Gary Winnick is an American
computer game designer
Video game design is the process of designing the content and rules of video games in the Video game development#Pre-production, pre-production stage and designing the gameplay, environment, storyline and characters in the Video game development#P ...
, writer, artist, and animator who was the first artist hired by
Lucasfilm Games
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a large ...
. He co-designed ''
Maniac Mansion
''Maniac Mansion'' is a 1987 graphic adventure video game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It follows teenage protagonist Dave Miller as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend Sandy Pantz from a mad scientist, whose mind has been ensla ...
'', alongside
Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert (born January 1, 1964) is an American video game designer, video-game designer, video game programmer, programmer, and video game producer, producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably bes ...
, and created the comic book ''
Bad Dreams''.
Career
Gary Winnick founded Horizon Zero Graphiques with
Frank Cirocco
Frank Cirocco (born June 13, 1956) is an American comics artist and video game designer best known as the co-creator of ''Alien Legion'' with Carl Potts and Alan Zelenetz.
Early life
Frank Cirocco moved from Elmwood Park, New Jersey to San Jose, ...
in 1974. There, he was the editor, artist, and writer for the comic magazine ''Venture'', which ran until 1976. Horizon Zero Graphiques also published the comic magazine ''Mindworks'' by
Brent Anderson Brent Anderson may refer to:
* Brent Anderson (comics) (born 1955), American comics artist
* Brent Anderson (singer)
Brent Anderson (born in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is an American country music singer. He has charted on Hot Country Songs with t ...
, which included art by Gary. He began his video game career at
LucasArts
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game brand licensing, licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as ...
as the only artist and animator at the then-newly formed Lucasfilm Games Division in 1984. He worked as an artist and animator on the early games by Lucasfilm Games, before he became co-designer of the 1987
adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...
, ''Maniac Mansion''. He continued working on art and animation at LucasArts, and became the art department supervisor on
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure in 1989. In 1992, he was the designer, artist, and animator on
Defenders of Dynatron City
''Defenders of Dynatron City'' is a video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment#Video games, JVC Musical Industries and Lucasfilm Games (later, LucasArts) in August 1992. The designer of the game w ...
and co-wrote
the comic based on the game, with
Steve Purcell
Steven Ross Purcell (born October 1, 1961) is an American cartoonist, animator, game designer and voice actor. He is the creator of the media franchise ''Sam & Max'', for which Purcell received an Eisner Award in 2007. The series has grown to i ...
. Before leaving LucasArts in 1993, he contributed dialog and story to the sequel to ''Maniac Mansion'',
Day of the Tentacle
''Day of the Tentacle'', also known as ''Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle'', is a 1993 graphic adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 1987 game ''Maniac Mansion''. The plot follows Bernard Bernoulli a ...
. After leaving LucasArts, he joined
Spectrum Holobyte as an art director. In 1995, he co-founded the video game company, Orbital Studios, where he served as executive producer. In 1996, he returned as a partner at Horizon Zero Graphiques, which was rebranded Lightsource Studios.
He also co-created the comic book ''Neomen'' with Frank Cirocco in 1987 and created the comic book ''Bad Dreams'' in 2014. The first issue of ''Bad Dreams'' was in the list of the top six new comics and sold out in its first week of release.
Gary Winnick reunited with
Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert (born January 1, 1964) is an American video game designer, video-game designer, video game programmer, programmer, and video game producer, producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably bes ...
, with whom he co-created his early critically acclaimed point'n'click games for LucasArts, and both of them ran a
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
campaign for a new point'n'click game called ''
Thimbleweed Park
''Thimbleweed Park'' is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick for Linux, macOS, Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Android, and Amazon Luna. The game was revealed on November 18, 2014, a ...
''. The campaign ended on December 18, 2014 and the game was released on March 30, 2017.
Credited works
Bibliography
*1974 ''Mindworks'', artist
*1974 ''Venture'', editor, writer, artist
*1987 ''Neomen'', writer, artist
*1992 ''
Defenders of Dynatron City
''Defenders of Dynatron City'' is a video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment#Video games, JVC Musical Industries and Lucasfilm Games (later, LucasArts) in August 1992. The designer of the game w ...
''
*2014 ''
Bad Dreams'', writer, artist
Games
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
''
Rescue on Fractalus!
''Rescue On Fractalus!'' is a 1985 first-person shooter computer game created by Lucasfilm Games. It was originally released for the Atari 8-bit family and the Atari 5200 games console. It was also ported to other popular platforms of the day, ...
'', animator (LucasArts)
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
''
Ballblazer
''Ballblazer'' is a futuristic sports game created by Lucasfilm Games and published in 1985 by Epyx. Along with ''Rescue on Fractalus!'', it was one of the initial pair of releases from Lucasfilm Games, ''Ballblazer'' was developed and first pu ...
'', artist (LucasArts)
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
''
The Eidolon
''The Eidolon'' was one of two games that were part of Lucasfilm Games' second wave in December 1985. The other was '' Koronis Rift''. Both took advantage of the fractal technology developed for ''Rescue on Fractalus!'', further enhancing it. ...
'', artist, animator (LucasArts)
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
''
Koronis Rift'', additional art (LucasArts)
*
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
''
Habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
'', artist, animator (LucasArts)
*
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
''
Labyrinth: The Computer Game'', artist, animator (LucasArts)
*
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
''
PHM Pegasus
''PHM Pegasus'' is a ship simulation and action game released for the Commodore 64, Apple II, DOS, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. The title refers to , one of the s which were used by the U.S. Navy in the 1970s.
The game was developed by Luca ...
'', artist (LucasArts)
*
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
''
Maniac Mansion
''Maniac Mansion'' is a 1987 graphic adventure video game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It follows teenage protagonist Dave Miller as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend Sandy Pantz from a mad scientist, whose mind has been ensla ...
'', co-project leader, artist, animator (LucasArts)
*
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
''
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
''Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders'' is a 1988 graphic adventure game by Lucasfilm Games. It was the second game to use the SCUMM engine, after ''Maniac Mansion''. The project was led by David Fox, with Matthew Alan Kane as the co-desig ...
'', artist (LucasArts)
*
1989 ''
Pipe Dream
Pipe dream may refer to:
Music
* ''Pipe Dream'' (John Williamson album), 1997, or the titular song
* ''Pipedream'' (Alan Hull album), 1973
* ''Pipe Dreams'' (Murray Head album), 1995
* "Pipe Dreams" (Nelly Furtado song), 2016
* ''Pipe Dream ...
'', artist (LucasArts)
*
1989 ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure'', art department supervisor (LucasArts)
*
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
''
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
'', character designer, artist, animator (LucasArts)
*
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
''
The Secret of Monkey Island
''The Secret of Monkey Island'' is a 1990 point-and-click graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It takes place in a fictional version of the Caribbean during the age of piracy. The player assumes the role of Guybr ...
'', art department supervisor (LucasArts)
*
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'', artist (
Beam Software
Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Melbourne House, was an Australian video game developer, video game development studio founded in 1980 by Alfred Milgrom and Naomi Milgrom, Naomi Besen and based in Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Initially ...
)
*
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
''
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge'', art department supervisor (LucasArts)
*
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
''
Defenders of Dynatron City
''Defenders of Dynatron City'' is a video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment#Video games, JVC Musical Industries and Lucasfilm Games (later, LucasArts) in August 1992. The designer of the game w ...
'', project leader, artist, animator (LucasArts)
*
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
''
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
''Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis'' is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by LucasArts and originally released on June 1, 1992 for Amiga, DOS and Macintosh. Almost a year later, it was reissued on CD-ROM as an enhance ...
'', art department supervisor (LucasArts)
*
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
''
Day of the Tentacle
''Day of the Tentacle'', also known as ''Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle'', is a 1993 graphic adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 1987 game ''Maniac Mansion''. The plot follows Bernard Bernoulli a ...
'', writer (LucasArts)
*
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
''National Lampoon's Chess Maniac 5 Billion and 1'', art director (Spectrum Holobyte)
*
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
''
Star Trek: The Next Generation: A Final Unity'', art director (Spectrum Holobyte)
*
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
''Dinonauts: Animated Adventures in Space'', designer, artist, executive producer (Orbital Studios)
*
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
''
Meet the Robinsons
''Meet the Robinsons'' is a 2007 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films, 47th animated film produc ...
'' (
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
), project manager for cutscene animations (Lightsource Studios)
*
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
''
Bolt'' (
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
), project manager for cutscene animations (Lightsource Studios)
*
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
''
Thimbleweed Park
''Thimbleweed Park'' is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick for Linux, macOS, Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Android, and Amazon Luna. The game was revealed on November 18, 2014, a ...
'', writer, designer, artist
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winnick, Gary
20th-century births
Living people
American illustrators
American video game designers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
American video game directors
Lucasfilm people