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Fred Ford (programmer)
Robert Frederick Ford is an American video game programmer. He is the son of mathematician L. R. Ford Jr. Ford is the co-creator, with Paul Reiche III, of the '' Star Control'' universe. Ford did the programming, while Reiche was responsible for the game design and fiction. Ford was also the lead programmer on '' The Horde'' and '' Pandemonium''. Career Beginnings and ''Star Control'' Ford attended the University of California, Berkeley. In the early 1980s, Ford began his game career while in college, creating games exclusively for the Japanese market. Working for a company called Unison World (later Magicsoft), he worked on his first games for a Japanese monochrome handheld, including a bowling game, a bi-plane flight game, and a tank game. Soon after, he moved onto developing for the NEC PC-6000 series, the MSX, and Fujitsu systems, with titles such as ''Pillbox, Sea Bomber,'' and ''Ground Support.'' Ford was working on an unreleased title, when Magicsoft ran out of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Game Programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebases for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines, all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer". A game programmer should not be confused with a game designer, who works on game design. History In the early days of video games (from the early 1970s to mid-1980s), a game programmer also took on the job of a designer and artist. This was generally because the abilities of early computers were so limited that having specialized personnel for each function was unnecessary. Game concepts were generally light and games were only meant to be played for a few minutes at a time, but more importantly, art content and variations in gameplay were constrained by computers' limited power. Later, as specialized arcade hardware and home systems became more powerful, game developers could develop d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greg Johnson (game Designer)
Greg Johnson (born 1960) is an American video game designer who has worked for Binary Systems and Electronic Arts, was co-founder with Mark Voorsanger of ToeJam & Earl Productions Inc., and in 2006 founded his own company, HumaNature Studios. He is known for the iconic '' ToeJam & Earl'' series (1991–present), and his design credits additionally include ''Starflight'' (1986), Game of the Year '' Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula'' (1989), the multi-award-winning '' Orly's Draw-A-Story'' (1997), ''Kung Fu Panda World'' (2010), and '' Doki-Doki Universe'' (2013), '' Back in the Groove'' (2015), '' Early life Johnson was born in Passaic, New Jersey to an African-American father and a Jewish mother whose family had escaped Russia during World War II. He is one of five children, three of whom are step-siblings. His mother was an administrator for a special education school, and his father was a professor of philosophy and musicology. When Johnson was three, his p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the term is also often used in the entertainment business, especially in a business context, for musicians and other performers (although less often for actors). "Artiste" (French for artist) is a variant used in English in this context, but this use has become rare. Use of the term "artist" to describe writers is valid, but less common, and mostly restricted to contexts like used in criticism. Dictionary definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines the older broad meanings of the term "artist": * A learned person or Master of Arts. * One who pursues a practical science, traditionally medicine, astrology, alchemy, chemistry. * A follower of a pursuit in which skill comes by study or practice. * A follower of a manual art, such a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition to the information produced by ''GameSpot'' staff, the site also allows users to write their own reviews, blogs, and post on the site's forums. It has been owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. In 2004, ''GameSpot'' won "Best Gaming Website" as chosen by the viewers in Spike TV's second ''Video Game Award Show'', and has won Webby Awards several times. The domain ''gamespot.com'' attracted at least 60 million visitors annually by October 2008 according to a Compete.com study. History In January 1996, Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein quit their positions at IDG and founded SpotMedia Communications. SpotMedia then launched ''GameSpot'' on May 1, 1996. Originally, ''GameSpot'' focused solely on personal computer games, so a sis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Escapist (magazine)
''The Escapist'' (formerly known as ''Escapist Magazine'') is an American video game website and online magazine. First published as a weekly online magazine by Themis Media on July 12, 2005, ''The Escapist'' eventually pivoted to a traditional web journalism format. In 2018, ''Escapist Magazine'' launched Volume Two, a rehauled website in conjunction with its purchase by Enthusiast Gaming. The site name reverted to ''The Escapist'' in April 2020. Gamurs Group acquired the site in September 2022. History 2005–2011: Founding and popularity ''The Escapist'' was conceived as a PDF-format magazine by Themis Media, whose president Alexander Macris had previously found success with its sister site WarCry Network. Editor-in-chief Julianne Greer had not been involved in the gaming industry before ''The Escapist'', and had a background in marketing and new media. The premier issue featured pieces from well-known gaming-community authors including Jerry Holkins, Kieron Gillen, and Joh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Starflight
''Starflight'' is a space exploration, combat, and trading role-playing video game created by Binary Systems and published by Electronic Arts in 1986. Originally developed for IBM PC compatibles, it was later ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh, and Commodore 64. A fully revamped version of the game was released for the Sega Genesis in 1991. Set in the year 4620, the game puts players in the role of a starship captain sent to explore the galaxy. There is no set path, allowing players to switch freely between mining, ship-to-ship combat, and alien diplomacy. The broader plot of the game emerges slowly, as the player discovers that an ancient race of beings is causing stars to flare and destroy all living creatures. The game has been widely praised by both contemporary and modern critics, and is one of the earliest instances of a sandbox game. It led to the development of a sequel, '' Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula'', and influenced the design of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star Control II
''Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters'' is a 1992 video game, the sequel to '' Star Control''. It was developed by Toys for Bob ( Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III) and originally published by Accolade in 1992 for MS-DOS. This game features exoplanet-abundant star systems, hyperspace travel, extraterrestrial life, and interstellar diplomacy, with the game featuring 25 different alien races with which communication is possible. Released to critical acclaim, ''Star Control II'' is widely viewed today as one of the greatest PC games ever made, and has appeared on numerous publications lists of the greatest video games of all time. The game was ported to the 3DO by Crystal Dynamics in 1994 with an enhanced multimedia presentation, allowed by the CD technology. The source code of the 3DO port was licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later in 2002, the game content under CC-BY-NC-SA-2.5. The 3DO code was ported to PC as ''The Ur-Quan Masters''. A sequel, ''Star Control 3'', was released back i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Games And Computer Entertainment
''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' (abbreviated as ''VG&CE'') was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, home consoles and arcades. It was published by LFP, Inc. from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s. Offering game reviews, previews, game strategies and cheat codes as well as coverage of the general industry, ''VG&CE'' was also one of the first magazines to cover both home console and computer games. The magazine gave out annual awards in a variety of categories, divided between the best of home video games and computer video games. The magazine featured original artwork by Alan Hunter and other freelance artists. History ''VG&CE'' began as a spinoff of ''ANALOG Computing'', a magazine published by LFP devoted to Atari 8-bit family of home computers. ''VG&CE'' was started at LFP by Lee H. Pappas (publisher), with Andy Eddy as executive editor (Eddy was a freelance contributor to the first issue of the magazine, which had the cover d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spacewar!
''Spacewar!'' is a space combat video game developed in 1962 by Steve Russell in collaboration with Martin Graetz, Wayne Wiitanen, Bob Saunders, Steve Piner, and others. It was written for the newly installed DEC PDP-1 minicomputer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After its initial creation, ''Spacewar!'' was expanded further by other students and employees of universities in the area, including Dan Edwards and Peter Samson. It was also spread to many of the few dozen installations of the PDP-1 computer, making ''Spacewar!'' the first known video game to be played at multiple computer installations. The game features two spaceships, "the needle" and "the wedge", engaged in a dogfight while maneuvering in the gravity well of a star. Both ships are controlled by human players. Each ship has limited weaponry and fuel for maneuvering, and the ships remain in motion even when the player is not accelerating. Flying near the star to provide a gravity assist was a common ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space Opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and social advancements (or lack thereof) in faster-than-light travel, futuristic weapons, and sophisticated technology, on a backdrop of galactic empires and interstellar wars with fictional aliens, often in fictional galaxies. The term has no relation to opera music, but is instead a play on the terms "soap opera", a melodramatic television series, and "horse opera", which was coined during the 1930s to indicate a clichéd and formulaic Western film. Space operas emerged in the 1930s and continue to be produced in literature, film, comics, television, video games and board games. An early film which was based on space-opera comic strips was ''Flash Gordon'' (1936), created by Alex Raymond. ''Perry Rhodan'' (1961–) is the most successful spa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Light And The Dark
''The Light and the Dark'' is the fourth novel in C. P. Snow's ''Strangers and Brothers'' series. The book portrays narrator Lewis Eliot's friendship with Roy Calvert, and Calvert's inner turmoil and quest for meaning in life. Calvert was based on Snow's friend, Coptic scholar, Charles Allberry. Their relationship is developed further in ''The Masters''. Plot synopsis Set in England in the lead-up to and during World War II, it portrays Lewis Eliot's friendship with the gifted scholar and remarkable individual Roy Calvert, and Calvert's inner turmoil and quest for meaning in life. Title The title—The Light and the Dark—refers to the beliefs of Manichaeism, which the book refers to as "Christian heresy" but is now often referred to as religion in its own right. "In its cosmology, the whole of cosmology is a battle of the light against the dark. Man's spirit is part of the light, and his flesh of the dark." The title also has resonance to the buildup to war, the sense of cata ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Game Programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebases for video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...s or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines, all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer". A game programmer should not be confused with a Video game designer, game designer, who works on Video game design, game design. History In the early days of video games (from the early 1970s to mid-1980s), a game programmer also took on the job of a designer and Game art design, artist. This was generally because the abilities of early computers were so limited that having specialized personnel for each function was unnecessary. Game con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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