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Vid Kidz
Vid Kidz was a video game developer formed in 1981 by '' Defender'' programmers Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar, following their departure from Williams Electronics WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams .... Williams contracted with Vid Kidz to design games for them. Vid Kidz was disbanded in 1984. Games developed by Vid Kidz * '' Defender'' (1981) – developed by Jarvis and DeMar, but before the formation of Vid Kidz, while they were still at Williams. * '' Stargate'' (1981, AKA ''Defender II'') * '' Robotron: 2084'' (1982) * '' Blaster'' (1983) References Video game development companies Video game companies of the United States WMS Industries {{US-videogame-company-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Game Developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large business with employee responsibilities split between individual disciplines, such as Video game programmer, programmers, Video game design#Game designer, designers, Game art design#Video game artist, artists, etc. Most game development companies have video game publisher financial and usually marketing support. Self-funded developers are known as independent or indie developers and usually make indie games. A developer may specialize in specific Game engine, game engines or specific video game consoles (such as Nintendo's Nintendo Switch, Switch, Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S, Sony's PlayStation 5), or may develop for a number of systems (including personal computers and mobile devices). Video game developers specialize in certai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Defender (1981 Video Game)
''Defender'' is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Williams Electronics in 1980 and released for arcades in 1981. A side-scrolling shooter, the game is set on either an unnamed planet or city (depending on platform) where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; ''Defender'' was Jarvis' first video game project and drew inspiration from ''Space Invaders'' and ''Asteroids (video game), Asteroids''. ''Defender'' was demonstrated in late 1980, before entering production in early 1981. It was distributed in Japan by Taito. ''Defender'' was one of the most important titles of the golden age of arcade video games, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best-selling game and one of the highest-grossing arcade games ever. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis' best contributions to the v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eugene Jarvis
Eugene Peyton Jarvis is an American game designer and video game programmer, known for producing pinball machines for Atari and video games for Williams Electronics. Most notable among his works are the seminal arcade video games '' Defender'' and '' Robotron: 2084'' in the early 1980s, and the ''Cruis'n'' series of driving games for Midway Games in the 1990s. He co-founded Vid Kidz in the early 1980s and currently leads his own development studio, Raw Thrills Inc. In 2008, Eugene Jarvis was named the first Game Designer in Residence by DePaul University's Game Development program. His family owns the Jarvis Wines company in Napa, California. Early life and education Jarvis was born in Palo Alto, California and grew up in Menlo Park. He has an older sister, Diane, and a younger sister, Helen. His first game was chess, which he played as a young child; he was one of the best players at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. Jarvis's first encounter with computers came whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larry DeMar
Lawrence E. "Larry" DeMar (also known as L.E.D.) is a video game and pinball designer and software programmer. He is known as co-designer, alongside Eugene Jarvis, of the classic arcade games '' Defender'' and '' Robotron: 2084''. He is the founder of design firm Leading Edge Design (LED), which creates gaming concepts for the casino industry. DeMar's games Video games *'' Defender'' *'' Stargate'' (a.k.a. ''Defender II'') *'' Robotron: 2084'' *'' Blaster'' Pinball Williams *''Black Knight'' *'' Jungle Lord'' *''Scorpion'' *'' Space Shuttle: Pinball Adventure'' *'' High Speed'' *'' Banzai Run'' *''FunHouse'' *'' Jack*Bot'' Midway (Bally) *''The Addams Family'' *''The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...'' *'' World Cup Soccer'' External linksLeading ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Williams (gaming Company)
WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams. However, the company that became WMS Industries was formally founded in 1974 as Williams Electronics, Inc. Williams initially was a manufacturer of pinball machines. In 1964, Williams was acquired by jukebox manufacturer Seeburg Corp. and reorganized as Williams Electronics Manufacturing Division. In 1973, the company branched out into the coin-operated arcade video game market with its ''Pong'' clone ''Paddle Ball'', eventually creating a number of video game classics, including '' Defender'' and '' Robotron: 2084.'' In 1974, Williams Electronics, Inc. was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Seeburg. Williams Electronics was sold off as an independent company during the bankruptcy of Seeburg in 1980. In 1987, the company went ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stargate (1981 Video Game)
''Stargate'' is a side-scrolling shooter game released for arcades in 1981 by Williams Electronics. Created by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar, it is a sequel to '' Defender'' which was released earlier in the year. It was the first of only three productions from Vid Kidz, an independent development house formed by Jarvis and DeMar. Some of home ports of ''Stargate'' were renamed to ''Defender II'' for legal reasons. This sequel adds new ships to the alien fleet, including Firebombers, Yllabian Space Guppies, Dynamos, Phreds, Big Reds, Munchies and Space Hums. The Defender ship is now equipped with an Inviso cloaking device, which renders the ship invulnerable when activated, but has a limited charge. A Stargate transports the ship to any humanoid in trouble. There are two special stages: the Yllabian Dogfight, first appearing at wave 5 and recurring every 10 waves; and the Firebomber Showdown, first appearing at wave 10 and also recurring every 10 waves. Gameplay The player ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
