Steve Meretzky
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Steven Eric Meretzky (born May 1, 1957)
''Infocom''. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
is an American video game developer. He is best known for creating Infocom games in the early 1980s, including collaborating with author
Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), BBC radio comedy, ''The H ...
on the interactive fiction version of ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...
'', one of the first games to be certified "platinum" by the
Software Publishers Association The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade association dedicated to the entertainment, consumer and business software industries. Established in 1984 as the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the SIIA took its new na ...
. Later, he created the Spellcasting trilogy, the flagship adventure series of
Legend Entertainment Legend Entertainment Company was an American developer and publisher of computer games, best known for creating adventure titles throughout the 1990s. The company was founded by Bob Bates and Mike Verdu, both veterans of the interactive ficti ...
. He has been involved in almost every aspect of game development, from
design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
to
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...
to quality assurance and box design. His keen wit, prose, and coding skill made him one of the first interactive fiction writers (along with
Dave Lebling Peter David Lebling (born October 30, 1949) is an interactive fiction game designer ( implementor) and programmer who has worked at various companies, including Infocom and Avid. Life and career He was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Mary ...
) admitted to the
Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whil ...
, and in September 1999, ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' magazine named Meretzky as one of their twenty-five "Game Gods"; those who have made an indelible mark on the history of computer gaming.


Biography

Meretzky was raised in
Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...
. His father was trained as an accountant, but spent a career of 25 years selling automotive hardware. Meretzky's mother was a bookkeeper. He graduated from
Yonkers High School Yonkers Middle High School is located in Yonkers, New York, United States. The school offers the International Baccalaureate program. Yonkers High School was ranked the 24th best American high school and the 4th best New York State high school in ...
in 1975. He went on to attend the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, where he earned a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in construction management in 1979. After working in the construction industry for two years, in 1981 Meretzky decided to pursue a career as a game tester for Infocom after co-founder
Marc Blank Marc Blank is an American game developer and software engineer. He is best known as part of the team that created one of the first commercially successful text adventure computer games, ''Zork''. Career Blank first encountered Don Woods and Will ...
asked Meretzky to take over the job from his roommate Mike Dornbrook. In 1983, he became a full-time writer (an " Implementor"), scripting ''
Planetfall ''Planetfall'' is a science fiction themed interactive fiction video game written by Steve Meretzky, and the eighth title published by Infocom in 1983. The original release included versions for Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, TRS-80, and IBM PC ...
'' and creating the famous cult figure robot sidekick "Floyd". While working on ''Planetfall'', people noted the similarities between his game and
Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), BBC radio comedy, ''The H ...
' '' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Meretzky listened to the radio series and enjoyed it, so he included a reference to the series in his game. In 1984, Meretzky collaborated with Adams over the course of three months in order to create a computer game adaption of Adams' series, which became one of the bestselling games of the era. A sequel to the game, titled ''Milliways: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe'' was proposed, but got cancelled due to the dwindling popularity of text adventure games. Another popular game was ''
Leather Goddesses of Phobos ''Leather Goddesses of Phobos'' is an interactive fiction video game written by Steve Meretzky and published by Infocom in 1986. It was released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple II, Macintosh, Atari 8-bit family, Atari ST, Commodore 6 ...
'', whose risque writing pushed the boundaries of the art. In an interview, Meretzky said that he originally just wrote the name on a project board as a joke, but was later asked to actually develop a game to go along with the title. In '' A Mind Forever Voyaging'', Meretzky attempted to address social issues, but Infocom's success was declining, and the 1988 ''
Zork Zero ''Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz'' is an interactive fiction computer game, written by Steve Meretzky over nearly 18 months and published by Infocom in 1988. Although it is the ninth and last ''Zork'' game released by Infocom before the company ...
'' was his last title there. In 1988 Meretzky celebrated his greatest accomplishment to date. The birth of his son Daniel. In 1994, Meretzky co-founded
Boffo Games Boffo Games was a video game developer founded in 1994 by Steve Meretzky, Mike Dornbrook, and Leo DaCosta. The logo was designed by Gayle Syska, formerly of Infocom. Boffo produced two games, ''Hodj 'n' Podj'' and '' The Space Bar'', before closin ...
with Michael Dornbrook and Leo DaCosta, and developed such titles as the story puzzle game ''
Hodj 'n' Podj ''Hodj 'n' Podj'' is a 1995 computer board game and minigame compilation developed by Boffo Games and published by Media Vision and Virgin Interactive. It was designed by Steve Meretzky, previously known for adventure games such as ''The Hitc ...
'' and the detective comedy ''
The Space Bar ''The Space Bar'' is a 1997 graphic adventure game developed by Boffo Games and published by Rocket Science Games and SegaSoft. A comic science fiction story, it follows detective Alias Node as he searches for a shapeshifting killer inside The ...
'' until the company closed its doors in 1997. In 1998, he worked as a consultant on
Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the company was founded on February 8, 1991, under the name Silicon & Synapse, Inc. by three gradu ...
's canceled adventure game '' Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans''. Around the year 2000, Meretzky joined WorldWinner as a game advisor and Principal Game Designer. Meretzky is also a charter member of the
Computer Game Developers Association The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is a nonprofit professional association whose stated mission is to "support and empower game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers." The IGDA is incorpo ...
, and a frequent speaker at industry conferences such as GDC. Meretzky appears as himself antagonizing rapper
MC Frontalot Damian Hess (born December 3, 1973), better known by his stage name MC Frontalot, is an American rapper and web designer. Hess began releasing music as MC Frontalot in 1999. His first successes came through Song Fight!, an online songwriting and ...
in the music video for "It Is Pitch Dark." (released on ''
Secrets from the Future ''Secrets from the Future'' is the second studio album from nerdcore hip hop artist MC Frontalot. It was released on tour and through his website on April 6, 2007. Like his first album, ''Nerdcore Rising'', it is composed mostly of new materia ...
''). The song references several of Meretzky's text adventure games, and the video is directed by documentarian
Jason Scott Sadofsky Jason Scott Sadofsky (born September 13, 1970), more commonly known as Jason Scott, is an American archivist, historian of technology, filmmaker, performer, and actor. Scott has been known by the online pseudonyms Sketch, SketchCow, The Slipp ...
, whose film '' GET LAMP'' is about the genre. Several years later, Meretzky joined
Blue Fang Games Blue Fang Games was an American video game developer, most noted for its Zoo Tycoon ''Zoo Tycoon'' is a series of business simulation video games. The worlds focus around building and running successful zoo scenarios. The series was initially ...
to work on the popular ''Zoo Tycoon'' franchise. He was employed as a Vice President of Design at social media game developer
Playdom Playdom was an online social network game developer popular on Facebook, Google+ and Myspace. The company was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area by University of California, Berkeley graduates Ling Xiao and Chris Wang and Swarthmore College g ...
from 2008 to 2013, at which point he became Vice President of Creative at GSN Games. In November 2016 he became Vice President of Games at Swedish mobile game company
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
. On October 28th, 2022, Meretzky along with, Leo DaCosta and Michael Dornbrook, re-formed Boffo Games as Boffo Intergalactic Games, and digitally re-released
The Space Bar ''The Space Bar'' is a 1997 graphic adventure game developed by Boffo Games and published by Rocket Science Games and SegaSoft. A comic science fiction story, it follows detective Alias Node as he searches for a shapeshifting killer inside The ...
on ZOOM-Platform.com. This version of the game was based on an unreleased DVD version with higher resolution cinematic visuals and improved audio.


Games

Meretzky has been credited on games developed by: Infocom,
Legend Entertainment Legend Entertainment Company was an American developer and publisher of computer games, best known for creating adventure titles throughout the 1990s. The company was founded by Bob Bates and Mike Verdu, both veterans of the interactive ficti ...
Company,
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 ...
Inc.,
Boffo Games Boffo Games was a video game developer founded in 1994 by Steve Meretzky, Mike Dornbrook, and Leo DaCosta. The logo was designed by Gayle Syska, formerly of Infocom. Boffo produced two games, ''Hodj 'n' Podj'' and '' The Space Bar'', before closin ...
Inc., MicroProse, GameFX,
Floodgate Entertainment Floodgate Entertainment was an American video game developer founded by Paul Neurath in 2000. Many of the company's employees are former Looking Glass Studios employees. Floodgate co-developed '' Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide'' alongs ...
, and Tom Snyder Productions. In the following titles, Meretzky was sole or lead designer / creative director.


Infocom

* ''
Planetfall ''Planetfall'' is a science fiction themed interactive fiction video game written by Steve Meretzky, and the eighth title published by Infocom in 1983. The original release included versions for Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, TRS-80, and IBM PC ...
'' (1983) * '' Sorcerer'' (1984) * ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...
'' (1984) * '' A Mind Forever Voyaging'' (1985) * ''
Leather Goddesses of Phobos ''Leather Goddesses of Phobos'' is an interactive fiction video game written by Steve Meretzky and published by Infocom in 1986. It was released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple II, Macintosh, Atari 8-bit family, Atari ST, Commodore 6 ...
'' (1986) * '' Stationfall'' (1987) * '' Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz'' (1988) * '' Lane Mastodon vs. the Blubbermen'' (1988)


Activision

* '' Leather Goddesses of Phobos 2: Gas Pump Girls Meet the Pulsating Inconvenience from Planet X!'' (1992), (under the "Infocom" label)


Legend Entertainment

* '' Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All the Girls'' (1990) * '' Spellcasting 201: The Sorcerer's Appliance'' (1991) * '' Spellcasting 301: Spring Break'' (1992) * '' Superhero League of Hoboken'' (1994)


Boffo Games

* ''
Hodj 'n' Podj ''Hodj 'n' Podj'' is a 1995 computer board game and minigame compilation developed by Boffo Games and published by Media Vision and Virgin Interactive. It was designed by Steve Meretzky, previously known for adventure games such as ''The Hitc ...
'' (1995),
Virgin Interactive Entertainment Virgin Interactive Entertainment (later renamed Avalon Interactive) was the video game publishing division of British conglomerate the Virgin Group. It developed and published games for major platforms and employed developers, including Westwo ...
* ''
The Space Bar ''The Space Bar'' is a 1997 graphic adventure game developed by Boffo Games and published by Rocket Science Games and SegaSoft. A comic science fiction story, it follows detective Alias Node as he searches for a shapeshifting killer inside The ...
'' (1997),
Rocket Science Games Rocket Science Games was a video game developer and publisher that created games for consoles and personal computers from 1993 to 1997. The company released '' Loadstar: The Legend of Tully Bodine'', '' Cadillacs and Dinosaurs: The Second Cata ...
,
SegaSoft SegaSoft, originally headquartered in Redwood City, California and later San Francisco, was a joint venture by Sega and CSK (Sega's majority stockholder at the time), created in 1995 to develop and publish games for the PC and Sega Saturn, prim ...


WorldWinner

Meretzky created various mobile games during his time at WorldWinner, including ''Tile City'', ''Word Cubes'', ''Hangmania'', ''Catch-21'', ''SwapIt!'', ''Blockwerx'', and ''Triv!''.


Other works


Video games

For these video games, Meretzky had a lesser role, such as in an advisory capacity: * '' Frederik Pohl's Gateway'' (1992), Legend Entertainment Company * ''
Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender ''Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender'' is a point-and-click graphic adventure game developed and published by MicroProse in November of 1992. The game is the first graphical adventure game developed by MicroProse, '' Return of the Phantom'' a ...
'' (1992), MicroProse * '' Eric the Unready'' (1993), Legend Entertainment Company * '' Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans'' (canceled 1998),
Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the company was founded on February 8, 1991, under the name Silicon & Synapse, Inc. by three gradu ...
* '' Sinistar Unleashed'' (1999), THQ Inc. * ''
Cubis 2 ''Cubis 2'' is a puzzle video game that was released in 2004 by FreshGames. In ''Cubis 2'', the player shoots different colored cubes into cubes that are already placed on the isometric game table. Once three of the same color are matched in a r ...
'' (2004), FreshGames LLC.


Books

* ''Steve Meretzky's Spellcasting 301: Spring Break: The Official Hint Book from Legend Entertainment Company'', 1993, Compute, (as S. Eric Meretzky) * ''Zork: The Forces of Krill (A What-Do-I-Do-Now Book, Zork #1)'', 1983, Tor Books, * ''Zork: The Malifestro Quest (A What-Do-I-Do-Now Book, Zork #2)'', 1983, Tor Books, * ''Zork: The Cavern of Doom (A What-Do-I-Do-Now Book, Zork #3)'', 1983, Tor Books, * ''Zork: Conquest at Quendor (A What-Do-I-Do-Now Book, Zork #4)'', 1984, Tor Books,


Articles

* "Humor in Game Design", 1997, Proceedings of Computer Game Developers Conference * "Building Character: An Analysis of Character Creation", 2001, Gamasutra * "Interactive Storytelling", Free Audio File, iTunes U, MIT, Comparative media Studies, Media Industries & Systems, Spring 2006, Week 6: Interactive Storytelling


References


External links


Meretzky's home page



Interview with Steve Meretzky, Adventure Classic Gaming (2001)
* *


Steven Meretzky papers housed at Stanford University Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meretzky, Steve 1957 births Living people American video game designers Infocom Interactive fiction writers Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni People from Yonkers, New York Puzzle designers