Matthew Smith (games programmer)
Encyclopedia
Matthew Smith is a British
computer game programmer
. He is best known for his games Manic Miner
and Jet Set Willy
for the ZX Spectrum
, released in 1983 and 1984 respectively. He is also a playable character in the 2005 mobile game, Jet Set Racing
.
, but his family moved around a great deal, finally ending up in Wallasey
.
on a TRS-80
. His first commercial game was a Galaxian
clone for the TRS-80 called Delta Tower One. He then went on to produce a game on the VIC-20
called Monster Muncher.
He obtained a ZX Spectrum on loan from Bug-Byte Software Ltd.
in return for a contract to make three games. The first of these was Styx in 1983.
He wrote Manic Miner in just six weeks and it was an instant success. While some games at the time were quite basic and amateur, Manic Miner was an addictive platform game
with in-game music (a first for the ZX Spectrum). The sequel, Jet Set Willy, took considerably longer to write and was an even bigger success. Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy are two of the most famous and popular ZX Spectrum games, reputedly co-wrote with renowned programmer Andrew Dryden.
After the creation of Jet Set Willy he started work on The Mega Tree for publication by his company
Software Projects
. Unlike his previous two hits The Mega Tree was not developed for the ZX Spectrum but the Commodore 64
. The project failed to gain traction and was abandoned three months into development.
In 1987 adverts began appearing in games magazines for a new game Attack of the Mutant Zombie Flesh Eating Chickens From Mars
said to have been programmed by Smith, and due for release by Software Projects. It is reported that Smith was unhappy with the finished product and it was never released.
commune
from around 1995 but was deported from the Netherlands in October 1997 and returned to Britain. He subsequently "reappeared" on the Internet
in the late 1990s. He said he was "surprised and flattered" at the amount of attention and speculation he had attracted on the Internet.
-based computer game developer
Runecraft
. Unfortunately, the company went into receivership and thus only one new game (Scrabble
for the Game Boy Color
) appeared.
In 2000, he appeared on a British television documentary programme called Thumb Candy
about the history of video games in which, in a brief interview, he discussed Manic Miner and his 1980s career with Iain Lee. He has also attended, and given talks at, retrogaming
conventions during this decade.
In 2005, a mobile game was released by Numfum, called Jet Set Racing
. Smith was featured in the game as a playable character as 'Matt', being the fastest racer of the game.
Smith is working on producing new games, and according to recent interviews, has been involved in mobile versions of his original games.
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 game programmer
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"...
. He is best known for his games Manic Miner
Manic Miner
Manic Miner is a platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 . It is the first game in the Miner Willy series and among the pioneers of the platform game genre. The game itself was inspired by the Atari 800 game Miner 2049er...
and Jet Set Willy
Jet Set Willy
Jet Set Willy is a computer game originally written for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published in 1984 by Software Projects and ported to most home computers of the time....
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...
, released in 1983 and 1984 respectively. He is also a playable character in the 2005 mobile game, Jet Set Racing
Jet Set Racing
Jet Set Racing is a racing mobile game, developed by Numfum in 2005.-Racers:There are 10 racers in the game:*Miner Willy*Maria*André*Brian*Terry*Brother Geoff*Bub*Baz2 others can be unlocked as you progress through the game*Boxcart Willy...
.
Early life
He was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but his family moved around a great deal, finally ending up in Wallasey
Wallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...
.
1980s
He started out programmingComputer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
on a TRS-80
TRS-80
TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
. His first commercial game was a Galaxian
Galaxian
is an arcade game developed by Namco in 1979. It was published by Namco in Japan and was imported to North America by Midway in 1980. A fixed shooter-style game in which the player controls a spaceship at the bottom of the screen and shoots enemies descending in various directions, it was designed...
clone for the TRS-80 called Delta Tower One. He then went on to produce a game on the VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
called Monster Muncher.
He obtained a ZX Spectrum on loan from Bug-Byte Software Ltd.
Bug-Byte
Bug-Byte Software Ltd. was a company founded in 1980 by Tony Baden and Tony Milner, two Oxford chemistry graduates. It was one of the first to develop a range of 8-bit computer games during the early 1980s, for Sinclair, Commodore and other home computer brands, particularly for the Spectrum...
in return for a contract to make three games. The first of these was Styx in 1983.
He wrote Manic Miner in just six weeks and it was an instant success. While some games at the time were quite basic and amateur, Manic Miner was an addictive platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
with in-game music (a first for the ZX Spectrum). The sequel, Jet Set Willy, took considerably longer to write and was an even bigger success. Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy are two of the most famous and popular ZX Spectrum games, reputedly co-wrote with renowned programmer Andrew Dryden.
After the creation of Jet Set Willy he started work on The Mega Tree for publication by his company
Software publisher
A software publisher is a publishing company in the software industry between the developer and the distributor. In some companies, two or all three of these roles may be combined ....
Software Projects
Software Projects
Software Projects was the name of a computer game development company which employed Manic Miner developer Matthew Smith. After leaving Bug-Byte as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed Manic Miner game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance...
. Unlike his previous two hits The Mega Tree was not developed for the ZX Spectrum but the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. The project failed to gain traction and was abandoned three months into development.
In 1987 adverts began appearing in games magazines for a new game Attack of the Mutant Zombie Flesh Eating Chickens From Mars
Attack of the Mutant Zombie Flesh Eating Chickens From Mars
Attack of the Mutant Zombie Flesh Eating Chickens From Mars was a computer game advertised by Software Projects in 1987, but never released. The version for the ZX Spectrum was much anticipated due to being programmed by Matthew Smith....
said to have been programmed by Smith, and due for release by Software Projects. It is reported that Smith was unhappy with the finished product and it was never released.
Departure
Smith closed Software Projects in 1988 without completing any more programs and "vanished" for a while. He lived in a DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
from around 1995 but was deported from the Netherlands in October 1997 and returned to Britain. He subsequently "reappeared" on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
in the late 1990s. He said he was "surprised and flattered" at the amount of attention and speculation he had attracted on the Internet.
Return to gaming industry
In 1999 Smith returned to the UK video game industry by taking a job at DewsburyDewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
-based computer game developer
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...
Runecraft
Runecraft
Runecraft Ltd was a software design and development studio, specializing in brand-led video games. Runecraft's clients included US publishers such as Hasbro, Mattel, Interplay, Activision, Crave and Ripcord. The company was initially based in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. The company was formed in...
. Unfortunately, the company went into receivership and thus only one new game (Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
) appeared.
In 2000, he appeared on a British television documentary programme called Thumb Candy
Thumb Candy
Thumb Candy was a Channel 4 documentary about the history of computer games which was made by Talkback in 2000.It was hosted by Iain Lee who interviewed the people who were involved in creating the first big video games....
about the history of video games in which, in a brief interview, he discussed Manic Miner and his 1980s career with Iain Lee. He has also attended, and given talks at, retrogaming
Retrogaming
Retrogaming, also known as old-school gaming, is the hobby of playing and collecting older computer, video, and arcade games. These games are played either on the original hardware, on modern hardware via emulation, or on modern hardware via ports or compilations...
conventions during this decade.
In 2005, a mobile game was released by Numfum, called Jet Set Racing
Jet Set Racing
Jet Set Racing is a racing mobile game, developed by Numfum in 2005.-Racers:There are 10 racers in the game:*Miner Willy*Maria*André*Brian*Terry*Brother Geoff*Bub*Baz2 others can be unlocked as you progress through the game*Boxcart Willy...
. Smith was featured in the game as a playable character as 'Matt', being the fastest racer of the game.
Smith is working on producing new games, and according to recent interviews, has been involved in mobile versions of his original games.