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Deus Ex Machina (video game)
Encyclopedia
Deus Ex Machina was a computer game designed and created by Mel Croucher
and published by Automata UK
for the ZX Spectrum
in October 1984.
The game was the first to be accompanied by a fully synchronised audio cassette tape which contained a voice and music track. The cast included Ian Dury
, Jon Pertwee
, Donna Bailey, Frankie Howerd
, and Mel Croucher
(who also composed the music). Andrew Stagg coded the original Spectrum version, and Colin Jones
(later known as author/publisher Colin Bradshaw-Jones) was the programmer of the Commodore 64 version.
The game charts the life of a "defect" which has formed in "the machine", from conception, through growth, evolution and eventually death. The progression is loosely based on "The Seven Ages of Man" from the Shakespeare
play, As You Like It
and includes many quotations and references to this.
Despite critical acclaim at the time, the game did not sell well as there were issues with distributing the game to retailers; the wholesale distributors required delivery of the game on credit but Automata was unable to support this due to the financial arrangements with their production team and soundtrack cast.
A re-imagining of the game went into production in 2010, under the title Deus Ex Machina 2, once again under the design and creation of Mel Croucher, and produced by Portuguese games publisher Quirkafleeg. The new cast is led by Sir Christopher Lee
as The Programmer, with Chyna Whyne as The Machine, Chris Madin as The Defect, and original Ian Dury
session vocals. The developer is vectrLab, a Portuguese videogame development company.
In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
.
expression deus ex machina
, literally meaning "god from the machine", and used to indicate "a person or event which provides a sudden, unexpected solution to a story".
Mel Croucher
Mel Croucher is a British writer and video games pioneer. Originally an architect, he moved into computers and set up Automata UK after the release of the Sinclair ZX81...
and published by Automata UK
Automata UK
Automata UK was a software house which developed and published ZX Spectrum video games between 1982 and 1985. Significant releases included My Name Is Uncle Groucho, You Win A Fat Cigar and Deus Ex Machina .-History:...
for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in October 1984.
The game was the first to be accompanied by a fully synchronised audio cassette tape which contained a voice and music track. The cast included Ian Dury
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
, Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
, Donna Bailey, Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
, and Mel Croucher
Mel Croucher
Mel Croucher is a British writer and video games pioneer. Originally an architect, he moved into computers and set up Automata UK after the release of the Sinclair ZX81...
(who also composed the music). Andrew Stagg coded the original Spectrum version, and Colin Jones
Colin Jones
Colin Jones was a Welsh welterweight boxer, who represented Great Britain at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada....
(later known as author/publisher Colin Bradshaw-Jones) was the programmer of the Commodore 64 version.
The game charts the life of a "defect" which has formed in "the machine", from conception, through growth, evolution and eventually death. The progression is loosely based on "The Seven Ages of Man" from the Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
play, As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
and includes many quotations and references to this.
Despite critical acclaim at the time, the game did not sell well as there were issues with distributing the game to retailers; the wholesale distributors required delivery of the game on credit but Automata was unable to support this due to the financial arrangements with their production team and soundtrack cast.
A re-imagining of the game went into production in 2010, under the title Deus Ex Machina 2, once again under the design and creation of Mel Croucher, and produced by Portuguese games publisher Quirkafleeg. The new cast is led by Sir Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
as The Programmer, with Chyna Whyne as The Machine, Chris Madin as The Defect, and original Ian Dury
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
session vocals. The developer is vectrLab, a Portuguese videogame development company.
In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
Quintessence Editions Ltd.
Quintessence Editions Ltd. is a publishing company based in London which is the originator of the "1001 Before You Die" series. Typically, the titles in this series are intended as reference books. They are illustrated books authored by multiple contributors...
.
Etymology
The game's name is derived from the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
expression deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
, literally meaning "god from the machine", and used to indicate "a person or event which provides a sudden, unexpected solution to a story".