Bill Budge
Encyclopedia
Bill Budge is a computer game programmer
and designer. His two main claims to fame are 1981's Raster Blaster
and 1983's Pinball Construction Set
. Both these games were released originally for the Apple II.
Budge says he became interested in computers while obtaining a PhD
at UC Berkeley. He purchased an Apple II and began writing games. He enjoyed it so much that he dropped out of school and became a game programmer.
clone, called "Penny Arcade", which he wrote using his own custom graphics routines. He traded the completed game to Apple Computer
for a Centronics
printer
. While a graduate student in Computer Science
at UC Berkeley, he went on to make other games, which he tried to market commercially. Teaming up with a floppy
disk drive salesman who traveled from store to store, he and the salesman agreed to split profits of selling his games 50/50. Budge was shocked when he got his first check for USD
$7,000.
Budge then proceeded to write fast graphics
libraries for game programmers. He stated that was where his real love was:
game while working for Apple in 1981. There was a pinball craze going on among the engineers there and it occurred to him that a pinball game would be a fun programming challenge. At that point he wrote Raster Blaster, which presented some significant challenges under the Apple II. Things like physics
and collision detection were brutal with the limited facilities of the Apple II's 1 MHz 6502 processor
.
From this initial pinball game, it was a small step to writing an entire construction set. Budge notes that it also required him to write a mini-paint program, a mini sound editor and save/load systems. Some of the components he already had, which he developed for Raster Blaster.
After writing Raster Blaster, Budge founded his own company, BudgeCo
, taking over the responsibility of what his publishers
were doing. He printed copies of his games and put them in a Ziploc
bag with a photocopy of the game's instructions.
By 1983, however, the computer game publishing arena had become too complex for Budge's taste, who did not really want to be an entrepreneur
. When he was approached by Electronic Arts
(EA) founder Trip Hawkins
(whom he had met when they both worked at Apple) to publish his games, he discussed the idea with Steve Wozniak
and willingly signed on. With EA's distribution, Pinball Construction Set
eventually sold 300,000 copies over all platforms. Budge's name became well-known among gamers, because of EA's "rockstar" promotion of game designers (other designers who received similar treatment were Dan Bunten, Anne Westfall
, and Jon Freeman
).
Part of EA's rockstar promotion was sending their programmers out on autograph tours. Budge was included in this and went around signing the "album cover" packages of his game published by EA.
They also assembled several developers and hired a Hollywood photographer for taking a photograph in rockstar pose which led to EA's famous We See Farther advertising poster.
After PCS, Budge toyed with the idea of creating Construction Set Construction Set but abandoned the idea after determining it was too complex a concept. He did, however, create the 3-D Graphics Tool, a program that allowed rudimentary creation of wire-frame graphical images for use in games or other applications.
Pinball Construction Set is an inductee in GameSpy
s Hall of Fame.
program MacPaint
. MousePaint was bundled with an AppleMouse II and interface card
for the Apple II
. Apple Computer released the mouse and software in May 1984.
.
Budge returned in the 1990s after deciding that he only liked working when he enjoyed the work. By this point he had decided that he liked game programming
as long as he was developing something cutting-edge. To this end, Budge ported Pinball Construction Set (under the title Virtual Pinball
) to the Sega Genesis, one of the hottest platforms at the time.
Shortly afterward, Budge went to go work for 3DO
, creating a 3D
engine
for Bladeforce. He remained with the company for nine years until its demise in 2003. Budge returned to EA but stayed for less than two years. He joined Sony Computer Entertainment
in 2004 as Lead Tools Programmer. Bill left Sony after 6 years for Google
in 2010.
Budge and his wife live in the San Francisco Bay Area
and have two children.
s for "User Generated Content/Game Modification". Budge accepted the award.
On February 10, 2011, Budge was the second recipient of the Pioneer Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
.
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 designer. His two main claims to fame are 1981's Raster Blaster
Raster Blaster
Raster Blaster is a 1981 computer pinball game for the Apple II resembling the classic Firepower table.-Summary:This video game was written and designed by Bill Budge and published by BudgeCo. It showed a fullscreen high resolution display of a pinball game table...
and 1983's Pinball Construction Set
Pinball Construction Set
Pinball Construction Set is a computer game by Bill Budge published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Apple II and Atari 800 in 1983 and was later ported to other platforms, such as the Commodore 64 and DOS .-Description:...
. Both these games were released originally for the Apple II.
Budge says he became interested in computers while obtaining a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at UC Berkeley. He purchased an Apple II and began writing games. He enjoyed it so much that he dropped out of school and became a game programmer.
Early games
Budge's first game was a PongPong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
clone, called "Penny Arcade", which he wrote using his own custom graphics routines. He traded the completed game to Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
for a Centronics
Centronics
Centronics Data Computer Corporation was a pioneering American manufacturer of computer printers, now remembered primarily for the parallel interface that bears its name.-The beginning:Centronics began as a division of Wang Laboratories...
printer
Computer printer
In computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...
. While a graduate student in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at UC Berkeley, he went on to make other games, which he tried to market commercially. Teaming up with a floppy
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
disk drive salesman who traveled from store to store, he and the salesman agreed to split profits of selling his games 50/50. Budge was shocked when he got his first check for USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$7,000.
Budge then proceeded to write fast graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
libraries for game programmers. He stated that was where his real love was:
- "I wasn't that interested in playing or designing games. My real love was in writing fast graphics code. It occurred to me that creating tools for others to make games was a way for me to indulge my interest in programming without having to make games".
Raster Blaster and Pinball Construction Set
Budge first became interested in writing a pinballPinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
game while working for Apple in 1981. There was a pinball craze going on among the engineers there and it occurred to him that a pinball game would be a fun programming challenge. At that point he wrote Raster Blaster, which presented some significant challenges under the Apple II. Things like physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and collision detection were brutal with the limited facilities of the Apple II's 1 MHz 6502 processor
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
.
From this initial pinball game, it was a small step to writing an entire construction set. Budge notes that it also required him to write a mini-paint program, a mini sound editor and save/load systems. Some of the components he already had, which he developed for Raster Blaster.
After writing Raster Blaster, Budge founded his own company, BudgeCo
BudgeCo
BudgeCo was a video game developer and publisher of the early 1980s. It was founded by Bill Budge, the designer and programmer of the 1980s hit Pinball Construction Set....
, taking over the responsibility of what his publishers
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
were doing. He printed copies of his games and put them in a Ziploc
Ziploc
Ziploc is a brand of reusable, re-sealable zipper storage bags and containers originally developed by Dow Chemical Company, and now produced by S. C. Johnson & Son. According to Dow's website, the bags were originally test marketed in 1968....
bag with a photocopy of the game's instructions.
By 1983, however, the computer game publishing arena had become too complex for Budge's taste, who did not really want to be an entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. When he was approached by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
(EA) founder Trip Hawkins
Trip Hawkins
William M. 'Trip' Hawkins III is a Silicon Valley American entrepreneur and founder of Electronic Arts, The 3DO Company and Digital Chocolate....
(whom he had met when they both worked at Apple) to publish his games, he discussed the idea with Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
and willingly signed on. With EA's distribution, Pinball Construction Set
Pinball Construction Set
Pinball Construction Set is a computer game by Bill Budge published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Apple II and Atari 800 in 1983 and was later ported to other platforms, such as the Commodore 64 and DOS .-Description:...
eventually sold 300,000 copies over all platforms. Budge's name became well-known among gamers, because of EA's "rockstar" promotion of game designers (other designers who received similar treatment were Dan Bunten, Anne Westfall
Anne Westfall
Anne Westfall is an influential game programmer of the 1980s. She is the wife of fellow game programmer, game designer and entrepreneur Jon Freeman.-Career:...
, and Jon Freeman
Jon Freeman
Jon Freeman was an influential computer game industry figure of the 1980s and early 1990s. He was a co-founder of Epyx and Free Fall Associates and the spouse of game programmer, Anne Westfall...
).
Part of EA's rockstar promotion was sending their programmers out on autograph tours. Budge was included in this and went around signing the "album cover" packages of his game published by EA.
They also assembled several developers and hired a Hollywood photographer for taking a photograph in rockstar pose which led to EA's famous We See Farther advertising poster.
After PCS, Budge toyed with the idea of creating Construction Set Construction Set but abandoned the idea after determining it was too complex a concept. He did, however, create the 3-D Graphics Tool, a program that allowed rudimentary creation of wire-frame graphical images for use in games or other applications.
Pinball Construction Set is an inductee in GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
s Hall of Fame.
MousePaint
Budge wrote MousePaint, which was a program for the Apple II similar to the MacintoshMacintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
program MacPaint
MacPaint
MacPaint was a bitmap-based graphics painting software program developed by Apple Computer and released with the original Macintosh personal computer on January 22, 1984. It was sold separately for US$195 with its word processor counterpart, MacWrite. MacPaint was notable because it could generate...
. MousePaint was bundled with an AppleMouse II and interface card
Apple II peripheral cards
The Apple II line of computers supported a number of Apple II peripheral cards, expansion cards which plugged into slots on the motherboard, and added to and extended the functionality of the base system....
for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
. Apple Computer released the mouse and software in May 1984.
After EA
Budge left the game industry to semi-retirement in the mid-1980s in the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
Budge returned in the 1990s after deciding that he only liked working when he enjoyed the work. By this point he had decided that he liked game programming
Game programming
Game programming, a subset of game development, is the programming of computer, console or arcade games. Though often engaged in by professional game programmers, many novices may program games as a hobby...
as long as he was developing something cutting-edge. To this end, Budge ported Pinball Construction Set (under the title Virtual Pinball
Virtual Pinball
Virtual Pinball is a video game that plays as an electronic version of pinball. One to four players can choose from either 29 pre-made games or design one using the in-game editor tools. Designing options include ten different backgrounds and six themes. You also get to choose where objects are...
) to the Sega Genesis, one of the hottest platforms at the time.
Shortly afterward, Budge went to go work for 3DO
The 3DO Company
The 3DO Company , also known as 3DO , was a video game company...
, creating a 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
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...
for Bladeforce. He remained with the company for nine years until its demise in 2003. Budge returned to EA but stayed for less than two years. He joined Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
in 2004 as Lead Tools Programmer. Bill left Sony after 6 years for Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
in 2010.
Budge and his wife live in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and have two children.
Awards
In 2008, Pinball Construction Set was honored at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy AwardTechnology & Engineering Emmy Award
A Technology and Engineering Emmy Award is given by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievement in technical or engineering development...
s for "User Generated Content/Game Modification". Budge accepted the award.
On February 10, 2011, Budge was the second recipient of the Pioneer Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
.