The Myst Graph
We share a series of blog articles that propose studying the classical game Myst as a graph. This innovative approach allows us to analyze and understand the game’s intricate structure and mechanics in a new and insightful way.
| Article | Description | Revisions |
| The Myst Graph: A New Perspective on Myst | This blog post focuses on transforming the classic puzzle game Myst, which was released in 1993 for Macintosh, into a graph (as in graph theory), particularly a directed graph. After presenting the graph’s graphical representation (which readers can download), the article explains the reasoning behind this unique approach and offers suggestions for reading the Myst graph. | March 29, 2025: initial publication / April 05, 2025: error fixed (inversion of edge directionality in the directions section), white page added to the graph (v1.0 → v1.01) and the legend |
| The Myst Graph, 2: Revealing New Findings | This article highlights discoveries, such as unused game assets and last-minute decisions by the developers of Myst. It also showcases the mathematical properties of the graph to illustrate key aspects like, for example, the shortest path through the game world and the most distant locations. | March 29, 2025: initial publication / April 05, 2025: error fixed (inversion of eye icons in the legend) |
| The Myst Graph, 3: Creating the Graph Using DeMystify | In this article, we release the open-source tool “DeMystify” that generates the Myst graph. We dive into the technical details of DeMystify, explaining how it works and what features make it possible to generate the Myst graph. By sharing these insights, we aim to empower others to build upon this work and explore new aspects of the game. | May 10, 2025: initial publication |
| The Myst Graph, 4: What’s Next? | In our final article, we reflect on the potential of the Myst graph and the possibilities for future exploration. As we have demonstrated how DeMystify can generate an accurate representation of the game’s structure, we now invite others to join us in extending this project. | June 8, 2025: initial publication |