The Revd. Michael Stuart Follin is a former

computer game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual feedback from a display device, mo ...

programmer A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code someone with skill in computer programming. The professional titles Software development, ''software developer'' and Software engineering, ''software engineer' ...

, working until the late 1990s. Among other companies, he worked at

Software Creations Acclaim Studios Manchester (formerly Software Creations) was a British video game developer based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1985 by Richard Kay. They were primarily known for their video games based on movie and com ...

and, while there, worked on

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

. The titles included highly rated arcade conversions of ''

Bubble Bobble is a platform game series originally developed and published by Taito. The first entry in the series, '' Bubble Bobble'', was released in 1986 as an arcade cabinet. In most entries in the series, players control two dragons named Bub and Bob. Th ...

'' and ''

Ghouls 'n Ghosts ''Ghouls 'n Ghosts'', known as in Japan, is a 1988 platform video game developed and published by Capcom for arcades. It is the sequel to '' Ghosts 'n Goblins'' and the second game in the '' Ghosts 'n Goblins'' series. It was a commercial suc ...

'', as well as the innovative '' The Sentinel'', one of the first games on the Spectrum to feature true 3D graphics. The music for these games was often written by his younger brother Tim Follin. In '' CRASH'' issue 59, Follin cited ''

Knight Lore ''Knight Lore'' is a 1984 action-adventure game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game, and written by company founders Chris and Tim Stamper. The game is known for its use of isometric graphics, which it further popularized in vid ...

'', '' Codename MAT'' and ''

Pentagram A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle around ...

'' as video game classics, with Jonathan Smith as his favorite programmer. Follin's Spectrum conversion of ''The Sentinel'' was considered by fellow programmers as one of the top five classic games on that platform. After sixteen years in the computer games industry, Follin left the industry to train as a priest in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. He was subsequently ordained at Liverpool Cathedral, and as of 2010 is the vicar at St Peter's, a small Anglican church in

Maghull Maghull ( ) is a town and civil parish in Sefton, Merseyside, England. The town is north of Liverpool and west of Kirkby. The town is also the location of Ashworth Hospital. Maghull had a population of 20,444 at the 2011 Census. Housing in th ...

, Merseyside. He married his wife, Lynn Follin, in 1994.Internet Archive: Mike Follin: Official Website
/ref>

References

External links

MobyGames rap sheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Follin, Mike British computer programmers Living people British video game designers Year of birth missing (living people)