Dave Gilbert (game designer): Difference between revisions

Dave Gilbert
Dave Gilbert
Born	David Gilbert; March 31, 1976 (age 48)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Boston University
Spouse	Janet Gilbert (2009–present)

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Dave Gilbert (born March 31, 1976) is an American designer of independent adventure games using Adventure Game Studio. He began creating home-made, freeware games, and went professional in 2006, founding Wadjet Eye Games and releasing commercially The Shivah and The Blackwell Legacy.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Game design career

Gilbert's first adventure game was The Repossessor in 2001, an entry in the Reality-on-the-Norm series (a shared universe for adventure games started by Ben Croshaw). In 2003, Gilbert released Bestowers of Eternity — Part One, a game about a young woman who inherits a family ghost when her aunt dies in an insane asylum. It went on to win multiple awards in the 2003 AGS Awards.^[4]

In 2004, the AGS Forums organized the AGS Team Challenge, an informal contest where teams worked together to create an adventure game. Gilbert designed and wrote Two of a Kind for the contest. The game included two playable characters with different abilities and personalities, an unusual feature in an adventure game. This was one of only two games completed (the other was The Hamlet) by the deadline, and both were declared co-winners. Two of a Kind received positive reviews, and won an AGS Award for Best Gameplay.

In the summer of 2006, Gilbert produced The Shivah, one of the first video games to star a rabbi, for MAGS, the monthly one-month AGS game contest (which it won). After its release, Gilbert decided to rework the freeware version, improving the graphics, adding new puzzles and voice acting, and released it as a commercial title. The game received good reviews and considerable attention in the press,^[5]^[6] mainly because of its subject matter. It earned some criticism in the Israeli press.^[7] The Shivah was sold through Manifesto Games on a non-exclusive basis.

Turning his hobby into a professional career, Gilbert decided to become a full-time game designer. He founded Wadjet Eye Games to sell The Shivah and his forthcoming titles. A few months later, in December 2006, The Blackwell Legacy was released. This game was a much-improved remake of Bestowers of Eternity (revamping the earlier project which he considered to be over-ambitious),^[8] but continued past the end of the earlier game, telling more of the story. The Blackwell Legacy was intended as the first installment of an episodic game. The second game, a prequel called Blackwell Unbound, was released on 4 September 2007.

In February 2008, a publishing deal was announced between Wadjet Eye Games and PlayFirst.^[9] Under the agreement, Wadjet Eye Games would develop a casual adventure game for PlayFirst. The resulting game, Emerald City Confidential, a noir story set in the world of Oz, was released on 19 February 2009.^[10]

Awards

In 2007, Dave Gilbert's Wadjet Eye studios was nominated for Best New Studio in the prestigious Game Developers Choice Awards^[11] and presented The Shivah at the associated Game Developers Conference.^[12] Gilbert was also awarded the AGS Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2007^[13] to go along with his other eight AGS Awards. In 2008, Gamasutra listed Gilbert and Wadjet Eye as one of their top 20 breakthrough developers.^[14]

Personal life

Dave Gilbert is Jewish, a background he drew upon in making The Shivah. Although he states that he is not at all religious, he does feel a strong connection to his Jewish heritage.^[15]

Gilbert spent some years in South Korea, teaching English as a second language and spent some time exploring China.^{[citation needed]} He now lives in New York City with his wife, Janet, and daughter, Eve.

Games

Developed

Freeware

The Repossessor (Reality-on-the Norm) (2001)^[16]
The Postman Only Dies Once (Reality-on-the Norm) (2001)^[17]
Purity of the Surf (Reality-on-the Norm) (2003)^[18]
A Better Mousetrap (Reality-on-the Norm) (2003)^[19]
Bestowers of Eternity - Part One (Adventure Game Studio) (2003)^[20]
Two of a Kind (Adventure Game Studio) (2004)^[21]

Commercial (Wadjet Eye Games)

The Shivah (2006)
Blackwell series
- The Blackwell Legacy (2006)
- Blackwell Unbound (2007)
- The Blackwell Convergence (2009)
- The Blackwell Deception (2011)
- The Blackwell Epiphany (2014)
Emerald City Confidential (2009)
Unavowed (2018)
Old Skies (forthcoming)

Produced

Puzzle Bots (2010)
Gemini Rue (2011)
Da New Guys: Day of the Jackass (2012)
Resonance (2012)
Primordia (2012)
A Golden Wake (2014)
Technobabylon (2015)
Shardlight (2016)
Strangeland (2021)
The Excavation of Hob's Barrow (2022)
Nighthawks (forthcoming)

References

^ "David Gilbert". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
^ "David L. Gilbert Video Game Credits and Biography". MobyGames. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
^ "Dave Gilbert". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
^ AGS Awards 2003 (cited 20 February 2009)
^ Gamasutra, Are there any Jews in the Audience?
^ CNN.com coverage of The Shivah
^ Scan of article in Maariv translation to English (cited 31 December 2006)
^ Adventuregamers.com interview with Dave Gilbert
^ PlayFirst Signs Acclaimed Developer Wadjet Eye Games to Publishing Deal PlayFirst Feb 18 2008 press release, via Reuters (cited 20 February 2009).
^ PlayFirst Releases Emerald City Confidential, A Noir-Inspired Twist on the Book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz PlayFirst Feb 19 2009 press release, via Yahoo! Finance (cited 20 February 2009)
^ Game Choice Awards nominees Archived 2007-02-09 at the Wayback Machine (cited 12 February 2007)
^ Game Developers Conference 2007 Session Info: The Shivah^{[permanent dead link‍]} (cited 12 February 2007)
^ AGS Awards for 2006 winners Archived 2007-03-05 at the Wayback Machine (cited 12 February 2007)
^ Gamasutra Top 20 Breakthrough Developers (cited 20 October 2008)
^ Adventure Classic Gaming interview with Dave Gilbert (cited 17 February 2009)
^ "The Repossessor". Reality-On-The-Norm. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
^ "The Postman Only Dies Once". Reality-On-The-Norm. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
^ "Purity of the Surf". Reality-On-The-Norm. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
^ "A Better Mouse Trap". Reality-On-The-Norm. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
^ "Bestowers of Eternity - part one". Adventure Game Studio. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
^ "Two of a Kind". Adventure Game Studio. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

External links

Dave's new blog
Dave's old blog
Wadjet Eye Games
Reality-On-The-Norm website
YouTube video of Dave Gilbert presenting The Shivah at the IGDA NY Chapter Demo Night on August 23, 2006:
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3

[1] "David Gilbert". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2021-01-22.

[2] "David L. Gilbert Video Game Credits and Biography". MobyGames. Retrieved 2021-01-22.

[3] "Dave Gilbert". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-01-22.

[4] AGS Awards 2003 (cited 20 February 2009)

[5] Gamasutra, Are there any Jews in the Audience?

[6] CNN.com coverage of The Shivah

[7] Scan of article in Maariv translation to English (cited 31 December 2006)

[8] Adventuregamers.com interview with Dave Gilbert

[9] PlayFirst Signs Acclaimed Developer Wadjet Eye Games to Publishing Deal PlayFirst Feb 18 2008 press release, via Reuters (cited 20 February 2009).

[10] PlayFirst Releases Emerald City Confidential, A Noir-Inspired Twist on the Book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz PlayFirst Feb 19 2009 press release, via Yahoo! Finance (cited 20 February 2009)

[11] Game Choice Awards nominees Archived 2007-02-09 at the Wayback Machine (cited 12 February 2007)

[12] Game Developers Conference 2007 Session Info: The Shivah^{[permanent dead link‍]} (cited 12 February 2007)

[13] AGS Awards for 2006 winners Archived 2007-03-05 at the Wayback Machine (cited 12 February 2007)

[14] Gamasutra Top 20 Breakthrough Developers (cited 20 October 2008)

[15] Adventure Classic Gaming interview with Dave Gilbert (cited 17 February 2009)

[16] "The Repossessor". Reality-On-The-Norm. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

[17] "The Postman Only Dies Once". Reality-On-The-Norm. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

[18] "Purity of the Surf". Reality-On-The-Norm. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

[19] "A Better Mouse Trap". Reality-On-The-Norm. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

[20] "Bestowers of Eternity - part one". Adventure Game Studio. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

[21] "Two of a Kind". Adventure Game Studio. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

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+{{short description|American game designer}}
 {{about|the game designer|other people with this name|David Gilbert (disambiguation)}}
 {{Infobox person
@@ Line 12: / Line 14: @@
 }}
-'''Dave Gilbert''' (born March 31, 1976) is an American designer of independent [[adventure games]] using [[Adventure Game Studio]]. He began creating home-made, [[freeware]] games, and went professional in 2006, founding [[Wadjet Eye Games]] and releasing commercially ''[[The Shivah]]'' and ''[[Blackwell (series)|The Blackwell Legacy]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=David Gilbert (Person)|url=https://www.giantbomb.com/david-gilbert/3040-2225/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-22|website=[[Giant Bomb]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=David L. Gilbert Video Game Credits and Biography|url=https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,250932/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-22|website=[[MobyGames]]}}</ref>
+'''Dave Gilbert''' (born March 31, 1976) is an American designer of independent [[adventure games]] using [[Adventure Game Studio]]. He began creating home-made, [[freeware]] games, and went professional in 2006, founding [[Wadjet Eye Games]] and releasing commercially ''[[The Shivah]]'' and ''[[Blackwell (series)|The Blackwell Legacy]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=David Gilbert|url=https://www.giantbomb.com/david-gilbert/3040-2225/|access-date=2021-01-22|website=[[Giant Bomb]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=David L. Gilbert Video Game Credits and Biography|url=https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,250932/|access-date=2021-01-22|website=[[MobyGames]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Dave Gilbert|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6755234/|access-date=2021-01-22|website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>
 ==Game design career==
-Gilbert's first adventure game was ''The Repossessor'' in 2001, an entry in the Reality-on-the-Norm series (a shared universe for adventure games started by [[Ben Croshaw]]). He went on to make three more RON titles, which gained a reputation for being among the better games in the series.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} In 2003, Gilbert released ''Bestowers of Eternity &mdash; Part One'', a game about a young woman who inherits a family ghost when her aunt dies in an insane asylum. It went on to win multiple awards in the 2003 [[AGS Awards]].<ref>[http://www.americangirlscouts.org/AGSAwards/awards.php?year=2003 AGS Awards 2003] (cited 20 February 2009)</ref>
+Gilbert's first adventure game was ''The Repossessor'' in 2001, an entry in the Reality-on-the-Norm series (a shared universe for adventure games started by [[Ben Croshaw]]).  In 2003, Gilbert released ''Bestowers of Eternity &mdash; Part One'', a game about a young woman who inherits a family ghost when her aunt dies in an insane asylum. It went on to win multiple awards in the 2003 [[AGS Awards]].<ref>[http://www.americangirlscouts.org/AGSAwards/awards.php?year=2003 AGS Awards 2003] (cited 20 February 2009)</ref>
 In 2004, the AGS Forums organized the AGS Team Challenge, an informal contest where teams worked together to create an adventure game. Gilbert designed and wrote ''Two of a Kind'' for the contest. The game included two playable characters with different abilities and personalities, an unusual feature in an adventure game. This was one of only two games completed (the other was ''The Hamlet'') by the deadline, and both were declared co-winners. ''Two of a Kind'' received positive reviews, and won an [[AGS Awards|AGS Award]] for Best Gameplay.
-In the summer of 2006, Gilbert produced ''[[The Shivah]]'', one of the first video games to star a rabbi, for MAGS, the monthly one-month AGS game contest (which it won). After its release, Gilbert decided to rework the freeware version, improving the graphics, adding new puzzles and voice acting, and released it as a commercial title. The game received good reviews and considerable attention in the press,<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060926/hawkins_01.shtml ''Gamasutra'', Are there any Jews in the Audience?]</ref><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/12/13/shivah.rabbi.reut/index.html CNN.com coverage of ''The Shivah'']</ref> mainly because of its subject matter. It earned some criticism in the Israeli press.<ref>[http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/3292/img1818lz9.jpg Scan of article in Maariv] [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040450/http://www.bigbluecup.com/yabb/index.php?topic=29429.msg376929#msg376929#msg376929 translation to English] (cited 31 December 2006)</ref> ''The Shivah'' is sold through [[Manifesto Games]] on a non-exclusive basis.
+In the summer of 2006, Gilbert produced ''[[The Shivah]]'', one of the first video games to star a rabbi, for MAGS, the monthly one-month AGS game contest (which it won). After its release, Gilbert decided to rework the freeware version, improving the graphics, adding new puzzles and voice acting, and released it as a commercial title. The game received good reviews and considerable attention in the press,<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060926/hawkins_01.shtml ''Gamasutra'', Are there any Jews in the Audience?]</ref><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/12/13/shivah.rabbi.reut/index.html CNN.com coverage of ''The Shivah'']</ref> mainly because of its subject matter. It earned some criticism in the Israeli press.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719182636/http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/3292/img1818lz9.jpg Scan of article in Maariv] [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040450/http://www.bigbluecup.com/yabb/index.php?topic=29429.msg376929#msg376929 translation to English] (cited 31 December 2006)</ref> ''The Shivah'' was sold through [[Manifesto Games]] on a non-exclusive basis.
 Turning his hobby into a professional career, Gilbert decided to become a full-time game designer. He founded Wadjet Eye Games to sell ''The Shivah'' and his forthcoming titles. A few months later, in December 2006, ''[[The Blackwell Legacy]]'' was released. This game was a much-improved remake of ''Bestowers of Eternity'' (revamping the earlier project which he considered to be over-ambitious),<ref>[http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,699/ Adventuregamers.com interview with Dave Gilbert]</ref> but continued past the end of the earlier game, telling more of the story. ''The Blackwell Legacy'' was intended as the first installment of an [[episodic game]]. The second game, a prequel called ''Blackwell Unbound'', was released on 4 September 2007.
-In February 2008, a publishing deal was announced between Wadjet Eye Games and [[PlayFirst]].<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS111614+18-Feb-2008+PRN20080218 PlayFirst Signs Acclaimed Developer Wadjet Eye Games to Publishing Deal] PlayFirst Feb 18 2008 press release, via Reuters (cited 20 February 2009).</ref> Under the agreement, Wadjet Eye Games would develop a [[casual game|casual]] adventure game for PlayFirst. The resulting game, ''[[Emerald City Confidential]]'', a [[film noir|noir]] story set in the world of [[Land of Oz|Oz]], was released on 19 February 2009.<ref>[http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090219/aqth023.html?.v=77 PlayFirst Releases Emerald City Confidential, A Noir-Inspired Twist on the Book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz] PlayFirst Feb 19 2009 press release, via Yahoo! Finance (cited 20 February 2009)</ref>
+In February 2008, a publishing deal was announced between Wadjet Eye Games and [[PlayFirst]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080308054911/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS111614+18-Feb-2008+PRN20080218 PlayFirst Signs Acclaimed Developer Wadjet Eye Games to Publishing Deal] PlayFirst Feb 18 2008 press release, via Reuters (cited 20 February 2009).</ref> Under the agreement, Wadjet Eye Games would develop a [[casual game|casual]] adventure game for PlayFirst. The resulting game, ''[[Emerald City Confidential]]'', a [[film noir|noir]] story set in the world of [[Land of Oz|Oz]], was released on 19 February 2009.<ref>[http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090219/aqth023.html?.v=77 PlayFirst Releases Emerald City Confidential, A Noir-Inspired Twist on the Book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz] PlayFirst Feb 19 2009 press release, via Yahoo! Finance (cited 20 February 2009)</ref>
 ==Awards==
@@ Line 40: / Line 42: @@
 * ''Purity of the Surf'' (Reality-on-the Norm) (2003)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://realityonthenorm.info/game.php?id=132|title=Purity of the Surf|publisher=Reality-On-The-Norm|accessdate=12 May 2014}}</ref>
 * ''A Better Mousetrap'' (Reality-on-the Norm) (2003)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://realityonthenorm.info/game.php?id=137|title=A Better Mouse Trap|publisher=Reality-On-The-Norm|accessdate=12 May 2014}}</ref>
-* ''Bestowers of Eternity - part one'' ([[Adventure Game Studio]]) (2003)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/304/|title=Bestowers of Eternity - part one|publisher=[[Adventure Game Studio]]|accessdate=12 May 2014}}</ref>
+* ''Bestowers of Eternity - Part One'' ([[Adventure Game Studio]]) (2003)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/304/|title=Bestowers of Eternity - part one|publisher=[[Adventure Game Studio]]|accessdate=12 May 2014}}</ref>
 * ''Two of a Kind'' (Adventure Game Studio) (2004)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/462/|title=Two of a Kind|publisher=[[Adventure Game Studio]]|accessdate=12 May 2014}}</ref>
@@ Line 48: / Line 50: @@
 ** ''[[The Blackwell Legacy]]'' (2006)
 ** ''[[Blackwell Unbound]]'' (2007)
-** ''[[Blackwell Convergence]]'' (2009)
+** ''[[Blackwell Convergence|The Blackwell Convergence]]'' (2009)
 ** ''[[The Blackwell Deception]]'' (2011)
-** ''[[Blackwell Epiphany]]'' (2014)
+** ''[[Blackwell Epiphany|The Blackwell Epiphany]]'' (2014)
 * ''[[Emerald City Confidential]]'' (2009)
 * ''[[Unavowed]]'' (2018)
+* ''Old Skies'' (forthcoming)
 ===Produced===
 * ''[[Puzzle Bots]]'' (2010)
 * ''[[Gemini Rue]]'' (2011)
-* ''Da New Guys'' (2012)
+* ''Da New Guys: Day of the Jackass'' (2012)
 * ''[[Resonance (video game)|Resonance]]'' (2012)
 * ''[[Primordia (video game)|Primordia]]'' (2012)
@@ Line 63: / Line 66: @@
 * ''[[Technobabylon]]'' (2015)
 * ''[[Shardlight]]'' (2016)
+* ''[[Strangeland (video game)|Strangeland]]'' (2021)
+* ''[[The Excavation of Hob's Barrow]]'' (2022)
+* ''[[Nighthawks (video game)|Nighthawks]]'' (forthcoming)
 ==References==
@@ Line 71: / Line 77: @@
 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20051211022401/http://www.davelgil.com/wordpress/ Dave's old blog]
 *[http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/ Wadjet Eye Games]
-*{{AGSWiki|Dave_Gilbert}}
 *[http://www.realityonthenorm.info/ Reality-On-The-Norm website]
 *YouTube video of Dave Gilbert presenting ''The Shivah'' at the [[IGDA]] NY Chapter Demo Night on August 23, 2006:
@@ Line 83: / Line 88: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Dave}}
+[[Category:1976 births]]
 [[Category:Adventure Game Studio]]
-[[Category:American Jews]]
+[[Category:AGS Award winners]]
+[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
+[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
 [[Category:American video game designers]]
-[[Category:Video game designers]]
+[[Category:American video game producers]]
 [[Category:American male video game actors]]
 [[Category:American male voice actors]]
-[[Category:Voice directors]]
+[[Category:American voice directors]]
-[[Category:Video game producers]]
-[[Category:Video game writers]]
-[[Category:1976 births]]
 [[Category:Living people]]
-[[Category:Adventure games]]
+[[Category:Video game writers]]
-[[Category:AGS Award winners]]

v t e Wadjet Eye Games
Blackwell series	The Blackwell Legacy Blackwell Unbound The Blackwell Convergence The Blackwell Deception The Blackwell Epiphany
Other games	The Shivah Emerald City Confidential Puzzle Bots Gemini Rue Resonance Primordia A Golden Wake Technobabylon Shardlight Unavowed The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
People	Dave Gilbert