Exploring Active Life Network - A marriage matchmaking service for Pc-engine

[Mr^Burns]

One of the rarest pieces of software on the collector's market for the PC-Engine CD-ROM System is a set of subscription-only discs for the Active Life Network (ALN), a Japanese marriage matchmaking service from 1989-1990. From the articles written at the time about ALN, its parent company MAC21 boasted having 6000 members nationwide. Thus, if we assume that only a smaller portion of those people sought to use the system delivered via CD-ROM, we can imagine the low numbers that these discs were printed in.

(Not that I would care about its rarity or value -- often the most exclusive items in gaming are also the most tedious to actually play or use.)

So, it gives me delight to find quite a substantial amout of images and source code to this Active Life Network software hidden in the data tracks of far more common PC-Engine CD games. With this, we can get a glimpse into what the ALN experience might have been like without needing to shell out the big bucks to obtain this rarity.

https://www.chrismcovell.com/ActiveLifeNet/index.html

[Necromancer]

At least one benefit I can imagine from the ALN system is that a member can simply choose "no smokers" as an option on her TV screen, rather than have to argue with her mother and convince her of her preference, as in the traditional way.

LOL

This is fun stuff, particularly the sometimes silly portraits, but why isn't PCE under the list of interests and personality traits?  My anaconda don't want none unless you got..... to play Bomberman!

It's pretty bad ass of Chris to explore this oddity in depth.  That guy is a real gem and never fails to impress with his finds, and I love the humor he brings to what otherwise could be informative but dry as hell.  I hope he someday gets ahold of the kids network stuffs.