Dino Dini
Encyclopedia
Dino Dini is a computer game developer specializing in football
games. Dini is widely regarded as the godfather of the soccer game genre, having created such influential titles as Kick Off
, Player Manager
, Goal!
, and Dino Dini's Soccer
. He is currently a lecturer at the IGAD programme of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences
in the Netherlands, teaching game programming. Dini also work as a consultant and developer through his company Igneous Entertainment Limited.
, Kick Off 2, Goal!
and Dino Dini's Soccer
in the 90s. In 1996, Dini moved to the United States
where he started to work as Project Director for Z-axis fotball game Three Lions
. The game was released in 1998 and hit number one in the UK.
In 2001 Dini moved back to Great Britain
and started to work with his new development company, Abundant Software. In 2004 Dini signed a deal with DC-Studios to develop a new soccer game which was code-named Soccer 3 and later Total Control Football. The game was cancelled during the summer of 2005.
Since 2005 Dini has worked as a contractor together with other companies on a government funded project. He is currently a lecturer at the IGAD programme of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences
in the Netherlands, teaching game programming. At the 2009 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDCE) in Cologne
, Germany
, Dini was guest speaker on the subject of video game design.
In 2010 Dino was nominated for the IGDA board of directors but ultimately failed to win enough votes to secure a seat.
In August 2010 Dini announced on his official blog that he was working on a sequel to his game Player Manager
as an independent project.
In July 2011 Dini started to write articles on free MMO and MMORPG website
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
games. Dini is widely regarded as the godfather of the soccer game genre, having created such influential titles as Kick Off
Kick Off
The Kick Off franchise is a series of football simulation computer games which was highly popular in the early 1990s. The series is renowned for its fast-paced action and delicate ball control scheme....
, Player Manager
Player Manager
Player Manager was a football management game, released in 1990. It was notable for being the first game to combine both managing the team and playing as a single player. The match engine borrowed heavily off the Kick Off match engine, which was developed by Dino Dini and Anco, who also created...
, Goal!
Dino Dini's Goal
Dino Dini's Goal is a soccer computer game released by Virgin Games in 1993. It is considered by many to be the "true" sequel to Kick Off 2 , as Kick Off's creator Dino Dini had moved from Anco and was responsible for all Goal's engineering and game design.Goal! introduced improved dynamics and A.I...
, and Dino Dini's Soccer
Dino Dini's Soccer
Dino Dini's Soccer was a conversion of Goal! for the Amiga to the Sega Mega Drive by Dino Dini, the author of the original version. Dino Dini's Soccer had all the relevant features of the Amiga version and it was graphically superior to it. The game implemented an innovative 4-way play...
. He is currently a lecturer at the IGAD programme of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences
NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences
thumb|300px|NHTV campus as seen from the air.NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences is a vocational university in Breda, Netherlands. It was founded in 1987 with the merger of two educational institutions. Since, the university has increased in the number of staff, students and programmes...
in the Netherlands, teaching game programming. Dini also work as a consultant and developer through his company Igneous Entertainment Limited.
Career
In 1989 Dini's first football game was released under the name Kick Off. The game received very good reviews and was followed by the popular games Player ManagerPlayer Manager
Player Manager was a football management game, released in 1990. It was notable for being the first game to combine both managing the team and playing as a single player. The match engine borrowed heavily off the Kick Off match engine, which was developed by Dino Dini and Anco, who also created...
, Kick Off 2, Goal!
Dino Dini's Goal
Dino Dini's Goal is a soccer computer game released by Virgin Games in 1993. It is considered by many to be the "true" sequel to Kick Off 2 , as Kick Off's creator Dino Dini had moved from Anco and was responsible for all Goal's engineering and game design.Goal! introduced improved dynamics and A.I...
and Dino Dini's Soccer
Dino Dini's Soccer
Dino Dini's Soccer was a conversion of Goal! for the Amiga to the Sega Mega Drive by Dino Dini, the author of the original version. Dino Dini's Soccer had all the relevant features of the Amiga version and it was graphically superior to it. The game implemented an innovative 4-way play...
in the 90s. In 1996, Dini moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he started to work as Project Director for Z-axis fotball game Three Lions
Three Lions (video game)
Three Lions is a video game developed by Z‑Axis, Ltd and published by Take-Two Interactive. around the game of football . It was released for the PC, Playstation and Game Boy Color on 17 April 1998 as the official video game of the English Football Association....
. The game was released in 1998 and hit number one in the UK.
In 2001 Dini moved back to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and started to work with his new development company, Abundant Software. In 2004 Dini signed a deal with DC-Studios to develop a new soccer game which was code-named Soccer 3 and later Total Control Football. The game was cancelled during the summer of 2005.
Since 2005 Dini has worked as a contractor together with other companies on a government funded project. He is currently a lecturer at the IGAD programme of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences
NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences
thumb|300px|NHTV campus as seen from the air.NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences is a vocational university in Breda, Netherlands. It was founded in 1987 with the merger of two educational institutions. Since, the university has increased in the number of staff, students and programmes...
in the Netherlands, teaching game programming. At the 2009 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDCE) in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Dini was guest speaker on the subject of video game design.
In 2010 Dino was nominated for the IGDA board of directors but ultimately failed to win enough votes to secure a seat.
In August 2010 Dini announced on his official blog that he was working on a sequel to his game Player Manager
Player Manager
Player Manager was a football management game, released in 1990. It was notable for being the first game to combine both managing the team and playing as a single player. The match engine borrowed heavily off the Kick Off match engine, which was developed by Dino Dini and Anco, who also created...
as an independent project.
In July 2011 Dini started to write articles on free MMO and MMORPG website
Games developed
Games developed by Dini include:- Kick OffKick OffThe Kick Off franchise is a series of football simulation computer games which was highly popular in the early 1990s. The series is renowned for its fast-paced action and delicate ball control scheme....
(published by ANCO, 1989) AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari STAtari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals... - Player ManagerPlayer ManagerPlayer Manager was a football management game, released in 1990. It was notable for being the first game to combine both managing the team and playing as a single player. The match engine borrowed heavily off the Kick Off match engine, which was developed by Dino Dini and Anco, who also created...
(ANCO, 1990) AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari STAtari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals... - Kick Off 2 (ANCO, 1990) AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari STAtari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals... - GOAL!Dino Dini's GoalDino Dini's Goal is a soccer computer game released by Virgin Games in 1993. It is considered by many to be the "true" sequel to Kick Off 2 , as Kick Off's creator Dino Dini had moved from Anco and was responsible for all Goal's engineering and game design.Goal! introduced improved dynamics and A.I...
(Virgin Games, 1993) AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari STAtari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator... - Dino Dini's SoccerDino Dini's SoccerDino Dini's Soccer was a conversion of Goal! for the Amiga to the Sega Mega Drive by Dino Dini, the author of the original version. Dino Dini's Soccer had all the relevant features of the Amiga version and it was graphically superior to it. The game implemented an innovative 4-way play...
(Virgin Games, 1994) Sega Mega DriveSega Mega DriveThe Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
External links
- Dino Dini's Official Website
- Dino Dini's YouTube Channel
- Interview with Dino Dini at EurogamerEurogamerEurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...