Ron Gilbert

Ron Gilbert is an American computer game designer, programmer, and producer, best known for his work on several classic LucasArts adventure games, including "Maniac Mansion" and the first two "Monkey Island" games. Gilbert was also co-founder of Humongous Entertainment and its sister company Cavedog Entertainment. His games are generally focused on interactive storytelling. Additionally, Ron founded Hulabee Entertainment with Shelley Day after leaving Humongous Entertainment. He works nowadays as Creative Director at Vancouver-based Hothead Games development studio.

Career

Gilbert began his professional career in 1983 while he was still a college student by writing a program named "Graphics Basic" with Tom McFarlane. They sold the program to a San Francisco Bay Area company named HESware, which later offered Gilbert a job. He spent about half a year at HESware, programming action games for the Commodore 64 (C64). None of them were ever released; the company went out of business. Shortly thereafter, Gilbert joined Lucasfilm Games, which later became LucasArts. There he earned his living by doing C64 ports of Lucasfilm Atari 800 games.

In 1985 he got the opportunity to co-develop his own game for LucasArts together with graphics artist Gary Winnick. "Maniac Mansion" was about a dark Victorian mansion populated by a mad scientist, his family and strange aliens.

", the SCUMM Bar, was named after it.

Gilbert created many successful adventure games at LucasArts, including the classic "The Secret of Monkey Island" and "Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge". In 1992, he left the company to start Humongous Entertainment with LucasArts producer Shelley Day.

While at Humongous Entertainment, Gilbert was responsible for games such as "Putt-Putt", "Freddi Fish", "Pajama Sam" and the "Backyard Sports" series. Many of these games continued to use an offshoot of the SCUMM engine. In 1995, Gilbert founded Cavedog Entertainment, Humongous' sister company for non-kids games.

While at Cavedog, Gilbert was the producer of "Total Annihilation" and worked on a game called "Good & Evil". Widely regarded as his pet project, "Good & Evil" was said to incorporate many different themes and gameplay styles. The game was previewed by several publications, but the project was cancelled when Cavedog closed down in 1999. In an interview with GameSpot conducted a while after Cavedog's shut-down, Gilbert said the "Good & Evil" project had suffered due to him trying to design a game and run a company at the same time. [cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/ron_gilbert/index.html | title=An Interview with Ron Gilbert | publisher=Gamespot | author=DeMaria, Rusel]

As of 2005, Ron Gilbert was independently designing an unspecified new adventure/RPG game, which he was pitching to publishers. He also ran a blog called Grumpy Gamer offering game industry commentary, occasionally in the form of animated cartoons that he created with Voodoo Vince designer Clayton Kauzlaric.

In January 2007, Gilbert created an exclusively Monkey Island themed guild on the World of Warcraft server Quel'Dorei, under the name "Threepwood". [cite web | url=http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/759/759237p1.html | title=Pirates Invade World of Warcraft | publisher=IGN UK | author=Burman, Rob | date=2007-01-29 | accessdate=2008-01-10]

In May 2007, Gilbert began to collaborate with Hothead Games on "", a game based on the webcomic Penny Arcade. [cite web | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13860 | title=Adventure Vet Ron Gilbert Working On Penny Arcade Title | date=2007-05-09 | publisher=Gamasutra | author=Boyer, Brandon]

In January 2008, he joined Hothead Games as Creative Director, with whom he's developing DeathSpank, an episodic adventure/RPG game. [cite web | url=http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/536C4D02-BF24-4B73-AA48-A277D6B04997.htm | title=Ron Gilbert Becomes A Hothead | date=2008-01-09 | accessdate=2008-01-10 | author=Ahrens, Nick | publisher=GameInformer]

Published works

*"Maniac Mansion" (1987), LucasArts (LucasFilm Games)
*"Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders" (1988), LucasArts (LucasFilm Games)
*"" (1989), LucasArts (LucasFilm Games)
*"The Secret of Monkey Island" (1990), LucasArts (LucasFilm Games)
*"" (1991), LucasArts (LucasFilm Games)
*"Day of the Tentacle" (1993), LucasArts (LucasFilm Games)
* Co-created many children's games at Humongous Entertainment, including Freddi Fish and Putt-Putt.

References

External links

* [http://www.grumpygamer.com/ Grumpy Gamer] Ron Gilbert's blog
* [http://www.worldofmi.com/features/interview/gilbert.php Interview at World of Monkey Island] in 2007
*
* [http://www.mixnmojo.com/features/read.php?article=gilbert1 Interview at The International House of Mojo]
* [http://www.idlethumbs.net/display.php?id=64 Ron Gilbert Speaks] A three-part interview with Ron Gilbert conducted by [http://www.idlethumbs.net/ Idle Thumbs] in 2004
* [http://www.gamespot.com/features/6153188/index.html Interview at Gamespot]
* [http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060630/murdey_01.shtml Gamasutra feature]
* [http://la-aventura.net/entrevistas/ron-gilbert-en Interview with Ron Gilbert on 2005] , at La Aventura es la Aventura
* [http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6153188/p-2.html] June 30, 2006 Interview