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Mark Essen
NationalityAmerican
Other namesMesshof
Occupation(s)Video game designer and artist
Known forNidhogg

Mark Essen, better known as Messhof, is an American video game designer and artist best known for Nidhogg, its sequel, and Flywrench.

Career

In college, Messhof made games with GameMaker and Microsoft Paint software. An early game, Punishment 1, began as a group assignment in an advanced, experimental class. His other early games included Wally, Bool, Booloid, Punishment 2, and Flywrench, uploaded on his website.[1] His work was profiled in The Creators Project[2] and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art,[3] and shown in the New York New Museum, Toronto Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art,[4] and Liverpool Foundation for Art and Creative Technology.[5] He was cited by a Savannah College of Art and Design instructor as a successful example of blending arts aesthetics and video games.[6]

Messhof developed Nidhogg, a fast-paced, side-scrolling sword fighting game between 2010 and 2014. Its first prototype, Raging Hadron, was expanded over four years to include online multiplayer, new environments, and new gameplay modes. Messhof balanced development as the sole programmer with development on other games and both teaching and student commitments in graduate school.[7] He taught classes on intermediate game design and experimental mobile games at University of Southern California's Interactive Media & Games program.[8] Nidhogg's production's pace increased when he formed a studio, also known as Messhof, with Kristy Norindr, who found other collaborators for finishing the project.[7] An expanded version of the game, Nidhogg 2, was illustrated by artist Toby Dixon and includes new levels, music, and weapons.[9]

Games developed

Year Title Platform
2014 Nidhogg Windows, macOS, PS4, PSVita
2015 Flywrench Windows, macOS, PS4
2017 Nidhogg 2 Windows, macOS, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
2024 Ghost Bike Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

References

  1. ^ "Interview: Messhof (Flywrench)". IndieGames.com. December 9, 2007. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  2. ^ W., Tim (June 22, 2010). "Indie Game Links: Sorcery Is Afoot". IndieGames.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  3. ^ Squires, Jim (July 3, 2014). "Nidhogg Creator Mark Essen is an Artist". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  4. ^ Pfeiffer, Alice (November 21, 2011). "Inspired by Your Life, a Custom-Designed Video Game". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017.
  5. ^ Schiller, Jen (July 12, 2011). "National Endowment for the Arts Makes Roger Ebert Eat His Words". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  6. ^ Warren, Jamin (March 21, 2011). "'Game designers want to be artists without knowing what that means.'". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Farokhmanesh, Megan (January 19, 2014). "Why Nidhogg took almost four years to release". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  8. ^ Boyer, Brandon (January 13, 2014). "The Great Beast Emerges: A Q&A with Nidhogg Creator Messhof". Venus Patrol. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  9. ^ Caldwell, Brendan (September 29, 2016). "Interview: Messhof On Nidhogg 2". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
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