Bob Bates
| Robert Bates | |
|---|---|
 Bob Bates, 2002 |
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| Born | December 11, 1953 |
| Other names | Bob Bates |
| Occupation | Game designer |
Robert Bates (born December 11, 1953), better known as Bob Bates, is an American computer games designer. Starting as a designer in the 1980s for Infocom, he was later co-founder of Legend Entertainment, designing games such as Timequest and Eric the Unready. Bates has twice been the chairperson of the International Game Developers Association, and has written books about game design and development, such as Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games (2001). He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the IGDA,[1] and in 2010, was selected by the International Game Developers Association as Person of the Year.[2]
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[edit] Overview
His first published game designs were the two interactive fiction titles Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels and Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur for Infocom. A third game was never finished because Infocom was closed in 1989. Soon after the end of Infocom, Bates and Mike Verdu founded Legend Entertainment to produce games in the Infocom tradition.[3] Games designed by Bates for Legend include: Timequest, Eric the Unready, and John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles. He also contributed design and writing to other company games, including the Gateway series and the company's final game Unreal II: The Awakening.
In the course of his career since 1986, he has written, designed, produced, or overseen more than 39 games that have sold over 6 million units and won over 60 industry awards, including two Adventure Game of the Year awards. He has worked on #1 titles for both the PC (Unreal 2) and for consoles (Spider-Man 3). He is twice past-Chair of the IGDA, and serves on the advisory boards of GDC Europe and George Mason University's undergraduate degree program in Game Design.[4]
On September 1, 2009, Bates resigned his position as Chairman of the IGDA to continue his career as an independent game designer, writer, and producer.[5] In early 2011, Bates was hired by Zynga, to write for games such as FrontierVille.
[edit] Writing
- Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games. Prima Tech. 2001. ISBN 9780761531654.
- The Game Developer's Market Guide. Premier Press. 2003. ISBN 9781592001040.
[edit] References
- ^ "IGDA Perspectives". April 2010. p. 4. http://www.igda.org/sites/default/files/IGDA_Perspectives_April_10.pdf.
- ^ Caulfield, Joshua (April 2010). "IGDA Perspectives". p. 22. http://www.igda.org/sites/default/files/IGDA_Perspectives_April_10.pdf.
- ^ Jong, Philip (February 12, 2001). "Bob Bates". Adventure Classic Gaming. http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/168/. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
- ^ "2009 GDC Europe Announces Advisory Board". Game Developers Conference. April 8, 2009. http://www.gdconf.com/news/gdc_europe/2009_gdc_europe_announces_advi.html. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
- ^ "Bob Bates and Tim Langdell depart the IGDA". Edge. September 1, 2009. http://www.next-gen.biz/news/bob-bates-and-tim-langdell-depart-igda. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bob Bates |
- Bob Bates.com - official website
- Bob Bates' Rap Sheet at MobyGames
- Interview with Bob Bates at Adventure Classic Gaming (2001)
- Infocom Authors - Bob Bates
- Interview with Bob Bates with emphasis on his adventures and storytelling (2005)
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