ðə tˈɜːm ɚɹˈɪdʒᵻnˌeɪɾᵻd ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd wˈʌn fɹʌmðə mˈoʊɾəz ɡˈeɪm, ðˌoʊ ðɛɹˌɑːɹ mˈɛni ˈoʊldɚɹ ɛɡzˈæmpəlz ʌvðə pˈɔɪntændklˈɪk vˌɛɹɪˈeɪʃən, sˈʌtʃ ɐz nɑːktɹˈɑːpəliz, ænd ˈiːvən ˈɜːlɪɚɹ ɛɡzˈæmpəlz fɹʌmðə tˈɛkst ɐdvˈɛntʃɚ kˈænən.
The term originated in 2001 from the MOTAS game, though there are many older examples of the point-and-click variation, such as Noctropolis, and even earlier examples from the text adventure canon.