Kenneth A. Williams (born October 30, 1954) is an American
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 f ...
who co-founded
On-Line Systems together with his wife
Roberta Williams
Roberta Lynn Williams (; born February 16, 1953) is an American video game designer and writer, who co-founded Sierra On-Line with her husband, game developer Ken Williams. In 1980, her first game, ''Mystery House'', became a modest commerci ...
. On-Line Systems eventually became Sierra On-Line and was ultimately renamed
Sierra Entertainment
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, ...
. The couple were leading figures in the development of
graphical adventure games. At its height, Sierra employed nearly 1,000 people prior to its acquisition in 1996.
History
Early years
Williams was born in October 30, 1954 in
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
and later grew up in
Simi Valley, California
Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it ...
. Ken and Roberta's early contributions to the computer game industry were partially chronicled in the book ''
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution''. He wrote the textbook ''Apple II Computer Graphics'', and articles for ''
Softline''.
Sierra On-Line
Williams and wife Roberta co-founded On-Line Systems in 1979. Sierra's notable online service, the
ImagiNation Network
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 genr ...
, was purchased by AT&T in 1994. Williams was the president of Sierra until the company was sold to
CUC International
CUC (Comp-U-Card) International Inc. was a membership-based consumer services conglomerate with travel, shopping, auto, dining, home improvement and financial services offered to more than 60 million customers worldwide based in Stamford, Connectic ...
in July 1996, but he remained with the company leading its strategic direction until November 1997.
Vivendi
Vivendi SE is a French mass media holding company headquartered in Paris. Widely known as the owner of Gameloft, Groupe Canal+, Havas, Editis, Prisma Media, Vivendi Village and Dailymotion, the company has activities in television, film, video ...
(now
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. It was founded in July 2008 through the merger of Activision, Inc. (the publicly traded parent company of Activision Publishing) and Viven ...
after the
Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Assoc ...
and
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
merger) currently holds the
Sierra name.
In his role as Sierra's CEO, Williams focused on innovation: "I'm not sure how typical I am of other CEOs ...most of my time is spent looking at product ... To me, everything is about being able to build awesome product ... Any game which does not push the state of the art leaves an opportunity for a competitor's game to look better."
In Sierra's later years, the company's focus had shifted to publishing many titles from other studios, including
Valve
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...
's ''
Half-Life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
''. Commenting on
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
s, Williams recalls, "By the time I decided we wanted into the genre, we were too far behind. With 20/20 hindsight, I blew it when I had the chance to buy
id and didn't ... Valve was the first group I had spoken with that could put Sierra in front of id."
Williams has cited
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 ...
and
The Walt Disney Company
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 ...
as influencing Sierra's business model. "These two companies were our role models. I read every book written on both companies. I did everything to try to understand how they thought, and how they did business."
Recent years
![Ken Williams (cropped) - On-Line Systems first anniversary celebration](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Ken_Williams_%28cropped%29_-_On-Line_Systems_first_anniversary_celebration.jpg)
After a spell of being inactive in the computer game industry, in 2022 it was reported that he is currently working with his wife Roberta on a new VR and flatscreen version of Colossal Cave 3D Adventure, a redux of the text-adventure title from 1977. Prior to this, he has also focused on writing and managing a Web site construction tool called Talkspot, which aims to redefine how small businesses communicate with their customers on the Internet. He has published three books on boating, talking about his worldwide cruising along with his wife Roberta on their 68-foot
Nordhavn trawler. In addition, he publishes a blog about cruising, Ken's Blog and his years at Sierra, Sierra Gamers. His memoir, ''
Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings: The rise and fall of Sierra On-Line'', was released on July 24, 2020.
In June 2021, Williams has announced he and Roberta have been working on the game ''The Secret'', in collaboration with artist Marcus Maximus Mera.
Depictions
Williams's trademarks have been his
mustache
A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history.
Etymology
The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...
and hair. His appearance has inspired Sierra's
designers
A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans.
In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...
for some
sprites, honoring Williams with
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
s in some games. One of these "incarnations" is the chief Keneewauwau of the Nontoonyt natives and Williams, the annoying joke teller (both appearing in ''
Leisure Suit Larry
''Leisure Suit Larry'' is an adult-themed sexual video game series created by Al Lowe. It was published by Sierra from 1987 to 2009, then by Codemasters starting in 2009. The first six ''Leisure Suit Larry'' titles, along with ''Magna Cum Lau ...
'' games), as well as a whipper of "ScumSoft" in ''
Space Quest III
''Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon'' is a 1989 graphic adventure game by Sierra On-Line, and the third game in the ''Space Quest'' series.
Plot
Roger Wilco's escape pod from the end of ''Space Quest II'' is floating in space until it ...
'', and Kenny the Kid in ''
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist''.
Personal life
Ken married Roberta Williams at the age of 19. They have two children, D.J. (born 1973) and Chris (born 1979). The Williams family has homes in Seattle, France, and Mexico.
[Sierra gamers](_blank)
Sierragamers.
Games programmed
*''
Mission Asteroid'' (1980)
*''
Mystery House
''Mystery House'' is an adventure game released by On-Line Systems in 1980. It was designed, written and illustrated by Roberta Williams, and programmed by Ken Williams for the Apple II. ''Mystery House'' is the first graphical adventure ga ...
'' (1980)
*''
Wizard and the Princess
''Wizard and the Princess'' (also ''The Wizard and the Princess'', with a leading article) is a graphic adventure game written for the Apple II and published in 1980 by On-Line Systems. It was the second title released in the '' Hi-Res Adventure ...
'' (1980)
*''
Cranston Manor
''Cranston Manor'' is a graphic adventure published for the Apple II by On-Line Systems in 1981. It is Hi-Res Adventure #3. The player must invade a mansion that was occupied by a millionaire and steal the sixteen treasures that are inside of ...
'' (1981)
*''
Ulysses and the Golden Fleece'' (1981)
*''Threshold'' (1981)
*''
The Dark Crystal
''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The ...
'' (1983)
*''
King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne'' (1985)
*''
Space Quest: Chapter I – The Sarien Encounter'' (1986)
*''
The Black Cauldron'' (1986)
*''
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel'' (1987)
*''
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
Leisure has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, work, job hunting, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as eating and sleeping. Leisure ...
'' (1987)
Further reading
*
*
References
External links
*
SierraGamers– Ken and Roberta Williams page
www.kensbook.com– Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings - Book about Sierra's rise and fall
October 17, 2005 interview with Ken WilliamsKen & Roberta Williams Interview*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ken
1954 births
American computer businesspeople
American people of Welsh descent
American video game designers
American video game programmers
Living people
people from Evansville, Indiana
Sierra On-Line employees
Video game businesspeople
The Game Awards winners