Marc Laidlaw
Encyclopedia
Marc Laidlaw is an American
writer of science fiction
and horror
and also a computer game designer with Valve Software. He is perhaps most famous for writing Dad's Nuke
and The 37th Mandala
, and for working on the popular Half-Life series
.
and attended the University of Oregon
, where he tried, and was discouraged by, punched card
computer programming
. He wrote short stories
and his first novel, Dad's Nuke, was published in 1985. This was followed by several more novels over the next decade, but he worked as a legal secretary in San Francisco for a living.
Laidlaw had played computer and arcade game
s, but was not intrigued. It was not until Myst
that his perception of these games changed. He obsessed over Myst and bought a new computer so that he could play it at his San Francisco home. With his new-found interest, he wrote The Third Force (1996), a tie-in novel based on the world created by the Gadget computer game. His favorite PC game of all time is Thief: The Dark Project
. (interview)
Working with game designers led him to feel that he wanted to help design an actual game. He joined Valve Software while they were developing Half-Life (1998) and worked on the game's story and level design
. At Valve, he later worked on Half-Life's expansions and Half-Life 2
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and also a computer game designer with Valve Software. He is perhaps most famous for writing Dad's Nuke
Dad's Nuke
Dad's Nuke, first published in February, 1986 by Donald I. Fine, is a science fiction dark comedy novel written by Marc Laidlaw. It is a parody of middle class suburban life, and tells the tale of a nuclear family in the post-nuclear age...
and The 37th Mandala
The 37th Mandala
The 37th Mandala is a horror novel written by Marc Laidlaw and published in 1996. It tells the story of New Age writer Derek Crowe who uses an ancient mystical text as the basis of one of his works...
, and for working on the popular Half-Life series
Half-Life (series)
The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. Nearly all of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and most are linear, narrative, single-player titles....
.
Biography
Laidlaw was born in 1960 and raised in Laguna Beach, CaliforniaLaguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...
and attended the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, where he tried, and was discouraged by, punched card
Punched card
A punched card, punch card, IBM card, or Hollerith card is a piece of stiff paper that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions...
computer programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
. He wrote short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and his first novel, Dad's Nuke, was published in 1985. This was followed by several more novels over the next decade, but he worked as a legal secretary in San Francisco for a living.
Laidlaw had played computer and arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s, but was not intrigued. It was not until Myst
Myst
Myst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan , a Spokane, Washington––based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Mac OS computer on September...
that his perception of these games changed. He obsessed over Myst and bought a new computer so that he could play it at his San Francisco home. With his new-found interest, he wrote The Third Force (1996), a tie-in novel based on the world created by the Gadget computer game. His favorite PC game of all time is Thief: The Dark Project
Thief: The Dark Project
Thief: The Dark Project is a 1998 first-person stealth game developed for Windows by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive...
. (interview)
Working with game designers led him to feel that he wanted to help design an actual game. He joined Valve Software while they were developing Half-Life (1998) and worked on the game's story and level design
Level design
Level design, environment design or game mapping is a discipline of game development involving creation of video game levels—locales, stages, or missions. This is commonly done using level editor, a game development software designed for building levels; however some games feature built-in...
. At Valve, he later worked on Half-Life's expansions and Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
.
Further reading
- Marc Laidlaw interview. October 27, 2003. John Yan (Gaming Nexus).
- Laidlaw, Marc. Franco Ricciardiello. (Biography, in Italian.)
External links
- Marc Laidlaw entry at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Marc Laidlaw's Blog