Computer games have flooded our leisure time. Today, children don’t run off to play in the backyard, but sit down at a computer or console. Needless to say, even adults kill hours playing online games, immersing themselves in fantasy worlds. Creating a successful computer game is difficult. You need a lot of factors to come together – the talents of writers, developers, and artists.
But the game must also sell, advertise. And just pure luck should not be discounted. But the most hit games have a firm place in contemporary culture. On them even make movies. Suffice it to mention in this regard Lara Croft, Doom, Resident Evil, and Super Mario. So who are they – the creators of those very gaming masterpieces?
Gabe Newell
The man who founded and still heads the company Valve Corporation. It is him who game enthusiasts owe the emergence of such hits, such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life and Steam. After being expelled from Harvard, Gabe began working for Microsoft. After 13 years with fellow developer Mike Harrington, Newell decided to start making computer games. Thus Valve was born in 1996. Financing came from the co-founders’ pockets, and the first brainchild was Half-Life. It used source code of Quake engine, but became popular among gamers. Based on this series then appeared Counter-Strike and its modifications. These iconic products are popular today, conducted by the championships in network battles simultaneously involving hundreds of players. Today, the studio’s staff is just 250 people, and the company’s value is estimated to be several billion dollars.
John Carmack
The creation of the programmer known even to people who are far from the computer industry. It’s enough to mention just the names Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein. John’s interest in computers began when he was a child. After studying only two semesters at university, Carmack decided to start an independent career. In 1991 he co-founded id Software. It became famous, in fact, thanks to Carmack a new game genre – FPS. John was the leading programmer who created many cult projects. They call him the father of Doom and Quake. Thanks to his revolutionary programming and design solutions the genre exploded the PC gaming world in the 1990s. Since then, Carmack has been involved in many projects, although today his merits are not so obvious, the iconic games remain in people’s hearts. Currently, Carmack and his team are busy designing spaceships, but at the same time working at id Software on the continuation of his legendary series.
Sid Meyer
Thanks to this man, many have been able to feel like they are the masters of humanity’s destiny. And the Civilization series helped them do just that. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Meyer founded his own company, MicroProse. There he began to develop games for the first personal computers – Commodore and Atari. A new industry was born that demanded a wide variety of software. In 1991 Civilization, a simulation of humanity’s evolution, was released. Since then the series has only been improved, giving new games. New generations have already appeared, trends and tendencies have changed. Meyer has been scolded and criticized, but his brainchild has remained popular. Civilization is loved by people of all ages in all parts of the world. The secret of this success lay in his special approach to product development. Meyer has always produced topical games without fear of using modern technology. At the same time, the charming, gripping atmosphere of the early parts of the series has been retained. Since Meyer departed the company has gone out of business, with Sid now working as development director at Firaxis Game.
Chris Metzen
Metzen has one major advantage over the other masters of game development – versatility. Chris paints, scripts, produces, does voice-overs, and is a multi-talented individual who has helped Blizzard produce such blockbusters as Diablo, Warcraft, and Starcraft. It’s no coincidence that Metzen is Vice President of Creative Development. Metzen not only invents new game plots but also writes books on the universe of the worlds he’s created. Chris joined the company in the mid-90s as an artist and animator. He had a small part in the creation of Warcraft, but the second game in the series became his full-fledged brainchild. Thanks to Metzen, the game became unique. However, Chris has been accused of both plagiarism and self-plagiarism. Some of his plots are borrowed from already created games, and the characters miraculously resurrected. Metzen works from morning till late at night, demanding full commitment from his subordinates. Chris personally checks all the quests created by his staff, which confirms his fanatical attitude towards his work.
Peter Molyneux
This developer’s fame comes from his brainchildren such as Populous, Syndicate, Fable, and Black@White. Peter’s father ran a toy factory, which determined Molyneux’s own interest. However, he decided to pursue an independent career, setting up a small accounting and games software firm. His first serious game was a business simulation game Enterpreneur, released in 1984. That project flopped, which frustrated the young man. The text game was unfamiliar and challenging for the audience. Molyneux decided to devote all his energies to game development. In 1987 Bullfrog Productions Studio was born. Its third project, Populous, brought Molyneux world fame. It can be argued that this developer has created such a genre in computer games, a “God Simulator”. His most famous subsequent hits and were created in this direction. It is said that Molyneux came up with the idea of such games through his observation of ants. Peter was also behind the creation of the famous strategy game Syndicate, and created the RPG series Fable. In 1997 Molyneux left his brainchild, bought out by the giant Electronic Arts, and created a new studio Lionhead.
Todd Howard
This genius game designer also acts as a producer and game director at Bethesda Game Studios. Thanks to him, the Fallout 3 game was released, and the legendary The Elder Sсrolls series is already more than 14 years old. And then there’s Redguard, Morrowind and Obvilion. Respected magazines rank Howard among the most influential people in the gaming industry. Thanks to him, the object of fans’ adoration, Fallout, was able to return from the oblivion. It is safe to say that Howard is the studio’s greatest asset. He himself, however, has not become a star, but continues to constantly generate new ideas that are implemented in games. Howard is considered to be a fun-loving man, while also being quite humble. This producer often appears at various specialized events and he presents his products in the media. According to Howard, Bethesda games have a special philosophy – to let people live a different life in a different world.
Drew Karpyshyn
This Canadian writer has Ukrainian roots. Drew got into the computer world when he got a job as a game designer in Wizards of the Coast. Then there was Bioware, where Karpyshyn created many of his masterpieces. He wrote the script and almost all of the dialogues in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Karpyshyn worked on Jade Empire, Neverwinter Nights, and the Baldur Gate series. During this time, the writer also created several novels set in the Star Wars and Forgotten Realms universes. It was Karpyshyn who inspired the famous Mass Effect series of fantasy role-playing games. In February 2012, the famous computer screenwriter left Bioware to pursue his own projects. The thing is, that his work on games interfered with his scripts. But we know, thanks to whom the popular Bioware games were so interesting.
Markus Persson
From the age of seven Markus started programming on Commodore 128 home computer. Persson worked for king.com until 2009, developing games for them. No one knew anything about this Swedish programmer and his studio Mojang AB, founded in 2009. But his sandbox game, Minecraft, has exploded the gaming industry. The game took Marcus just a week to develop. Players are given blocks from which to build labyrinths and piles. The game has become very popular on the Internet. In just a couple of months, 3 million people have bought it. Persson himself has now retired from active business. His projects are continued by employees of the studio. The genius programmer is part of an organization of people with the highest IQ, sometimes creating for people just like himself. His game 0x10c, for example, requires people to be able to program in Assembler for an invented processor.
Ken Levine
Ken studied drama in college and even wrote a couple of film scripts before getting into the gaming industry. He became a game designer in 1995. Levine understood that for any meaningful game, special attention must be paid to the story. At the same time, the storyline should have a lot of unexpected turns and abound in shocking denouements. That is the reason, why Ken’s main products Bioshock and System Shock 2 were so exciting, because he had his own ideas in them. The fans appreciated these products. Ken has released many other products as the head of Irrational Games. This is a role-playing game Freedom Force, and tactical shooter SWAT 4. In 2013 Ken Levine is going to release Bioshock Infinite, where the world around him will shock the player and aggravate his fears. Levine and his team have been able to create deep computer-generated characters. Players get to know their complex life stories and additional storylines emerge to complement the characters. The secret to Levine’s success is that he truly loves his work.
Shigeru Miyamoto
In the gaming industry, this Japanese man is a cult figure. After all, it was he who created such famous video game series as Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda. In 1980, the young Shigeru began working for Nintendo as an artist. He was commissioned to design games for arcade machines. In the early years, Miyamoto’s designs cost the company money, but his Donkey Kong garnered widespread love from gamers. Over time, the bouncing man became the famous Mario. This character became the protagonist of many video games, and time has no power over him. Miyamoto’s games feature original worlds with hidden secrets and new levels. Miyamoto is now the General Manager of Nintendo EAD, competing with Microsoft and Sony. Shigeru himself still spends a fair amount of time playing video games. One of his most recent successful projects has been the Nintendo Wii console. Despite his high status and fame in the games industry, the Japanese man remains a humble man, often travelling to work by bicycle.
Hideo Kojima
In 1986, the Japanese man was hired by Konami. The first project released was Metal Gear for MSX 2 consoles. We can say that the game marked the beginning of the stealth-action genre. Some of its elements were used before, but Kojima shaped this genre as we know it now. The hero had to constantly hide and evade from the battles. In 1990, the sequel to the game, Metal Gear Solid, was released. The core gameplay didn’t change, but the story became much deeper. When the game was released for the PS, the designer became a celebrity. A total of over two dozen titles in the series were released on various platforms. When the Japanese left Konami, it seemed that his games were finished. However, Kojima managed to establish his own studio, which continued the main business of his life. Projects in the Metal Gear universe can now be seen on Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo 3DS.
Cliff Blesinski
It is said that Cliff wrote his first game when he was 12 years old. It was called Spermatoza and dealt with the adventures of a spermatozoon on its way to an egg. Not surprisingly, that’s what the preoccupied teenager was interested in. After all, at that age, it is computers and girls that many begin to worry about. The passion for both only intensified with age. The first commercial game was written by Cliff in 17 tapes in the genre of pixel-hunting quest. Blesinski is now the managing designer of Epic Games. It is to him that players owe the appearance of such iconic games as Unreal and Gears of War. Admittedly, CliffyB is hardly a workaholic. He loves clubbing, expensive cars, and pretty girls. He uses his millions and fame to the fullest.
David Yaffe.
This game designer graduated from the University of Southern California. The American wanted to go to film school and become a director, but didn’t get in. Then Jaffe entered the world of computer games. His most famous creations are God of War and Twisted Metal. It is unknown what kind of director Jaffe would have become, but two of his games were included in the list of 25 best games for Playstation 2 ever made on the platform. God of War, meanwhile, has been placed at the top of the list altogether. In 2007 Jaffe set up his own studio, which immediately signed an exclusive contract with Sony to create games exclusively for their products. In 2012 Twisted Metal was released for PS3. Jaffe is a unique personality among the developers, because he is in close contact with public. David gives interviews and writes his own blog, where he discusses not only games, but also his personal views on life.
Hironobu Sakaguchi
This Japanese game designer gave the world such series as Final Fantasy. Sakaguchi’s story is in many ways similar to that of Miyamoto. Both of them worked for companies that were on the verge of closure. But while Nintendo suffered directly because of Miyamoto, at Square, where Sakaguchi worked, things were initially not going well. In a state of uncertainty, the designer came up with what he thought would be his last game in the job. It was called Final Fantasy. The game was released in 1987 on the NES platform. Suddenly this product became very popular. Plans to close Square were immediately put to rest, and Sakaguchi began work on a sequel. In 1991, he became vice president of the company, and in 1995 he was already the president. All of the games in this unusual universe were released under his control. Sakaguchi even released the animated film The Last Fantasy, which failed at the box office. The designer then left his home company to form Mistwalker Studios. It now creates games for Microsoft and Nintendo.
William Wright
In Louisiana, Wright began studying architecture, but then unexpectedly transferred to mechanical engineering. He was fascinated by robots and computers. He never finished his studies, because games took up all of Wright’s free time. As a result, he decided that the development of such programs suited him just right. In 1987, the Maxis Company was created, which released its biggest hit in 1989 – SimCity. This simulator offered to build your own city, design its communications, and distribute income. Many other games were released based on SimCity but have not gained such popularity. Building ant colonies was not as interesting as controlling the destinies of thousands of citizens. Wright, however, developed a reputation as a great software game designer, which could not be lost or won. In 200, the designer released a new project, the idea for which he hatched a long time – Sims. Now, the player was invited to manage the life of a single family in their house. In 2008, another of Wright’s landmark projects, Spore, was released. This game proposed the evolution of a single-celled organism, creating an entire civilization of intelligent creatures.
