Robert Woodhead
Encyclopedia
Robert J. Woodhead is a entrepreneur
, software engineer
and former game programmer
. He claims that a common thread in his career is "doing weird things with computers". Along with Andrew C. Greenberg
, he created the Apple II
game Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, one of the first role-playing games (RPGs) written for a personal computer
, as well as several of its sequels.
Later, he authored Interferon and Virex
, two of the earliest anti-virus
applications for the Macintosh
, and co-founded AnimEigo
, one of the first US
anime
releasing companies. As a result of this venture, while living in Japan
, he married his translator
and interpreter, Natsumi Ueki, together with whom he has two children. He also runs a search engine promotion website called SelfPromotion.com.
As a hobby, he builds combat robot
s, and his children, James Ueki and Alex Ueki, are the 2004 and 2005 Robot Fighting League
National Champions in the 30 lb Featherweight class.
Woodhead made a cameo appearance in the 1982 RPG Ultima II
as an NPC
; when the player talked to him he would scream "Copy Protect!", a sarcastic reference to the extensive copy protection
methods used in computer games of the time. He also has a screen credit in the film Real Genius
as their "Hacking Consultant".
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, software engineer
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
and former game programmer
Game programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebase for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer"...
. He claims that a common thread in his career is "doing weird things with computers". Along with Andrew C. Greenberg
Andrew C. Greenberg
Andrew C. Greenberg co-created Wizardry with Robert Woodhead, which was one of the first role-playing games for a personal computer. He was also involved with the production of the game Q-Bert and several of the later Wizardry games in the 1980s. He is a graduate of Cornell University, where he...
, he created the Apple II
Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
game Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, one of the first role-playing games (RPGs) written for a personal computer
Personal computer
A 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...
, as well as several of its sequels.
Later, he authored Interferon and Virex
McAfee VirusScan
McAfee VirusScan is an antivirus program created and maintained by McAfee Inc. . McAfee markets VirusScan to home and home-office users; McAfee also develops VirusScan Enterprise for use in corporate environments...
, two of the earliest anti-virus
Computer virus
A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability...
applications for the Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, and co-founded AnimEigo
AnimEigo
AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. The company was founded in 1988 in Ithaca, New York by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams, III. It is now based in Wilmington, North Carolina, and run by Natsumi Ueki, Robert's wife...
, one of the first US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
releasing companies. As a result of this venture, while living 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...
, he married his translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and interpreter, Natsumi Ueki, together with whom he has two children. He also runs a search engine promotion website called SelfPromotion.com.
As a hobby, he builds combat robot
Robot combat
Robot combat is a hobby/sport in which two or more custom-built machines use varied methods of destroying or disabling the other. As of today, in most cases these machines are remote-controlled vehicles rather than autonomous robots, although there are exceptions, particularly in the field of...
s, and his children, James Ueki and Alex Ueki, are the 2004 and 2005 Robot Fighting League
Robot Fighting League
The Robot Fighting League organizes and promotes combat robot competitions and other robotic sports. The RFL was created in November 2002 out of an ongoing discussion among many of the combat robot competition organizers...
National Champions in the 30 lb Featherweight class.
Woodhead made a cameo appearance in the 1982 RPG Ultima II
Ultima II
Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress, released on August 24, 1982 , is the second computer role-playing game in the Ultima series.It was also the only official Ultima game published by Sierra On-Line...
as an NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
; when the player talked to him he would scream "Copy Protect!", a sarcastic reference to the extensive copy protection
Copy protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
methods used in computer games of the time. He also has a screen credit in the film Real Genius
Real Genius
Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. The film's screenplay was written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Peter Torokvei. It stars Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret....
as their "Hacking Consultant".