David Fox
Encyclopedia
David Fox is a multimedia producer, best known for his early work on LucasArts
games, most notably Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
. He and his wife, Annie Fox, now work on educational software, Web design, Emotional Intelligence
content, online community, emerging technologies, and writing books for children and teens.
. At age eleven, he made his first 8 mm cartoon using stacks of discarded Flintstones cels he found in the trash bins behind Hanna-Barbera
. He studied engineering at UCLA
and Humanistic Psychology at California State University
at Sonoma, where he received his bachelor's degree. Fox and his wife Annie co-founded Marin Computer Center
in 1977 - the world’s first public-access microcomputer center. He co-authored the books Computer Animation Primer, Armchair BASIC, and Pascal Primer.
(now LucasArts
Entertainment Company). Over the next ten years, he was the designer, project leader, and one of the programmers for the games Rescue on Fractalus!, Labyrinth, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
. He also worked on Maniac Mansion
as the primary script programmer. Fox was part of the memorable team that included Ron Gilbert
and Noah Falstein
.
He spent his last two years at LucasArts as Manager of Entertainment Software on Mirage (a collaboration between LucasArts and Hughes Aircraft Corporation). This multi-player, networked location-based entertainment system was intended for theme parks, but like several early Lucasfilm projects of the time, was too advanced and hence too expensive for the market at that time.
, then worked as a freelance consultant on several games. In 1996, he joined LiveWorld Inc./Talk City, an Internet community provider, as their Director of Kids and Entertainment Programming. During his four years at the company, he produced The InSite, a Web site for teen empowerment, and then became the Director of New Content.
In 2001, he returned to immersive gaming at Xulu Entertainment, producing their motion simulator project. Then he produced and designed a prototype of an educational game for Learning Friends under a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
.
, Fox was active on Howard Dean
's Media Team (responsible for Switch2Dean.com) and built a blog
for Simon & Schuster
on Dean's book, Winning Back America.
Since then, Fox has developed Web sites for authors David McCullough
and Terry Gamble, Alaska Federation of Natives and Marin Democrats, all with graphic designer Daniel Will-Harris.
He is the Director of Production for NewsTrust
, a proposed citizen news rating service aiming to bring together experienced journalists and volunteer reviewers.
His interests include science fiction, good films, photography, video making, and taking long walks in the hills of Marin County with Annie (and with their dog, Josie).
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
games, most notably Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a graphical adventure game, originally released in October 1988 , published by LucasArts . It was the second game to use the SCUMM engine, after Maniac Mansion...
. He and his wife, Annie Fox, now work on educational software, Web design, Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is a skill or ability in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. Various models and definitions have been proposed of which the ability and trait EI models are the most...
content, online community, emerging technologies, and writing books for children and teens.
Early work
Fox is based in the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. At age eleven, he made his first 8 mm cartoon using stacks of discarded Flintstones cels he found in the trash bins behind Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
. He studied engineering at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
and Humanistic Psychology at California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
at Sonoma, where he received his bachelor's degree. Fox and his wife Annie co-founded Marin Computer Center
Marin Computer Center
Opened in 1977 in Marin County, CA, the Marin Computer Center was the world's first public access microcomputer center. The non-profit company was co-created by David Fox and Annie Fox an author....
in 1977 - the world’s first public-access microcomputer center. He co-authored the books Computer Animation Primer, Armchair BASIC, and Pascal Primer.
LucasArts
His books led to him being hired as a founding member of the Games Division at LucasfilmLucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
(now LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
Entertainment Company). Over the next ten years, he was the designer, project leader, and one of the programmers for the games Rescue on Fractalus!, Labyrinth, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a graphical adventure game, originally released in October 1988 , published by LucasArts . It was the second game to use the SCUMM engine, after Maniac Mansion...
and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure is a graphical adventure game, originally released in 1989 , published by Lucasfilm Games . It was the third game to use the SCUMM engine.-Plot:The plot closely follows, and expands upon, the film of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade...
. He also worked on Maniac Mansion
Maniac Mansion
Maniac Mansion is a 1987 graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It was Lucasfilm's first published video game, and it was initially released for the Commodore 64 and Apple II. A comedy horror parody of B movies, it follows teenager Dave Miller as he ventures...
as the primary script programmer. Fox was part of the memorable team that included Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert is an American computer game designer, programmer, and producer, best known for his work on several classic LucasArts adventure games, including Maniac Mansion and the first two Monkey Island games. Gilbert was also co-founder of Humongous Entertainment and its sister company Cavedog...
and Noah Falstein
Noah Falstein
Noah Falstein is a freelance game designer and producer who has been in the video game industry since 1980. He was one of the first 10 employees at Lucasfilm Games , DreamWorks Interactive , and The 3DO Company...
.
He spent his last two years at LucasArts as Manager of Entertainment Software on Mirage (a collaboration between LucasArts and Hughes Aircraft Corporation). This multi-player, networked location-based entertainment system was intended for theme parks, but like several early Lucasfilm projects of the time, was too advanced and hence too expensive for the market at that time.
Talk City
After leaving LucasArts, Fox was a Senior Game Designer at Rocket Science GamesRocket Science Games
Rocket Science Games was a video game developer that created games for consoles and computers from 1993 to 1997. The company was responsible for games such as Obsidian, Rocket Jockey, and Loadstar.-History:...
, then worked as a freelance consultant on several games. In 1996, he joined LiveWorld Inc./Talk City, an Internet community provider, as their Director of Kids and Entertainment Programming. During his four years at the company, he produced The InSite, a Web site for teen empowerment, and then became the Director of New Content.
In 2001, he returned to immersive gaming at Xulu Entertainment, producing their motion simulator project. Then he produced and designed a prototype of an educational game for Learning Friends under a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a private foundation, established by Hewlett-Packard cofounder William Reddington Hewlett and his wife Flora Lamson Hewlett in 1967. The Hewlett Foundation awards grants to support educational and cultural institutions and to advance certain social and...
.
Recent and current work
In the run-up to the 2004 Democratic primariesDemocratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2004
The 2004 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2004 U.S. presidential election...
, Fox was active on Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
's Media Team (responsible for Switch2Dean.com) and built a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
for Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
on Dean's book, Winning Back America.
Since then, Fox has developed Web sites for authors David McCullough
David McCullough
David Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award....
and Terry Gamble, Alaska Federation of Natives and Marin Democrats, all with graphic designer Daniel Will-Harris.
He is the Director of Production for NewsTrust
NewsTrust
NewsTrust is a nonpartisan, non-profit news network that operates a web site where users are able to reference quality news stories, rate those stories according to quality of journalism, post reviews and add stories they themselves find worthwhile...
, a proposed citizen news rating service aiming to bring together experienced journalists and volunteer reviewers.
His interests include science fiction, good films, photography, video making, and taking long walks in the hills of Marin County with Annie (and with their dog, Josie).
See also
- LucasArts adventure gamesLucasArts adventure gamesFrom the late 1980s to the early 2000s, LucasArts was well known for their point-and-click graphic adventure games, nearly all of which received high scoring reviews at the time of their release. Their style tended towards the humorous, often irreverent or slapstick humour, with a few exceptions...
- SCUMMSCUMMScript Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion is a scripting language developed at LucasArts to ease development of the graphical adventure game Maniac Mansion....
- ScummVMScummVMScummVM is a collection of game engine recreations. Originally designed to play LucasArts adventure games that use the SCUMM system , it now also supports a variety of non-SCUMM games by companies like Revolution Software and Adventure Soft. It was originally written by Ludvig Strigeus...
- Rescue on Fractalus!
- Maniac MansionManiac MansionManiac Mansion is a 1987 graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It was Lucasfilm's first published video game, and it was initially released for the Commodore 64 and Apple II. A comedy horror parody of B movies, it follows teenager Dave Miller as he ventures...
- Zak McKracken and the Alien MindbendersZak McKracken and the Alien MindbendersZak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a graphical adventure game, originally released in October 1988 , published by LucasArts . It was the second game to use the SCUMM engine, after Maniac Mansion...
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic AdventureIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic AdventureIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure is a graphical adventure game, originally released in 1989 , published by Lucasfilm Games . It was the third game to use the SCUMM engine.-Plot:The plot closely follows, and expands upon, the film of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade...
External links
- Electric Eggplant, Official Site
- Cartoon Free America
- NewsTrust
- David Fox at La Isla del Mono (Spanish)
- Interview with David Fox about his work for Lucasfilm Games (from: James Hague: Halcyon Days: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Game ProgrammersHalcyon 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...
) - Two-part interview with David Fox in 2011 about the formation of the Lucasfilm Games Group, development of Rescue on Fractalus! as well as his modern work in theme parks and educational media