Warren Robinett
Encyclopedia
Joseph Warren Robinett, Jr. (born December 25, 1951) is a designer of interactive computer graphics
software, notable as the developer of the Atari 2600
's Adventure
— the first graphical adventure video game — and as a founder of The Learning Company
, where he designed Rocky's Boots
and Robot Odyssey
. More recently he has worked on virtual reality
projects.
Robinett graduated in 1974 with a B.A.
from Rice University
, with a major in "Computer Applications to Language and Art". After graduating from Rice University
, he was a Fortran
programmer for Western Geophysical
in Houston, Texas
. He received an M.S. from University of California, Berkeley
in 1976, and went to work at Atari
in November 1977.
His first effort at Atari was Slot Racers
for the Atari 2600
. While he was working on it, he had discovered and played Crowther and Woods' Colossal Cave Adventure
at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and decided that a graphical video game version "would be really cool". However, with 128 bytes of RAM and 4096 bytes of ROM
, Atari's Adventure was a much simpler program, and with only a joystick
for input, the set of "commands" was necessarily brief. Even so, Adventure was a hit upon its 1979 release, and eventually sold a million copies.
Atari designers at the time were not given credit for their games, because Atari feared having to bargain with well-known designers. In response to this, Robinett placed a hidden object in the game that would allow the player to reach a hidden screen which displayed the words "Created by Warren Robinett," hence creating one of the earliest known Easter eggs in a video game, and the first to which the name "Easter egg" was applied.
Robinett then wrote the BASIC Programming
cartridge, finishing both BASIC Programming and Adventure in June 1979, and quit Atari.
He founded The Learning Company
in 1980, and worked on several educational games there, including Rocky's Boots
for the Apple II series
computer. He has since worked on virtual reality
projects for NASA
and the University of North Carolina
.
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....
software, notable as the developer of the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
's Adventure
Adventure (Atari 2600)
Adventure is a video game for the Atari 2600 video game console and is considered the first action-adventure game. Its creator, Warren Robinett, also introduced the first widely-known Easter egg to the gaming world.-History and design:...
— the first graphical adventure video game — and as a founder of The Learning Company
The Learning Company
The Learning Company is an American educational software company, founded in 1980. It produced a grade-based system similar to Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart series. The products for preschoolers through second graders feature Reader Rabbit, and software for more advanced students features The...
, where he designed Rocky's Boots
Rocky's Boots
Rocky's Boots is an educational logic puzzle game by Warren Robinett and Leslie Grimm, published by The Learning Company in 1982. It was released for the Apple II, the CoCo, the Commodore 64 and the IBM PC. It was followed by a more difficult sequel, Robot Odyssey...
and Robot Odyssey
Robot Odyssey
Robot Odyssey is an adventure game, published by The Learning Company in 1984. It was released for the Apple II, TRS-80 Color Computer, and DOS.-Story:...
. More recently he has worked on virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
projects.
Robinett graduated in 1974 with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, with a major in "Computer Applications to Language and Art". After graduating from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, he was a Fortran
Fortran
Fortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
programmer for Western Geophysical
Western Geophysical
Western Geophysical was a company founded in California in 1933 by Henry Salvatori for the purpose of using reflection seismology to explore for petroleum....
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. He received an M.S. from University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1976, and went to work at Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
in November 1977.
His first effort at Atari was Slot Racers
Slot Racers
Slot Racers is a 1978 video game cartridge for the Atari 2600 video game console. It was developed by Warren Robinett, who also went on to develop one of Atari's most successful games for the 2600, Adventure.-Game play:...
for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
. While he was working on it, he had discovered and played Crowther and Woods' Colossal Cave Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure gave its name to the computer adventure game genre . It was originally designed by Will Crowther, a programmer and caving enthusiast who based the layout on part of the Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky...
at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and decided that a graphical video game version "would be really cool". However, with 128 bytes of RAM and 4096 bytes of ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
, Atari's Adventure was a much simpler program, and with only a joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
for input, the set of "commands" was necessarily brief. Even so, Adventure was a hit upon its 1979 release, and eventually sold a million copies.
Atari designers at the time were not given credit for their games, because Atari feared having to bargain with well-known designers. In response to this, Robinett placed a hidden object in the game that would allow the player to reach a hidden screen which displayed the words "Created by Warren Robinett," hence creating one of the earliest known Easter eggs in a video game, and the first to which the name "Easter egg" was applied.
Robinett then wrote the BASIC Programming
BASIC Programming
BASIC Programming attempted to teach simple computer programming on the Atari 2600. It was released for the Atari 2600 console in 1979 and it was one of only a few non-gaming cartridges released by the company...
cartridge, finishing both BASIC Programming and Adventure in June 1979, and quit Atari.
He founded The Learning Company
The Learning Company
The Learning Company is an American educational software company, founded in 1980. It produced a grade-based system similar to Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart series. The products for preschoolers through second graders feature Reader Rabbit, and software for more advanced students features The...
in 1980, and worked on several educational games there, including Rocky's Boots
Rocky's Boots
Rocky's Boots is an educational logic puzzle game by Warren Robinett and Leslie Grimm, published by The Learning Company in 1982. It was released for the Apple II, the CoCo, the Commodore 64 and the IBM PC. It was followed by a more difficult sequel, Robot Odyssey...
for the Apple II series
Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
computer. He has since worked on virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
projects for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
.
External links
Interviews
- Warren Robinett interview from Halcyon DaysHalcyon Days (book)Halcyon Days: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Game Programmers is a digital book edited by James Hague and published in 1997. The book was originally formatted using HTML and sold via mail-order, shipped on a floppy disk by Dadgum Games for USD$20. In 2002 Halcyon Days was made freely...
— official copy on James Hague website - Warren Robinett Interview: A. Merrill's Talks to the Programmer of "Adventure" for the Atari 2600 — 1998 interview by A. Merrill
- Adventure: An Interview With Warren Robinett — 2003 interview by Joey Connelly