Introduction

Mandatory Introduction

I've played a lot of games. More than you. I want to give back to a world that has been so generous to me and will do so by sharing my opinions and experiences.

Credentials

My first computer game was Pong around 1973. From there I went to Atari 2600, Apple 2, and then PC. While I've played some game on console, Mac, Unix, web, coin op, and mobile, my first primary source of games is Windows.

I've made my career as a game programmer, mostly working for the big boys like Origin/EA, Blizzard, and Microprose.

In addition to computer games I play quite a bit of card and board games. I generally attend BGG Con annually and a board game event nearly once a month. I also play role playing games once or twice a week. I make it to my local Puzzled Pint a few times a year.

My computer game interests are quite varied. FPS, RTS, MMO, turn based strategy, crafting, puzzle, and logic games all appeal to me. I suppose my least favorite popular genre is platformer, although I will pick one up every so often. There are quite a few mobile games that aren't very appealing to me, particularly clan warfare and tap games. Even those have eaten hundreds of hours of my life.

Games That Have Influenced Me

Nethack
It is only recently that A titles have competed with the depth of interaction in Nethack. It was perhaps the largest contributor in creating the "roguelike" genre.

MMORPG
I will give equal credit to MUDs for creating the genre, Everquest for making it financially successful, and World of Warcraft for making it fun. I'm leaving out Ultima Online because I didn't actually play it and Origin was a huge part of my life in other ways. Honorable Mention goes to Henry Melton for his story Catacomb published in 1985.

Wizardry
If I can only pick one RPG, it will be Wizardry. Ultima is high on this list too but I'll use the same Origin cop out that I gave about.

Netrek
As the first Internet team game, Netrek's influence went far. Doom only had in-game chat because that programmer was a Netrek fan. Extensive UDP vs TCP testing was performed that acted as a template for future network communication in games. It was a MOBA 20 years before the term was coined.