David Crane

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David Crane is a pioneer video game designer and computer programmer best known for his work at Activision. He was born in 1953 in Nappanee, Indiana, United States. He graduated with a bachelors degree of Science In Electrical Engineering from the DeVry Institute of Technology in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1975 and began designing circuits for National Semiconductor. He began working at Atari in 1977 as a game designer and programmer. Crane left in 1979 to co-found Activision where he created his most popular game Pitfall!, one of the first platformers. In 1987, Crane became the director of technology at Hasbro. In 1988, Crane co-founded Absolute Entertainment where he designed another popular title, A Boy and His Blob: Trouble On Blobolonia. In 1995, Crane co-founded Skyworks Technologies. In 2009, Crane co-founded AppStar Games. Crane continues to be involved in the video game industry to this day. In addition to designing and programming games, Crane also designed two integrated circuits for video gaming.

My first experience with Crane's work was from his Atari titles and seeing his picture at the back of the Pitfall! manual. I think I recognized his name when I first played A Boy and His Blob, but I'm not positive. Although David Crane's games have been hit-or-miss throughout his career, I especially admire how creative his games have been, often including elements that were never seen before.

Gameography

Title Released Roles Rank
Boggle Unreleased Entire Game
Outlaw 1978-??-?? 2600 Port
Canyon Bomber 1978-??-?? 2600 Port
Slot Machine 1979-??-?? Entire Game
Dragster 1980-??-?? Entire Game
Fishing Derby 1980-??-?? Entire Game
Freeway 1981-??-?? Entire Game
Kaboom 1981-??-?? Graphics
Laser Blast 1981-??-?? Entire Game
Grand Prix 1982-??-?? Entire Game
Pitfall! 1982-??-?? Entire Game
The Activision Decathlon 1983-??-?? Entire Game
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns 1984-??-?? Entire Game
Ghostbusters 1984-??-?? Designer, Programmer
Little Computer People 1985-??-?? Programmer
The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth 1986-??-?? Graphics
Skate Boardin' 1987-??-?? Entire Game
Super Skate Boardin' 1988-??-?? Entire Game
A Boy and His Blob: Trouble On Blobolonia 1989-??-?? Designer, Programmer
The Rescue of Princess Blobette 1990-??-?? Designer, Programmer
The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants 1991-02-?? Additional Programming
Bart Simpson's Escape From Camp Deadly 1991-11-?? Additional Design, Additional Programming
The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World 1991-12-?? Designer, Programmer
Amazing Tennis 1992-10-?? Designer, Programmer
Toys (Video Game) 1993-??-?? Producer, Designer, Programmer
Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit 1994-11-?? Designer
Night Trap 1994-??-?? Programmer
Klondike 1997-??-?? Designer
March of the Penguins 2006-11-?? Designer

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