became a button, it was a command line.

There was a time when gaming didn’t mean launching Steam or double-clicking a shortcut icon. It meant booting into DOS — the Disk Operating System — and typing something like C:\>RUN GAME.EXE. It was a time when computers were built for business, not entertainment. And yet, in that monochrome world of code and commands, the first spark of PC gaming was born.

Today, we’re diving deep into the story of the first DOS game ever created — a small but legendary piece of history that kickstarted decades of innovation, fun, and creativity: DONKEY.BAS.

The Humble Beginning: What Was the First DOS Game?

In 1981, when the first IBM PCs were introduced, they came with something unexpected — a small game called DONKEY.BAS. Written in BASIC (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), the game was co-created by none other than Bill Gates and Neil Konzen as a way to demonstrate the programming capabilities of the PC-DOS operating system.

DONKEY.BAS was a simple car-driving game: players controlled a car driving down a road, trying to avoid hitting donkeys that appeared randomly in the path. Every time you hit one, the game stopped and printed a cheeky “You hit a donkey!” message. Then, you started again.

There were no scores, no sound effects, no colorful graphics — just ASCII characters, logic, and pure imagination. But it proved something powerful: computers weren’t just for spreadsheets or calculations — they could also be fun.

Screenshot of Donkey.BAS, the first DOS game
Screenshot of DONKEY.BAS (1981) — the first DOS game created by Bill Gates and Neil Konzen.

Why DONKEY.BAS Was a Big Deal

It might look laughably simple today, but in 1981, DONKEY.BAS was revolutionary. Here’s why:

  • It was one of the first games ever built for DOS. The IBM PC was primarily a business machine, yet this tiny program showed its potential for entertainment.
  • It came pre-installed on IBM PCs. Many users encountered it before they even played any commercial PC game, making it their very first digital gaming experience.
  • It was open-source before open-source was a thing. The BASIC code could be viewed, modified, and learned from — encouraging thousands of early programmers to tinker and experiment.

In short, DONKEY.BAS wasn’t just a game. It was a lesson, a toy, and a gateway into programming — all rolled into one little text file.

From Text to Pixels: How DOS Games Evolved

After DONKEY.BAS, developers quickly realized that the IBM PC and DOS had untapped potential for gaming. Within a few years, we saw the birth of classic DOS titles that defined PC gaming’s golden age.

Early Text Adventures

Games like Zork (1980) and Adventure (1977, ported to DOS later) showed that words could build worlds. Players typed commands like “GO NORTH” or “TAKE TORCH” and imagined entire dungeons in their minds.

2D Platformers and Action Games

By the mid-1980s, developers like Apogee and id Software began pushing the limits of DOS graphics. Titles such as Commander Keen (1990) and Prince of Persia (1989) brought smooth animation and action to DOS screens.

The 3D Revolution

Then came the turning point: Wolfenstein 3D (1992) and DOOM (1993). Both were built for DOS and revolutionized first-person gameplay. Suddenly, PC gaming wasn’t just catching up — it was leading the entire video game industry.

All of this, in some way, traces back to that first line of BASIC code — to a tiny program about a car dodging donkeys.

The Charm of Early DOS Games

What made DOS games so memorable wasn’t their technology — it was their spirit. Developers had almost no resources: minimal memory, no engines, and often no art tools. Every pixel was hand-coded. Every sound effect was programmed by trial and error. And yet, they built worlds that we still talk about today.

  • Ingenuity from limitation: Working under strict hardware constraints forced developers to think creatively.
  • Memorable design: Simple mechanics like jumping, shooting, or exploring became timeless because they focused on fun, not flashiness.
  • Technical mastery: Writing games in assembly or C taught programmers to respect performance and precision.

In the DOS era, there were no templates, no asset stores, no Unity or Unreal. Just code and courage.

Why the First DOS Game Still Matters

Even though DONKEY.BAS is more of a historical curiosity today, its influence lingers everywhere:

  • It democratized coding: Anyone could open the file, read the BASIC code, and learn how it worked. Many professional developers today credit DONKEY.BAS as their first exposure to game programming.
  • It proved that learning could be fun: It blurred the line between work and play — a principle still seen in tools like Scratch and Roblox Studio.
  • It laid the groundwork for indie spirit: Just like modern indie games, DONKEY.BAS was small, personal, and purely creative.

Every pixelated hero, every dungeon, every speedrun challenge — all owe a quiet debt to those early DOS pioneers who saw fun in a command line.

How to Play the First DOS Game Today

Curious to try it yourself? Here are some fun ways to experience or recreate the magic of the first DOS game:

1. Run It in DOSBox

DOSBox is a popular DOS emulator that lets you run old programs on modern PCs. You can download DONKEY.BAS from classic game archives and run it using a BASIC interpreter inside DOSBox.

2. Play It Online

Several websites now host interactive emulators. Simply search “Play DONKEY.BAS online,” and you can try the game directly in your browser — no installation needed!

3. Recreate It Yourself

For a fun weekend project, try rewriting DONKEY.BAS in a modern programming language like Python or JavaScript. It’s a great exercise in basic game logic — collision detection, timing, and random object spawning — all in under 100 lines of code.

# Mini tribute in Python
import random, time
print("DONKEY.PY - Avoid the donkeys!")
car_pos = 3
while True:
    donkey = random.randint(1,5)
    move = input("Move (L/R): ").strip().lower()
    if move == 'l' and car_pos > 1:
        car_pos -= 1
    elif move == 'r' and car_pos < 5:
        car_pos += 1
    if donkey == car_pos:
        print("You hit a donkey! Game over.")
        break
    else:
        print("You passed safely!")
    time.sleep(0.5)

Try expanding it with colors, sounds, or even ASCII art. Congratulations — you’ve just made your own retro game!

Lessons Modern Game Developers Can Learn from DOS Era

The DOS age may be gone, but its lessons are eternal. Here’s what today’s developers — from indie creators to AAA studios — can still learn from that era:

  1. Embrace constraints. Limitations often breed creativity. When you have fewer tools, you focus more on gameplay, pacing, and player satisfaction.
  2. Prioritize performance. DOS developers had to make every byte count. Optimizing code isn’t just about speed — it’s about discipline and respect for the craft.
  3. Keep learning and sharing. Just like DONKEY.BAS was shared openly, modern developers can grow by collaborating, open-sourcing, and inspiring others.

In short, technology evolves, but good design never goes out of style.

Fun Facts About DOS Gaming

  • “DOS” stands for Disk Operating System — it was entirely text-based, no mouse required.
  • Most early DOS games fit on a single floppy disk (1.44 MB).
  • The term “shareware” — letting players try games before buying — was born in the DOS era.
  • Legendary studios like id Software and Apogee started as tiny teams coding in DOS.

The Legacy of DONKEY.BAS

Looking back, it’s funny to think that one of the first games in PC history involved dodging donkeys. But DONKEY.BAS was more than a novelty — it was a glimpse of what was possible when people used computers to express creativity rather than just productivity.

That same spirit drives today’s game developers, streamers, and players alike. Whether you’re making an indie title in Unity or coding your first prototype in Python, you’re carrying forward that legacy — one that started on a black screen with a blinking cursor.

From DONKEY.BAS to DOOM Eternal, from DOSBox to Steam — it’s all part of the same story: humans finding joy in digital creation.

Explore More Retro Gaming History

If you enjoyed this journey into DOS nostalgia, here are some recommended reads and tools:

Final Thoughts

The first DOS game may look primitive by today’s standards, but it symbolizes something timeless — the joy of making something simple, interactive, and human. Every click, every frame, every bug fix we write today traces its DNA back to those early lines of BASIC code.

So the next time you boot up a modern game or open your favorite engine, take a moment to remember the humble beginning: a pixelated road, a few wandering donkeys, and two programmers who decided that computers should be fun.

The first DOS game wasn’t just history — it was the start of a revolution.

Retro Game History Series | © 2025

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