Paul Barnett (video game designer)
Encyclopedia
Paul Barnett is an English
game designer who is currently the Senior Creative Director for BioWare-Mythic. Barnett is best known for Games Workshop
's Warhammer Fantasy Battle
universe, although he has also been involved in the development of numerous other games.
At the age of 24, Barnett started developing his first text-based game, Legends of Terris, which he finished after three years. At the time, it was the largest text-based game in Europe. After this, Barnett worked on other games, including Legends of Cosrin and Kingdom of Heroes. Legends of Terris was launched on AOL in the UK in 1995, and in the US in 1996. AOL described the game as "[their] first real interactive game."
Barnett is currently the Senior Creative Director for BioWare-Mythic in Fairfax, VA. He helped with the design of the MMORPG
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
under the direction of CEO Mark Jacobs
and producer Jeff Hickman
.
, Comic-Con International
, and Games Convention
in Leipzig, Germany. He has also been interviewed by MTV
, G4
, GameSpy
, PC Gamer
, Joystiq
, and Ten Ton Hammer.
Barnett was invited to Penny Arcade Expo
East 2010 to speak on a panel regarding the MMORPG
industry and its future. The panel included other industry members such as Curt Schilling
of 38 Studios, Bob Ferrari of Sanrio Digital, and Craig Alexander of Turbine, Inc.
Barnett was also invited to record a special BombCast with the crew from GiantBomb, where he lists his Top 10 Games of 2010
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
game designer who is currently the Senior Creative Director for BioWare-Mythic. Barnett is best known for Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
's Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
universe, although he has also been involved in the development of numerous other games.
At the age of 24, Barnett started developing his first text-based game, Legends of Terris, which he finished after three years. At the time, it was the largest text-based game in Europe. After this, Barnett worked on other games, including Legends of Cosrin and Kingdom of Heroes. Legends of Terris was launched on AOL in the UK in 1995, and in the US in 1996. AOL described the game as "[their] first real interactive game."
Barnett is currently the Senior Creative Director for BioWare-Mythic in Fairfax, VA. He helped with the design of the MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
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....
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy setting. It was developed by Mythic Entertainment and simultaneously released in North and South Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand on September 18, 2008...
under the direction of CEO Mark Jacobs
Mark Jacobs (video game designer)
Mark Jacobs is the former GM/VP/CEO of Mythic Entertainment, Inc. He is one of the pioneers in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game industry, having created two early MUDs, Aradath and Dragon's Gate serving as both the designer and programmer in addition to his duties as...
and producer Jeff Hickman
Jeff Hickman
Jeff Hickman is a video game designer, producer and customer support specialist currently working as the Executive Producer of Live Services for BioWare. His main task is to oversee the live services and operations of Star Wars: The Old Republic...
.
Interviewing
In the past, Barnett has given interviews on behalf of Mythic and EA at events including E3, Penny Arcade ExpoPenny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
, Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
, and Games Convention
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
in Leipzig, Germany. He has also been interviewed by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
, 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...
, PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
, Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
, and Ten Ton Hammer.
Speaking engagements
In February 2008, Paul Barnett gave a talk at the European LIFT 08 conference. This talk was the highest watched video of the show, gaining over 50,000 views within 48 hours as listed on LIFT star videos. His talks also received coverage in business media. BusinessWeek writer Matt Vella described it as "one of the most non-geek accessible I’ve ever heard" and praised its accomplishment of "smartly analogiz[ing] the games industry to both films and Las Vegas without being heavy handed."Barnett was invited to Penny Arcade Expo
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
East 2010 to speak on a panel regarding the 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....
industry and its future. The panel included other industry members such as Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
of 38 Studios, Bob Ferrari of Sanrio Digital, and Craig Alexander of Turbine, Inc.
Turbine, Inc.
Turbine, Inc. is an American computer game developer that pioneers 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing games . Turbine was founded by Johnny Monsarrat, Jeremy Gaffney, Kevin Langevin, and Timothy Miller, changing their company name in 2005 to Turbine, Inc...
Barnett was also invited to record a special BombCast with the crew from GiantBomb, where he lists his Top 10 Games of 2010
External links
- Washington Post Magazine Interview
- Background and biographical information from The Online Games Company's website
- Paul Barnett's Myspace page
- A video of Paul Barnett speaking at E3 2006 about Warhammer Online.
- Paul Barnett's speech at LIFT08 about MMO's, movies, Las Vegas, and golf.
- http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/videos/26545/Web_Exclusive_Warhammer_Online_Age_of_Reckoning.htmlInterview with Jeff HickmanJeff HickmanJeff Hickman is a video game designer, producer and customer support specialist currently working as the Executive Producer of Live Services for BioWare. His main task is to oversee the live services and operations of Star Wars: The Old Republic...
, Producer of Warhammer Online, on G4TV] interview by Morgan WebbMorgan WebbMorgan Ailis Webb is a co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 show X-Play, and host of the show G4 Underground...
. - The MMO Report, G4TV Paul gives a creative tour of Mythic.
- Ten Ton Hammer, at Comic-Con InternationalComic-Con InternationalSan Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
reviews Paul's presentation, video included. - MMORPG, interview by Managing Editor Jon Wood about Paul's 2009 GDCGDCGDC may refer to:*Gadolinium-doped ceria, a ceramic electrolyte used in solid oxide fuel cells*Game Developers Conference, a popular annual video game conference*General Development Corporation*General Dental Council*Gross Dealer Concession...
talk, video included.