Daniel James (game developer)
Encyclopedia
Daniel James is a British
-Canadian
video game developer
based in San Francisco. He is a co-founder and CEO of Three Rings Design
, the company behind the MMOGs Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
, Bang! Howdy
, Whirled
and Spiral Knights
.
and Hammersmith
and West London College
, and got involved with MUDs early, playing Essex MUD at the age of 12, in 1982. While still at university, he co-founded the Avalon dial-up service in 1990, moving services to the internet in 1994, the same year that he graduated from the University of Leeds
, with a degree in Computer Science and Philosophy. In 1995, he founded another company, Sense Internet. In 1998, he moved to the United States to work for Sierra Online, as a designer on Middle-earth Online.
While in the United States, he met Michael Bayne and they founded Three Rings Design
to create Puzzle Pirates. It was launched in 2003. It has been followed by Bang Howdy, Whirled
, Corpse Craft and Spiral Knights
, in partnership with SEGA
. In March 2011 Three Rings announced a partnership with the BBC to create an online game based on Doctor Who
.
He is a member of the IGDA Online Games SIG, and a frequent speaker or moderator at industry conferences such as E³, GDC
, and the Austin Games Conference.
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...
-Canadian
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...
video 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...
based in San Francisco. He is a co-founder and CEO of Three Rings Design
Three Rings Design
Three Rings Design, Inc. is an online game developer that was founded on March 30, 2001 by Daniel James and Michael Bayne. The company is named after the Three Rings of the Elves in Tolkien mythology, and the names of the Three Rings show up in various places throughout Puzzle Pirates such as in...
, the company behind the MMOGs Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Three Rings Design. The player takes the role of a pirate, adventuring on the high seas and pillaging money from roaming enemy ships . The mechanics of Puzzle Pirates are driven by puzzles...
, Bang! Howdy
Bang! Howdy
Bang! Howdy is an online strategy game with a "Wild West" theme. It is made by Three Rings Design, the makers of Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates. Public beta testing ended on December 1, 2006 and the game is now "live". There is no cost to download the game and start playing...
, Whirled
Whirled
Whirled is a website created by Three Rings Design. It was announced at the Game Developers Conference in 2007. It is currently in the Open Beta stage, with a scheduled release later in the year. The principle behind the game is that it will be a web-based social world for chat and games, similar...
and Spiral Knights
Spiral Knights
Spiral Knights is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Three Rings Design and published by Sega. The free-to-play, Java-based game was released to advance testers on November 12, 2009 and to the general public on April 4, 2011...
.
Biography
James was born in 1971 in London, the only child of Allan James, a filmmaker http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416267/ who worked on titles such as Out of Africa and Superman, and Hope James, an interior designer and art teacher. James attended Holland Park SchoolHolland Park School
Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958. It became the flagship for comprehensive education, and in its heyday had over 2000 in the student body. It became known as the "socialist Eton", and a number of high-profile socialists sent their children to Holland Park School, adding to its...
and Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
and West London College
West London College
West London College is an independent college of further and higher education, located in the Mayfair district of Central London and has a student body of 1,500 full time students. The College specializes in the tuition of degree programmes awarded by British universities...
, and got involved with MUDs early, playing Essex MUD at the age of 12, in 1982. While still at university, he co-founded the Avalon dial-up service in 1990, moving services to the internet in 1994, the same year that he graduated from the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, with a degree in Computer Science and Philosophy. In 1995, he founded another company, Sense Internet. In 1998, he moved to the United States to work for Sierra Online, as a designer on Middle-earth Online.
While in the United States, he met Michael Bayne and they founded Three Rings Design
Three Rings Design
Three Rings Design, Inc. is an online game developer that was founded on March 30, 2001 by Daniel James and Michael Bayne. The company is named after the Three Rings of the Elves in Tolkien mythology, and the names of the Three Rings show up in various places throughout Puzzle Pirates such as in...
to create Puzzle Pirates. It was launched in 2003. It has been followed by Bang Howdy, Whirled
Whirled
Whirled is a website created by Three Rings Design. It was announced at the Game Developers Conference in 2007. It is currently in the Open Beta stage, with a scheduled release later in the year. The principle behind the game is that it will be a web-based social world for chat and games, similar...
, Corpse Craft and Spiral Knights
Spiral Knights
Spiral Knights is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Three Rings Design and published by Sega. The free-to-play, Java-based game was released to advance testers on November 12, 2009 and to the general public on April 4, 2011...
, in partnership with SEGA
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. In March 2011 Three Rings announced a partnership with the BBC to create an online game based on Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
He is a member of the IGDA Online Games SIG, and a frequent speaker or moderator at industry conferences such as E³, GDC
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
, and the Austin Games Conference.