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Countdown to CGE 2010 ~ July 31st & August 1st, 2010 ~ 31 JUL 2010 |
Classic Gaming Expo Distinguished Guest:
DAVID CRANE
Crane's industry awards continue to mount with each new product. Pitfall!
maintained the top slot on the Billboard charts for 64 weeks and was named
video game of the year in 1982. Besides selling millions of copies
worldwide, it spawned a Saturday morning television cartoon and numerous
other spin-offs. Pitfall II: Lost Caverns was also the number one
rated game in the country for over six months and won the 1984 Golden
Floppy award for best game and the Video Adventure Game of the Year award
for 1984 from Electronic Games. The Activision Decathlon was in the
top 20 video games for more than one year and won several sports game
awards. Reviewers Katz & Kunkel called Decathlon a "masterwork
and a true classic." Other Activision hits written by Crane include Dragster,
Fishing Derby, Laser Blast, Freeway, Grand Prix,
Skateboardin' and Super Skateboardin' (the last one was for
the Atari 7800).
Ghostbusters, Crane's 9th release for Activision was lauded by
Ahoy! magazine's publisher who said that he had "never so thoroughly
enjoyed playing or even watching a game as entertaining as this one.
Activision may even accomplish what few if any have been able to do:
successfully release a video/computer game derived from a major motion
picture." As predicted, Ghostbusters achieved unprecedented
sales in the United States, throughout Europe, and Japan. Crane's Little
Computer People was awarded the 1985 award for the most innovative
program of the year by the Computer Entertainer. A Boy and His Blob
received the best of show award at its introduction and was the video game
of the year for 1989. Further, the Parents' Choice Foundation awarded A
Boy and His Blob the 1990 Parents' Choice Award for portraying
"Positive human values", "High quality software",
"Intelligent design", and the "Ability to hold the player's
interest." Crane was named designer of the year in 1983 and 1984 by
Video Game Update, Video Review and Computer Entertainer. His works have
been called "beyond belief" and "offering the most
remarkable breadth of any videogame(s) yet produced" by Electronic
Games Magazine.
While often overshadowed in the public eye by his software products,
Crane's hardware accomplishments are equally impressive. In addition to a
variety of custom development systems, Crane has designed two integrated
circuits for video game use - The Display Processor Chip or DPC, which was
awarded a patent for its unique video memory system, and a chip which
offered the most innovative method of bank selecting in the industry.
Wherever there is new technology or new entertainment opportunities, Crane
can be found at the forefront.
By treating the Internet as the latest in a series of video game
platforms, Crane brings this unique blend of talents to the Internet. He
is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Skyworks Technologies, Inc.,
a privately held multimedia developer specializing in interactive
marketing and high-end game development. In addition, Skyworks is an
authorized developer for the Sony PlayStation video game platform.
Skyworks' clients include the LifeSavers Company, the Nabisco Biscuit
Company, the Sega Channel, Micronet Co. Ltd., Scientific American and
others.
David
Crane is one of the most successful designers of entertainment software in
the world. His award winning video games, led by Pitfall!, Ghostbusters,
A Boy and His Blob, and Amazing Tennis are acknowledged as
some of the most innovative and popular in the interactive entertainment
industry. Crane, a founder of Activision in 1979, has consistently
produced superb products, as evidenced by his worldwide sales of over 10
million games and wholesale revenues near 200 million dollars. Prior to
his days at Activision, Crane was employed at Atari, where he wrote such
hits as Outlaw, Slot Machine and Canyon Bomber. He
was also instrumental in the design of the Atari 800 computer's operating
system.