David Braben
Encyclopedia
David John Braben is a British
computer programmer, best known for co-writing Elite, a hugely popular and influential space trading computer game, in the early 1980s.
in Chigwell
in Essex
. He studied Natural Sciences
at Jesus College, Cambridge
. He married Katharin Dickinson in May 1993 in Cambridge.
Elite was written in conjunction with Ian Bell
while both were undergraduate students at Cambridge University. Another seminal game written by Braben was Zarch
for the Acorn Archimedes
(later released on some other platforms as Virus), which was one of the first true "solid" 3D games.
After Zarch, Braben went on to found Frontier Developments
, a games development
company whose first project was a sequel to Elite named Frontier. Braben is still the Chairman and part owner of the company, whose recent projects have included Kinectimals
, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
, games based on the Wallace & Gromit franchise and the platformer LostWinds
, which was a launch title on Nintendo's WiiWare
download service.
As of 2006, Braben was working on a game called The Outsider
with Frontier Developments. As said in an interview, he was planning to start working on Elite 4
- as a space MMORPG
game - as soon as The Outsider went gold. Braben said explicitly that this title was of a special value to him.
In May 2011, Braben introduced a new prototype computer intended to stimulate the teaching of basic computer science in schools. Called Raspberry Pi
, the computer is mounted in a package the same size as a USB memory stick, and has a USB plug on one end with a HDMI monitor socket on the other, and provides a ARM processor running Linux for an estimated price of about £15 GBP for a configured system, cheap enough to give to a child to do whatever he or she wants with it. The prototype is part of a venture by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charity whose aim is to "promote the study of computer science and related topics, especially at school level, and to put the fun back into learning computing."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
computer programmer, best known for co-writing Elite, a hugely popular and influential space trading computer game, in the early 1980s.
Life and work
Braben attended Buckhurst Hill County High SchoolBuckhurst Hill County High School
Buckhurst Hill County High School, BHCHS, was a secondary school in Chigwell, Essex.-History:It opened on 15 September 1938. It was near to RAF Chigwell and the River Roding....
in Chigwell
Chigwell
Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and has a London area code.-Etymology:According to P. H...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. He studied Natural Sciences
Natural Sciences (Cambridge)
The Natural Sciences Tripos is one of the several courses which form the University of Cambridge system of undergraduate teaching...
at Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
. He married Katharin Dickinson in May 1993 in Cambridge.
Elite was written in conjunction with Ian Bell
Ian Bell (programmer)
Ian Colin Graham Bell is a game programmer, game designer and game producer. He is most famous for co-authoring the computer game Elite .He attended the independent St Albans School...
while both were undergraduate students at Cambridge University. Another seminal game written by Braben was Zarch
Zarch
Zarch is a computer game written by David Braben in three months in , for the release of the Acorn Archimedes computer...
for the Acorn Archimedes
Acorn Archimedes
The Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers Ltd's first general purpose home computer to be based on their own ARM architecture.Using a RISC design with a 32-bit CPU, at its launch in June 1987, the Archimedes was stated as running at 4 MIPS, with a claim of 18 MIPS during tests.The name is commonly...
(later released on some other platforms as Virus), which was one of the first true "solid" 3D games.
After Zarch, Braben went on to found Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a video game developer based in Cambridge, England. It is a private limited company and was incorporated in January 1994. The company is still headed by David Braben, in the position of Chairman....
, a games development
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
company whose first project was a sequel to Elite named Frontier. Braben is still the Chairman and part owner of the company, whose recent projects have included Kinectimals
Kinectimals
Kinectimals is a video game for the Xbox 360 that uses Kinect. In Kinectimals players can interact with virtual animals in a manner akin to pets, gameplay includes activities such as teaching tricks to the animal, guiding the animal around an obstacle course, and free-form play.The video game is...
, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a construction and management simulation computer game. It is the third installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, first released on October 26, 2004 in North America...
, games based on the Wallace & Gromit franchise and the platformer LostWinds
LostWinds
LostWinds is a platform/adventure video game developed by Frontier Developments, originally for WiiWare. The game was released for WiiWare in North America on May 12, 2008 and in Europe on May 20, 2008, serving as a launch title for WiiWare in both regions. Square Enix published the game in Japan...
, which was a launch title on Nintendo's WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
download service.
As of 2006, Braben was working on a game called The Outsider
The Outsider (video game)
The Outsider is a "techno thriller" video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that will feature storylines that change based on the player's actions. It is currently under development by David Braben's Frontier Developments. The release date has not officially been...
with Frontier Developments. As said in an interview, he was planning to start working on Elite 4
Elite 4
Elite 4 is a video game proposed by Frontier Developments, specifically by David Braben.-Third sequel:...
- as a space MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
game - as soon as The Outsider went gold. Braben said explicitly that this title was of a special value to him.
In May 2011, Braben introduced a new prototype computer intended to stimulate the teaching of basic computer science in schools. Called Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Scheduled for public release in December 2011, the foundation plans to release two versions that range from US$25 to $35...
, the computer is mounted in a package the same size as a USB memory stick, and has a USB plug on one end with a HDMI monitor socket on the other, and provides a ARM processor running Linux for an estimated price of about £15 GBP for a configured system, cheap enough to give to a child to do whatever he or she wants with it. The prototype is part of a venture by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charity whose aim is to "promote the study of computer science and related topics, especially at school level, and to put the fun back into learning computing."
External links
- Frontier Developments
- BBC TV: Brits Who Made The Modern World - Elite Computer Game
- David Braben on the future of video games:
- Towards games with the wow factor, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 31 December 2005 - Games without end, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 8 July 2008
- Towards games with the wow factor, BBC News