Roberta Williams
| Roberta Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1953 |
| Occupation | Video game designer |
| Spouse | Ken Williams |
Roberta Williams (born February 16, 1953) is an American video game designer and a co-founder of the Sierra On-Line company (now Sierra Entertainment). She is most famous for her pioneering work in graphical adventure games. She developed such titles as Mystery House, the King's Quest series and Phantasmagoria. She remains married to Ken Williams and retired from her career in 1999.
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[edit] Career
In the 1980s and 1990s, Roberta and her husband, Ken Williams, were leading figures in the development of graphical adventure games.[1] In 1980, they founded the company On-Line Systems, which later became Sierra On-Line.[1]
The first Williams' title was Mystery House (1980), which became known as the first graphical adventure game.[2][3] The second title, Wizard and the Princess (1980), added color graphics.[4] But the first serious success was the King's Quest series, which featured a "large expansive world" that could be explored by players.[1] After that, Roberta Williams designed such titles as Mixed-Up Mother Goose (1987), The Colonel's Bequest (1989), and Phantasmagoria (1995), which was the first in her career to be developed in the full-motion video technology.[2] Phantasmagoria featured extreme violence and rape scenes. The game has received mixed reviews.[5] Though Sierra was sold in 1996, Williams' production credits date to 1999, when she retired from Sierra On-Line.[6]
Roberta posed for the cover of the game Softporn Adventure by Chuck Benton, published by On-line Systems.[6] She also posed much later with her children as Mother Goose for the cover photograph of Mixed-Up Mother Goose. The end sequence of Leisure Suit Larry 3 features her as an in-game character.[7]
Since her retirement in 1999, she has stayed away from the public eye and rarely gives interviews to talk about her past with Sierra On-Line. However, in a 2006 interview, she admitted that her favorite game she created was Phantasmagoria and not King's Quest:
| “ | If I could only pick one game, I would pick Phantasmagoria, as I enjoyed working on it immensely and it was so very challenging (and I love to be challenged!). However, in my heart, I will always love the King’s Quest series and, especially, King’s Quest I, since it was the game that really 'made' Sierra On-Line.[8] | ” |
Williams has often stated that her games are explicitly targeted toward a more affluent and educated audience than other games, raising criticisms of elitism. In a 1999 Gamer's Depot interview, she summed up her feelings:
| “ | Back when I got started, which sounds like ancient history, back then the demographics of people who were into computer games, was totally different, in my opinion, than they are today. Back then, computers were more expensive, which made them more exclusive to people who were maybe at a certain income level, or education level. So the people that played computer games 15 years ago were that type of person. They probably didn't watch television as much, and the instant gratification era hadn't quite grown the way it has lately. I think in the last 5 or 6 years, the demographics have really changed, now this is my opinion, because computers are less expensive so more people can afford them. More "average" people now feel they should own one.[9] | ” |
In a 2006 interview, Williams said that designing computer games was in the past for her then and that she intended to write a historical novel.[8] However, in 2011, the video game website Gamezebo reported that Roberta Williams was working on a social network game called Odd Manor.[10]
[edit] Influence
Roberta Williams, together with Ken Williams, is considered one of the most influential video game designers. Ars Technica's Ben Kuchera stated that Roberta Williams was "one of the more iconic figures in adventure gaming".[6] IGN placed the Williams at 23th position in the list of top 100 game creators of all the time.[1]
[edit] Personal life
Roberta and Ken married on November 4, 1972 when she was 19, and Ken just turned 18.[11] They have two children, D.J. (born 1973) and Chris (born 1979). The Williams family have homes in Seattle, France and Mexico.[12]
[edit] Works
- Mystery House (1980)
- Wizard and the Princess (1980)
- Mission Asteroid (1981)
- The Dark Crystal (1982)
- Time Zone (1982)
- King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown (1984)
- Mickey's Space Adventure (1984)
- King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne (1985)
- King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human (1986)
- King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella (1988)
- Mixed-Up Mother Goose (1987)
- Laura Bow: The Colonel's Bequest (1989)
- King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! (1990)
- King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown (Remake) (1990)
- Mixed-Up Mother Goose Multimedia (1990)
- Laura Bow in The Dagger of Amon Ra (1992)
- King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (1992)
- King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride (1994)
- Mixed-Up Mother Goose Deluxe (1994)
- Phantasmagoria (1995)
- Shivers (1995)
- King's Quest: Mask of Eternity (1998)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Ken Williams & Roberta Williams". IGN. News Corporation. http://uk.games.ign.com/top-100-game-creators/23.html. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ a b "Roberta Williams". Allgame. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allgame.com/person.php?id=2478. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "Player 4 Stage 2: "Why in the world would anyone want a computer at home?"". The Dot Eaters. http://www.thedoteaters.com/p4_stage2.php. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ Moss, Richard (2011-01-26). "A truly graphic adventure: the 25-year rise and fall of a beloved genre". Ars Technica. Condé Nast Publications. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2011/01/history-of-graphic-adventures.ars. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "Roberta Williams' Phantasmagoria". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/198285-roberta-williams-phantasmagoria/index.html. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ a b c Kuchera, Ben (2006-07-18). "Roberta Williams: After King's Quest, where did she go?". Ars Technica. Condé Nast Publications. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2006/07/4688.ars. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ House, Michael L.. "Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals". Allgame. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=567. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ a b Adventure Classic Gaming (2006). "Roberta Williams Interview". Adventure Classic Gaming. http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/198/. Retrieved 2006.
- ^ "Roberta Williams Interview". Gamer's Depot. 1999. Archived from the original on 1999-11-27. http://web.archive.org/web/19991127225719/http://www.gamersdepot.com/interview_roberta_a.htm. Retrieved 2007.[dead link]
- ^ Webster, Andrew (2011-08-14). "Legendary King's Quest designer Roberta Williams working on Facebook's Odd Manor". Gamezebo. http://www.gamezebo.com/news/2011/08/14/legendary-kings-quest-designer-roberta-williams-working-facebooks-odd-manor. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ Williams, Ken. "Ken Williams". Sierra Gamers. http://www.sierragamers.com/aspx/blob2/blobpage.aspx/msgid/669573. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
- ^ Sierra gamers, Sierragamers.
