Tim Sweeney (game developer)
Encyclopedia
Tim Sweeney, born in 1970, is a computer game programmer
and the founder of Epic Games
, being best known for his work on ZZT
and the Unreal Engine
.
Sweeney established Epic as a shareware
company while he was a student majoring in mechanical engineering
at the University of Maryland
. Sweeney said that he had been interested in game development and computer programming since he was 10 years old. Sweeney finally started making games out of his parents' basement where he lived. Epic got its start when Sweeney created ZZT
, the company's first game. As Sweeney said in interviews, ZZT' s success fueled the early growth of his company.
Sweeney worked on Epic's Unreal Engine
, the game engine
used for the Unreal series of first-person shooter
s and other computer games.
In 2005, Sweeney attended Wake Tech Community College Digital Game Expo as a guest speaker. He showed a demo demonstrating the Unreal Engine and talked about 3D Buzz's book "Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design".
Sweeney is an advocate of open source software, and has repeatedly voiced his opposition to software patents.
Game programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebase for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer"...
and the founder of Epic Games
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...
, being best known for his work on ZZT
ZZT
ZZT is an ANSI character-based computer game, created in 1991 by Tim Sweeney of Epic Games , who later designed Unreal. It remains a popular DOS game creation system. ZZT itself is not an acronym for anything; its title was simply chosen so it would always appear at the very bottom of newsgroup...
and the Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine
The Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games, first illustrated in the 1998 first-person shooter game Unreal. Although primarily developed for first-person shooters, it has been successfully used in a variety of other genres, including stealth, MMORPGs and RPGs...
.
Sweeney established Epic as a shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
company while he was a student majoring in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. Sweeney said that he had been interested in game development and computer programming since he was 10 years old. Sweeney finally started making games out of his parents' basement where he lived. Epic got its start when Sweeney created ZZT
ZZT
ZZT is an ANSI character-based computer game, created in 1991 by Tim Sweeney of Epic Games , who later designed Unreal. It remains a popular DOS game creation system. ZZT itself is not an acronym for anything; its title was simply chosen so it would always appear at the very bottom of newsgroup...
, the company's first game. As Sweeney said in interviews, ZZT
Sweeney worked on Epic's Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine
The Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games, first illustrated in the 1998 first-person shooter game Unreal. Although primarily developed for first-person shooters, it has been successfully used in a variety of other genres, including stealth, MMORPGs and RPGs...
, the game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
used for the Unreal series of first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
s and other computer games.
In 2005, Sweeney attended Wake Tech Community College Digital Game Expo as a guest speaker. He showed a demo demonstrating the Unreal Engine and talked about 3D Buzz's book "Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design".
Sweeney is an advocate of open source software, and has repeatedly voiced his opposition to software patents.
External links
- MobyGames' rap sheet on Sweeney
- Tim Sweeney's talk at POPL06 (January 11-13, 2006)
- TeamXbox interview with Tim Sweeney (February 28, 2008)
- TG Daily interview with Tim Sweeney (March 10, 2008)
- Ars Technica interview with Tim Sweeney (September 14, 2008)
- From The Past To The Future: Tim Sweeney Talks (May 25, 2009)