Ellen Guon Beeman is an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, television screenwriter and

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...

game designer Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...

/ producer. She has published four

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s and has worked on over 40

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

Career in the game industry

Ellen Beeman describes herself as "mom, videogame designer and producer, author, gadget geekette, Celtic fiddler, former TV writer and city commissioner, etc." In 1989, Beeman left a career in television writing and was hired by

Sierra Online Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genre ...

as a

project manager A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined start and a defined f ...

. She worked as a

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and project manager at

Origin Systems Origin Systems, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. It was founded on March 3, 1983, by Richard Garriott and his brother Robert Garriott, Robert. Origin is best known for their groundbreaking work in multiple genres ...

for several ''

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

'' titles. In 2006, she was ranked in the top 100 most influential women in the game industry by

Edge Online ''Edge'' is a multi-format video game magazine published by Future plc. It is a UK-based magazine and publishes 13 issues annually. The magazine was launched by Steve Jarratt. It has also released foreign editions in Australia, Brazil, France, ...

(formerly next-gen.biz). At the time, she was Lead Program Manager at

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

Casual Games, a producer role. Beeman has also been credited at

Monolith Productions Monolith Productions, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Kirkland, Washington. The company has been a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment since August 2004. History Monolith Productions was founded on October ...

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...

and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

. She has

lecture A lecture (from Latin ''lēctūra'' “reading” ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical inform ...

d at many

video game industry The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide. The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstream. , ...

conferences A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...

, including

Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...

, LOGIN, SXSW Interactive, Microsoft Gamefest,

PAX Pax or PAX may refer to: Peace * Peace (Latin: ''pax'') ** Pax (goddess), the Roman goddess of peace ** Pax, a truce term * Pax (liturgy), a salutation in Catholic and Lutheran religious services * Pax (liturgical object), an object formerly kiss ...

and PAX Dev, and

Game Design Expo Game Design Expo is an annual event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for video game industry professionals and enthusiasts, hosted by Vancouver Film School's Game Design program. The inaugural event in 2007 was the first of its kind in Vanco ...

. She is one of the founders as well as formerly the Program Chair for Women in Games International. As of 2019, she is an

independent video game developer An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...

and

consultant A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization. Consulting servic ...

Kirkland, Washington Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. A suburb east of Seattle, its population was 92,175 in the 2020 U.S. census which made it the sixth largest city in the county and the twelfth largest in the state. The city's downto ...

, and a

Senior Lecturer Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, and Israel senior lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. The position is tenured (in systems with this concep ...

DigiPen Institute of Technology DigiPen Institute of Technology is a private, for-profit university in Redmond, Washington. It also has campuses in Singapore and Bilbao, Spain. DigiPen offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in Computer Science, Animation, Video Game D ...

Television

*''

MoonDreamers ''MoonDreamers'' is an American animated television series that aired in 1986 as part of the ''My Little Pony 'n Friends'' lineup. It appeared on CBN Family Channel from 1989 to 1990, Family Channel from 1990 to 1995 during '' My Little Pony''. ...

'' (1986) *'' Jem'' (1986-1987) *''

Dinosaucers ''Dinosaucers'' is a 1987 animated television series co-produced in the United States and Canada, produced by DIC Animation City and distributed in syndication in the US by Coca-Cola Telecommunications. The show was created by producer Michael ...

'' (1987)

Books

*''Knight of Ghosts and Shadows'' (1990) with

Mercedes Lackey Mercedes Ritchie Lackey (born June 24, 1950) is an American writer of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar. Her Valdemar novels include i ...

*''Summoned to Tourney'' (1992) with Mercedes Lackey *'' Freedom Flight'' (1992) with Mercedes Lackey *''Bedlam Boyz'' (1993) *''Shahrezad and other stories'' (2011) *''The New Professional Programmer's Guide: Code Samples'' (2020)

Video games

*'' Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 1'' (1989) (writer) *'' Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail'' (1990) (special thanks) *'' King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown'' (1990) (special thanks) *'' Wing Commander: The Secret Missions'' (1990) (writer) *'' Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2 - Crusade'' (1991) (writer, director) *'' Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi'' (1991) (writer, assistant director) *'' Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi - Special Operations 1'' (1991) (writer) *'' Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi - Special Operations 2'' (1992) (writer, consulting director) *''

Pickle Wars Pickle Wars is an MS-DOS platform game created in 1993 by Karen Crowther through Redwood Games and published by MVP Software. A planet gets invaded by pickles. The player (alternating between playing a man and a woman) goes on a journey to find hi ...

'' (1994) (writer) *'' Might and Magic: Swords of Xeen'' (1995) (writer) *''This Means War!'' (1995) (project manager) *'' Contract J.A.C.K.'' (2003) (producer) *''

The Matrix Online ''The Matrix Online'' (abbreviated as ''MxO'') was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) initially developed by Monolith Productions and later, a few months after launch, by Sony Online Entertainment. It was advertised as a ...

'' (2005) (producer) *''

Hexic 2 Hexic 2 is the sequel to Alexey Pajitnov's puzzle game ''Hexic'', developed by Carbonated Games. It was released on August 15, 2007. Gameplay The board is one column longer than in the original game to allow for a more effective use of the boa ...

'' (2007) (executive producer) *''

Dash of Destruction ''Dash of Destruction'' (also known as ''Doritos Dash of Destruction'') is a racing advergame developed by independent software developer NinjaBee for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. It was released on December 17, 2008 for free. The conce ...

'' (2008) (executive producer) *''

South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! ''South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!'' is a 2009 video game based on the American animated television series '' South Park'', released on the Xbox Live Arcade service for the Xbox 360 video game console. The game was developed by Doublesix i ...

'' (2009) (lead producer) *''

Toy Soldiers A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, American Indians, pirates, samurai, and other subjects that involve c ...

'' (2010) (producer) *''

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online ''Marvel Super Hero Squad Online'' was a massively multiplayer online game for younger audiences based on the ''Marvel Super Hero Squad'', developed by American video game companies The Amazing Society and Gazillion Entertainment. The open beta ...

'' (2011) (producer)

References

External links

Ellen Beeman
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...