Last night, the Game Developers Choice Awards recognized one of our very own with its prestigious Online Game Legend Award. Playdom VP of Creative Design Raph Koster received the honor at the Game Developers Conference Online event in Austin because of his significant impact on the world of online gaming.
Raph’s work has touched nearly every aspect of the gaming industry during his career. He served as the lead designer for Ultima Online and the creative director for Star Wars Galaxies, paving the way for many MMORPGs since.
Raph is also a thought leader in the field and considered a go-to authority on community management, game design and storytelling in game development. His 2004 book A Theory of Fun is a hallmark resource for educators and students and has spawned a follow-up talk at this year’s GDC Online, 10 years after he first introduced the concept at the inaugural event in 2003.
We found Raph’s acceptance speech particularly inspiring, and wanted to share an excerpt:
First, don’t make my mistakes. I’ve made many. You’ve played them. Make new ones.
Listen and learn, especially from your players.
Share it all back.
Don’t settle. Dare, instead.
Love what you do.
But a hard-won lesson here: Love your family more. Spend time with them too.
All of us at Disney Interactive are proud of Raph’s contributions to the industry and of his well-deserved recognition!
To find out more about the award, check out the GDC Online blog.