Ron Gilbert

Ron Gilbert is an American video-game designer, programmer, and producer. His games are generally focused on interactive storytelling, and he is arguably best known for his work on several LucasArts adventure games, including Maniac Mansion and the first two Monkey Island games.

Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert in July 2013
Born
La Grande, Oregon
OccupationVideo game designer, programmer, and producer

While a student in 1983, he co-wrote Graphics BASIC and he then worked on action games for HESware, which went out of business. He afterwards joined Lucasfilm Games (later LucasArts), and was given the opportunity to develop his own games. He invented SCUMM, a technology used in many subsequent games. After leaving LucasArts, Gilbert co-founded the children's gaming company Humongous Entertainment in 1992 and its sister company Cavedog Entertainment in 1995, where he produced games such as Total Annihilation for adults.

He cofounded Hulabee Entertainment with Shelley Day, releasing children's games between 2001 and 2003. After working with Beep Games between 2004 and 2007, he was creative director at Vancouver-based Hothead Games development studio between 2008 and 2010, also doing some work for Telltale Games and with Penny Arcade. In 2013, he announced that he would move on from Double Fine Productions, after releasing the game The Cave with them. In 2017, he announced Thimbleweed Park with Terrible Toybox, serving as writer, designer, and programmer since 2014.

Biography

Early career

Ron Gilbert was born in La Grande, Oregon, as the son of David E. Gilbert, a physics professor and former president of Eastern Oregon University (then Eastern Oregon State College). Initially, he thought of himself going into a career for film direction.[1] He became interested in games when he was thirteen years old thanks to a HP-65 programmable calculator his father used to bring home.[2] He found the ability to program games on the calculator interesting, citing an example of a Battleship-like game that was included on the calculator, leading him wanting him to learn how to program other games. Gilbert saw the potential to program games as a creative outlet as he continued his studies towards the film industry.[1][3] Another thing that made him approach the gaming world was a film, Star Wars (1977). His fascination with programming technology, which allowed gamers to interact with characters and situations, mixed with his love for telling stories, like that of "Star Wars", were his main inspirations to start making games.[3]

The impact of Star Wars and his love for telling stories was so big that Ron Gilbert, at the age of fourteen, and his good friend Tom McFarlane made a couple of films on a Super-8 camera. The first film they shot in 1978 was Stars Blasters; it was directed by Ron Gilbert and acted by friends Tom McFarlane and Frank Lang. In 1979 they filmed another movie, Tomorrow Never Came, acted by Ron Gilbert, Tom McFarlane; it was also directed by Ron Gilbert.

In 1979 his parents purchased a NorthStar Horizon home computer. At the age of fifteen, he took his first steps in game programming. He used to study and analyze games for hours; capturing in his mind every frame of the layout of games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Asteroids, Space Invaders or Robotron: 2084; taking notes of every detail and then trying to replicate them on his computer. Once the games were replicated he would start doing experiments with them, adding changes. He also used to look at Atari 2600 games' advertisements in magazines, then imagined what the game was like to play and tried to make them on his computer. Once the games were finished he used to bring his friends home to test the games and tell him what they did or did not like.[4]

LucasArts

Gilbert began his professional career in 1983 while he was still a student at Eastern Oregon State College 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.[4]

Gilbert created a scripting language that was named after the project it had been written for, the Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion, better known as SCUMM. The technology was used in all subsequent LucasArts adventure games, with the exception of Grim Fandango and Escape From Monkey Island. Despite being an internal production tool, the SCUMM acronym became well known to gamers since a location in The Secret of Monkey Island, 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, Fatty Bear, Freddi Fish, Pajama Sam and the Backyard Sports series. Many of these games continued to use an offshoot of the SCUMM engine.

Post LucasArts

In 1995, Gilbert founded Cavedog Entertainment, Humongous' sister company for non-kids games. In 1996, GameSpot named him as the 15th on their list of the most influential people in computer gaming of all time.[5] In 1997, Computer Gaming World similarly ranked him as number 15 on the list of the most influential people of all time in computer gaming for inventing the SCUMM engine.[6] While at Cavedog, Gilbert was the producer of Total Annihilation and worked on a game titled 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.[7][8]

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

Ron Gilbert at PAX 2009

In 2007, Gilbert created "Threepwood", an exclusively Monkey Island-themed guild on the World of Warcraft server Quel'Dorei,[9] and Gilbert began to collaborate with Hothead Games on Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, a game based on the webcomic Penny Arcade.[10] He was chosen to be the Keynote Speaker for Penny Arcade Expo for 2009.

In January 2008, he joined Hothead Games as creative director, with whom he was developing DeathSpank, an adventure/R.P.G.[11] Although still working at Hothead Games, Gilbert contributed to the design for Telltale Games' Tales of Monkey Island, taking part in the brainstorming process early in the development of the game.[12] The episodic fifth entry in the Monkey Island series marked the first time Gilbert worked on a Monkey Island game since 1991's LeChuck's Revenge. On April 6, 2010, on his blog he announced that he left Hothead Games. He will continue to promote DeathSpank with Electronic Arts.[13]

In September 2010, it was revealed that Gilbert had been hired by fellow former LucasArts game designer Tim Schafer, to work at Schafer's own Double Fine Productions. In February 2012, Tim Schafer confirmed he will be working with Ron Gilbert on a new adventure game. In May 2012, the game was revealed as The Cave, which was released as a downloadable title by Sega in 2013.[14]

After the buying of LucasArts by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, the rights to the Monkey Island series became the company's property. Ron Gilbert has been quoted in November 2012 as not being optimistic about the franchise's future, believing that Disney might abandon the franchise in favor of Pirates of the Caribbean,[15] however, in December 2012, he was also quoted as wishing to contact Disney, hoping to "make the game he wants to make".[16]

In March 2013, Gilbert left Double Fine Productions revealing that his joining the studio was purely for the creation of The Cave: "I was telling him [Tim Schafer] about The Cave and he really liked it, so he said 'come to Double Fine and make it'. It was really all about making that game." Most recently he worked on the iOS and Android game Scurvy Scallywags with DeathSpank co-creator Clayton Kauzlaric.[17]

On November 18, 2014, it was revealed that he had reunited with Gary Winnick, with whom he created his early critically acclaimed point-and-click games at LucasArts, and that they were working together on a new point-and-click game called Thimbleweed Park. On May 23, 2016, Gilbert took to Twitter to express a desire to buy back the franchise saying "Please sell me my Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion IP. I'll pay actual money for them.".[18] In 2017, fans of the series launced an online petition is support of Ron Gilbert, asking Disney to sell the franchise to him; as of May 2020, the petition has gathered about 26000 signatures.[19] The game reached its funding target on the crowd sourcing site Kickstarter on December 18 and was released on March 30, 2017, in full "talkie" mode for Windows, Linux, Mac and Xbox One. A port to iOS and Android was confirmed after the project met its last stretch-goal.[20]

On March 15, 2018, Gilbert announced he was in the early stages of developing an RPG called A Little Something.[21][22]

Games
Name Year Credited with Publisher
Koronis Rift1985programmerLucasfilm Games
Ballblazer1985programmerLucasfilm Games
Maniac Mansion1987writer, director, art and programmerLucasfilm Games
Habitat1987Lucasfilm Games
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders1988writerLucasfilm Games
PHM Pegasus1988Lucasfilm Games
Pipe Dream1989writerLucasfilm Games
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure1989writerLucasfilm Games
The Secret of Monkey Island1990writer and directorLucasfilm Games
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge1991director, designer and programmer[23]LucasArts
Putt-Putt Joins the Parade1992director, designer and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Fatty Bear's Birthday Surprise1993director, designer and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt's Fun Pack1993Humongous Entertainment
Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle1993writerLucasArts
Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon1993director, designer and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Fatty Bear's Fun Pack1993Humongous Entertainment
Putt Putt & Fatty Bear's Activity Pack1994Humongous Entertainment
Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds1994producer, designer and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Let's Explore the Airport1995Humongous Entertainment
Let's Explore the Farm1995Humongous Entertainment
Let's Explore the Jungle1995Humongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo1995interactive design, producer and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse1996producer and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside1996interactive design, producer and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a Stick1996programmerHumongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-Rama1996programmerHumongous Entertainment
Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness1996programmerHumongous Entertainment
Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries1996programmerHumongous Entertainment
Big Thinkers 1st Grade1997programmerHumongous Entertainment
Big Thinkers Kindergarten1997programmerHumongous Entertainment
Backyard Baseball1997Humongous Entertainment
Total Annihilation1997producerCavedog Entertainment
Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"1997creative director and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Putt Putt Travels Through Time1997producer and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Pajama Sam's Sock Works1997programmerHumongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt Enters the Race1998Humongous Entertainment
Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell1998Humongous Entertainment
Total Annihilation: The Core Contingency1998producerCavedog Entertainment
Total Annihilation: Battle Tactics1998producerCavedog Entertainment
Blue's Birthday Adventure1998Humongous Entertainment
Pajama Sam 2: Thunder and Lightning Aren't so Frightening1998creative director and programmerHumongous Entertainment
Pajama Sam's Lost & Found1998Humongous Entertainment
Spy Fox in Cheese Chase1998programmerHumongous Entertainment
Backyard Soccer1999Humongous Entertainment
Blue's 123 Time Activities1999Humongous Entertainment
Blue's ABC Time Activities1999Humongous Entertainment
Total Annihilation: Kingdoms1999producerCavedog Entertainment
Spy Fox in Hold the Mustard1999Humongous Entertainment
Blue's Treasure Hunt1999Humongous Entertainment
Spy Fox 2: "Some Assembly Required"1999Humongous Entertainment
Pajama Sam 3: You Are What You Eat from Your Head to Your Feet1999Humongous Entertainment
Backyard Football1999Humongous Entertainment
Total Annihilation: Kingdoms – The Iron Plague2000producerCavedog Entertainment
Blue's Reading Time Activities2000Humongous Entertainment
Blue's Art Time Activities2000Humongous Entertainment
Freddi Fish's One-Stop Fun Shop2000Humongous Entertainment
Pajama Sam's One-Stop Fun Shop2000Humongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt's One-Stop Fun Shop2000Humongous Entertainment
Backyard Soccer MLS Edition2000Humongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt Joins the Circus2000Humongous Entertainment
Spy Fox 3: "Operation Ozone"2001Humongous Entertainment
Backyard NBA Basketball2001Humongous Entertainment
Backyard Football 20022001Humongous Entertainment
Pajama Sam's Games To Play On Any Day2001Humongous Entertainment
Moop and Dreadly in the Treasure on Bing Bong Island2001creative director and programmerHulabee Entertainment
Ollo in the Sunny Valley Fair2002creative director and programmerHulabee Entertainment
Sonny's Race for the Chocolatey Taste2002Hulabee Entertainment
Piglet's Big Game2003Hulabee Entertainment
Flying Leo2005Beep Games
Zodiac2006Beep Games
Four Houses2006Beep Games
Realms of Gold2007Beep Games
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One2008story and design consultantHothead Games
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two2008story and design consultantHothead Games
Tales of Monkey Island2009–10"Visiting Professor of Monkeyology"Telltale Games
Word Spiral [24]2010designer, programmerBeep Games
DeathSpank2010designHothead Games
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue2010designHothead Games
The Big Big Castle! [25]2012designer, programmerBeep Games
The Cave2013directorDouble Fine Productions
Scurvy Scallywags in The Voyage to Discover The Ultimate Sea Shanty: A Musical Match-3 Pirate RPG2013Beep Games
Thimbleweed Park2017writer, designer, programmerTerrible Toybox, Inc.
Delores A Thimbleweed Park Mini-Adventure (a completely free release during Covid 19 Lockdown)2020writer, designer, programmerTerrible Toybox, Inc.

Written works
  • Gilbert, Ron (December 1989). "Why adventure games suck - And What We Can Do About It". Journal of Computer Game Design. 3 (2): 4–7.

References
  1. Mackey, Bob (November 9, 2015). "Page 2: Use Questions on Developer: A Ron Gilbert Retrospective". USGamer. Archived from the original on 2015-11-10. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  2. "An Interview with Ron Gilbert". Game Bytes. No. 9. March 13, 1993.
  3. GameSpot, "Storytime with Ron Gilbert - PAX Australia 2013 Keynote" Archived 2016-03-17 at the Wayback Machine, Ron Gilbert, 7 July 2013, accessed 21 March 2015
  4. "Ron Gilbert's biography". Youbioit. Archived from the original on 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  5. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2008-07-04. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  6. CGW 159: The Most Influential People in Computer Gaming
  7. DeMaria, Rusel. "An Interview with Ron Gilbert". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2000-06-19. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  8. "Ron Gilbert Timeline". Lumerias.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-22.
  9. Burman, Rob (2007-01-29). "Pirates Invade World of Warcraft". IGN UK. Archived from the original on 2007-02-03. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  10. Boyer, Brandon (2007-05-09). "Adventure Vet Ron Gilbert Working On Penny Arcade Title". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  11. Ahrens, Nick (2008-01-09). "Ron Gilbert Becomes A Hothead". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  12. "Tales of Monkey Island FAQ". Archived from the original on 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  13. "Grumpy Gamer Just so you know". Grumpygamer.com. 2010-04-06. Archived from the original on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  14. Matulef, Jeffrey. "The Cave Preview: Double Fine's New Game for Sega • Previews •". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  15. Yin-Poole, Wesley. "Ron Gilbert wishes he owned Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
  16. Phillips, Tom. "Monkey Island creator will talk to rights owner Disney about new game plans". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
  17. Matulef, Jeffrey. "Ron Gilbert on why he left Double Fine". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  18. @grumpygamer (May 23, 2016). "Dead @Disney, now that you're not making games, please sell me my Monkey Island and Mansion Mansion IP. I'll pay real actual money for them" (Tweet) – via Twitter. |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)
  19. Hughes, Matthew. "Monkey Island fans are begging Disney to sell the rights back to its creator". The Next Web.
  20. "Thimbleweed Park". Kickstarter. Archived from the original on 2014-11-30.
  21. "Ronzo downright announces his next game". The International House of Mojo. Archived from the original on 2018-04-03. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  22. Ron Gilbert (March 14, 2018). "A Little Something (blog entry)". grumpygamer.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-03. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  23. Credits Archived 2017-03-25 at the Wayback Machine at MobyGames
  24. Molina, Bret (July 31, 2012). "Portable Picks: 'The Big Big Castle!'". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  25. Gilbert, Ron (July 9, 2012). "The Big Big Castle!". Grumpy Gamer Blog. Archived from the original on 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
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