I am a writer and game designer.

I started writing text adventure games for Infocom in 1986. In the 38 years since, I have credits on over 50 published titles as an Indie developer, game designer, producer, studio head, executive at a multi-national publisher, and independent consultant. 

Games I have worked on have won both critical acclaim (74 industry awards and nominations, including two Adventure Game of the Year awards), as well as financial success, including a #1 PC game (Unreal2), a #1 console game (Spider-Man3 for PS2 and Wii), two #2 Facebook games (FrontierVille, and Empires & Allies), and the world’s best-selling mobile game (Candy Crush Saga).

I was the President of Legend Entertainment for 15 years, and Zynga’s Chief Creative Officer for External Studios from 2010 to 2014. Since then I have worked as an independent designer, creative director, and writer. I was twice Chairman of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), and am the recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.

My book, Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games, is used as a textbook by several colleges and university. I am a frequent speaker at worldwide industry conferences and events, and have lectured on game design at MIT, Columbia, George Washington University, and Carnegie Mellon.

My most recent game is the self-published Thaumistry: In Charm’s Way. It’s a new take on the classic text adventure, a funny romp set in modern day New York City, filled with offbeat characters, improbable spells, and well-crafted puzzles.

I have also published The Ritual, a fantasy novel about a talented apprentice to the Guild of Healers who uses the magic of red gold to cure a dying man, only to be cast out and forced on a journey to a new land where the gold is used to power a mysterious – and quite unpleasant – Ritual that confers immortality.

Cheers,

–Bob