Claude Comair
Encyclopedia
Claude Comair is the founder of DigiPen Institute of Technology
DigiPen Institute of Technology
DigiPen Institute of Technology is a college located in Redmond, Washington which has a focus on computer science, computer engineering, and art with emphasis in creating video games.- History :...
and a co-founder of the Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology Corporation is an American-based first-party developer for the Japanese video game corporation Nintendo. NST was created to specifically create games for Nintendo consoles for the North American market. Although Claude Comair was co-founder of NST, he retired from his...
Corporation in Redmond, Washington, a subsidiary of Nintendo Co. Ltd. of Kyoto, Japan.
Comair was born and raised in the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Tannourine
Tannourine
Tannourine is a Lebanese municipality located in the Batroun_District, part of the Mohafazah of North-Lebanon, 75 km from the capital Beirut.-Etymology:...
, located in the Batroun District
Batroun District
Batroun District is a district in the North Governorate, Lebanon, south of Tripoli. The capital is Batroun.-Cities and towns:* Abrine* Assia*Batroun* Bazbina* Bchaaleh* Beit Kassab* Bijdarfil* Billa* Deir Billa* Bqosmaya* Chatine...
of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, until he was 18 years old. He has received two degrees, one in Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and one in Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineering
Environmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment , to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites...
, and was invited to be a faculty member at the Osaka University
Osaka University
, or , is a major national university located in Osaka, Japan. It is the sixth oldest university in Japan as the Osaka Prefectural Medical College, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan...
in 1983. He has worked on games for Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, Digital Eclipse Software, Inc.
Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment is an independent video game development company located in Emeryville, California.Backbone Entertainment is the result of a 2003 merger between Digital Eclipse Software and ImaginEngine...
, Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd.
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
and Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
.
Comair comes from a line of medical doctors and originally went to school in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to become a doctor, but he returned to Lebanon out of worry for his family members and the condition of the country at the time
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
. When visiting a college
Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik
Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik , , is a private Catholic higher education institution founded by the Lebanese Maronite Order in 1961....
he should not have been at, he was forced to pretend he was there to take an entrance exam for architecture. He took the exam and was accepted. Because of this, he started delving into digital architecture
Digital architecture
Digital architecture uses computer modeling, programming, simulation and imaging to create both virtual forms and physical structures. The terminology has also been used to refer to other aspects of architecture that feature digital technologies...
and soon was offered an opportunity to do research with computers for the Japanese government. He met his wife Michelle in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and they moved to her native country, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(although Michelle is of Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
roots), in 1988, where they first set up DigiPen. In 1996, Comair moved to Redmond, Washington
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
, bringing the school with him. In Redmond, Comair served as one of the founders of Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology Corporation is an American-based first-party developer for the Japanese video game corporation Nintendo. NST was created to specifically create games for Nintendo consoles for the North American market. Although Claude Comair was co-founder of NST, he retired from his...
, which has kept a strong relationship with DigiPen, hiring graduates as well as providing instructors.
Comair is also blind in one eye, according to a statement made in one of his lectures on November 22, 2006.
Game credits
- Mario vs. Donkey KongMario vs. Donkey KongMario vs. Donkey Kong is a Game Boy Advance spiritual sequel to the first Donkey Kong game for Game Boy. The game concept revolves around a combination of platform and puzzle elements, challenging Mario to find keys, reach a locked door, and rescue mini-Marios. This game revives Mario and Donkey...
(2004), Nintendo of America Inc. - Ridge Racer DS (2004), Namco Hometek Inc.
- 1080° Avalanche1080° Avalanche1080° Avalanche is a snowboarding game for the Nintendo GameCube, developed by Nintendo's in-house development studio, NST, and published by Nintendo. Avalanche is a sequel to 1080° Snowboarding for the Nintendo 64. The game has an emphasis on racing, rather than doing tricks, in contrast to other...
(2003), Nintendo of Europe GmbH - The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (2003), Nintendo of America Inc.
- Spyro: Season of IceSpyro: Season of IceSpyro: Season of Ice is a platform game published by Universal Interactive Studios and developed by Digital Eclipse. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001 for North America and the PAL region and 2002 for Japan. This is the very first Spyro the Dragon game to not be developed by...
(2001), Universal Interactive Studios - Wave Race: Blue StormWave Race: Blue StormWave Race: Blue Storm is a wave runner racing game released as a launch title for the Nintendo GameCube on September 14, 2001. A sequel to the 1996 Nintendo 64 game Wave Race 64, Wave Race: Blue Storm was developed by Nintendo-owned development studio, NST and published by Nintendo.-Championship...
(2001), Nintendo Co., Ltd. - Bionic Commando: Elite ForcesBionic Commando: Elite ForcesBionic Commando: Elite Forces is a video game released in 1999 for the Game Boy Color. Though it borrows some elements from its predecessors, Elite Forces is different from the rest of the series . Among the differences is a different plot...
(2000), Nintendo Co., Ltd. - CrystalisCrystalisCrystalis, known in Japan as , is an action RPG/action-adventure video game produced by SNK for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released on April 13, 1990 in Japan and later that July in the United States. Though Crystalis never became a runaway hit, it is now considered a cult classic...
(2000), Nintendo of America Inc. - Pokémon Puzzle LeaguePokémon Puzzle LeaguePokémon Puzzle League is a puzzle game for the Nintendo 64 console. It is based on Nintendo's Panel de Pon puzzle games, but with Pokémon likenesses. It was only available in North America starting in 2000, and in Europe in 2001, making it the first Pokémon game produced for North America first...
(2000), Nintendo of America Inc. - Ridge Racer 64Ridge Racer 64Ridge Racer 64 is a racing game developed by Namco and Nintendo Software Technology for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. It features tracks from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution and its very own set of desert tracks exclusive to the Nintendo 64....
(2000), Nintendo of America Inc.
External links
- Game Developers Conference 2005 (GDC 2005)
- Profile at N-Sider
- http://www.seattlehistory.org/include/techpdfs/Claude%20Comair%20FINAL.pdf