Dave Grossman (game developer)
{{Short description|American video game designer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dave Grossman
| image = Dave Grossman - 920448657 - barret.jpg
| caption = Dave Grossman at the Comic-Con 2007
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| occupation = Video game designer, programmer
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Dave Grossman is an American game programmer and game designer, most known for his work at Telltale Games and early work at LucasArts. He has also written several children's books, and a book of "guy poetry" called Ode to the Stuff in the Sink.{{cite web |url=http://www.telltalegames.com/store/ode |title=Telltale Games - Ode to the Stuff in the Sink |access-date=March 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325163511/http://www.telltalegames.com/store/ode |archive-date=March 25, 2009}}
In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time.{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/top/game-creators/73.html |title=IGN - 73. David Grossman |website=IGN |language=en |access-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420070933/http://www.ign.com/top/game-creators/73.html |archive-date=April 20, 2014}}
Game industry career
Grossman joined Lucasfilm Games, later known as LucasArts in 1989.{{cite web |url=http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/526/ |title=Dave Grossman - Telltale Games - Interview |last1=Yalon |first1=Jonathan |last2=Jong |first2=Philip |date=September 1, 2009 |website=Adventure Classic Gaming |access-date=November 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330103906/http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/526/ |archive-date=March 30, 2014}} At LucasArts, Grossman wrote and programmed The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge together with Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/back-in-the-water-the-monkey-island-interview |title=Back in the Water: The Monkey Island Interview |date=July 6, 2009 |last=Remo |first=Chris |website=Gamasutra |access-date=December 10, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110214135420/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4070/back_in_the_water_the_monkey_.php?print=1 |archive-date=February 14, 2011}} He later co-designed Day of the Tentacle.{{cite journal |journal=GamesTM |publisher=Imagine Publishing |title=Behind the Scenes: Maniac Mansion + Day of the Tentacle |year=2010 |issue=3 |pages=22–27 |series=The Ultimate Retro Companion |issn=1448-2606 |oclc=173412381}}
Grossman quit LucasArts in 1994 to begin a freelance career. For Humongous Entertainment, a company co-founded by Ron Gilbert, he helped create many critically acclaimed games aimed at children, such as the Pajama Sam series.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1857/telltale_tells_all_pt_1__an_.php?print=1 |title=Telltale Tells All (Pt. 1) - An Interview with Dave Grossman |last=Cifaldi |first=Frank |date=July 26, 2006 |website=Gamasutra |access-date=June 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512015229/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1857/telltale_tells_all_pt_1__an_.php?print=1 |archive-date=May 12, 2009}} Later he also wrote children's games for Hulabee Entertainment and Disney.
He then designed adventure games at Telltale Games, a company founded by LucasArts veterans.{{cite web |url=http://www.telltalegames.com/bio?person=davegrossman |title=Telltale Games - Our Team |access-date=February 5, 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516135524/http://www.telltalegames.com/bio?person=davegrossman |archive-date=May 16, 2006}} He joined Telltale in 2005 as lead designer. In 2009, he returned to his Monkey Island roots, as Design Director{{cite web |url=http://www.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/team |title=The Team |website=Telltale Games |access-date=June 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602093804/http://www.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/team |archive-date=June 2, 2009}} on Telltale Games' episodic Tales of Monkey Island.
He left Telltale in August 2014 and joined Amazon Alexa gaming specialists, Reactive Studios, in November 2014 as Chief Creative Officer.{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/18/dave-grossman-joins-reactive-studios-as-chief-creative-officer |title=Dave Grossman Joins Reactive Studios as Chief Creative Officer |last=Andreadis |first=Kosta |date=November 18, 2014 |website=IGN |access-date=November 26, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121110809/http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/18/dave-grossman-joins-reactive-studios-as-chief-creative-officer |archive-date=November 21, 2014}} Reactive Studios has since changed its name to EarPlay.{{cite web |url=https://www.earplay.com/team/ |title=Earplay Home |website=Earplay |access-date=July 13, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812064600/https://www.earplay.com/team/ |archive-date=August 12, 2018}}
In 2020 he joined Ron Gilbert in developing Return to Monkey Island. The game was released in 2022.{{cite web |url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/ron-gilbert-dave-grossman-return-to-monkey-island |title=Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman – Return to Monkey Island |last=Morganti |first=Emily |date=April 14, 2022 |website=Adventure Gamers |access-date=April 14, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414154047/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/ron-gilbert-dave-grossman-return-to-monkey-island |archive-date=April 14, 2022}}
Children's books
Lyrick Publishing published three books written by Grossman that were based on characters from Humongous Entertainment's games. They were Freddi Fish: The Big Froople Match,{{cite book |last=Grossman |first=Dave |date=July 2000 |title=Freddi Fish: The Big Froople Match |location=Allen, Texas |publisher=Lyrick Studios |isbn=1-57064-947-2}} Pajama Sam: Mission to the Moon,{{cite book |last=Grossman |first=Dave |date=August 28, 2000 |title=Pajama Sam: Mission to the Moon |location=Allen, Texas |publisher=Lyrick Studios |isbn=1-57064-950-2}} and Freddi Fish: The Missing Letters Mystery.{{cite book |last1=Grossman |first1=Dave |last2=Greenfield |first2=N. S. |date=August 2000 |title=Freddi Fish: The Missing Letters Mystery |location=Allen, Texas |publisher=Lyrick Studios |isbn=1-57064-948-0}}
For Fisher-Price/Nickelodeon, Grossman authored two interactive books, SpongeBob SquarePants: Sleepy Time and Fairly OddParents: Squawkers.{{cite web |url=http://davegrossman.org/books/ |title=Books I Wrote |website=Dave Grossman |access-date=July 28, 2022}}
Other works
Grossman claimed that his interests in other works were often inspired by his father: "I guess I've inherited a certain restless tinkerer's curiosity from my father (who mainly works in words, wood, photography and architecture, often in combination)." These include his interests in writing, drawing, sculpture, and music.
Grossman is the author of "Ode to the Stuff in the Sink: A Book of Guy Poetry," which he self-published in 2002. It contains a selection of illustrated poems dedicated to different aspects of male life, including inability to dance, old stuff in the fridge, and unwillingness to clean anything. The book is available from Dave Grossman's personal website, Phrenopolis.com.{{cite web |url=http://www.phrenopolis.com/store/ode/ |title=Ode to the Stuff in the Sink |website=Phrenopolis |access-date=May 30, 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040130103046/http://www.phrenopolis.com/store/ode/ |archive-date=January 30, 2004}} Many of the poems were first published in his Poem of the Week electronic mailing list.{{cite web |url=http://www.phrenopolis.com/poem/index.php |title=Poem of the Week |website=Phrenopolis |access-date=February 5, 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625195328/http://www.phrenopolis.com/poem/index.php |archive-date=June 25, 2009}}
Grossman co-designed a successful robot toy for Fisher-Price.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
Game contributions
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Title !Role !Developer |
| 1990
|Programmer, designer |
| 1991
|Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge |Programmer | rowspan="2" |LucasArts |
| 1993
|Director, producer, design, programmer |
| 1996
|Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside | rowspan="7" |Writer | rowspan="4" |Humongous Entertainment |
| 1998 |
| 1999
|Freddi Fish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch |
| 2000
|Pajama Sam 3: You Are What You Eat from Your Head to Your Feet |
| rowspan="2" |2002
|Moop and Dreadly in the Treasure on Bing Bong Island | rowspan="3" |Hulabee Entertainment |
| Ollo in the Sunny Valley Fair |
| 2003 |
| 2005
| rowspan="3" |Writer, designer | rowspan="6" |Telltale Games |
| 2006{{Dash}}2007 |
| 2007{{Dash}}2008 |
| 2008
|Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People | rowspan="3" |Director of design |
| 2009{{Dash}}2010 |
| 2010{{Dash}}2011 |
| 2022
|Design, writer |Terrible Toybox |
| 2024
|Writer |Mountaintop Studios |
Grossman also made contributions to The Dig, Total Annihilation, and Insecticide, and was a script editor on Voodoo Vince. He also designed the trophies / Steam achievements for the remastered version of Day of the Tentacle.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.phrenopolis.com/ Phrenopolis.com, Dave Grossman's website]
- [http://www.telltalegames.com/blogs/telltale/ Telltale company blog co-written by Dave Grossman]
- [http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/526/ Developer interview at Adventure Classic Gaming]
- [http://dig.mixnmojo.com/museum/interview_grossman.html Interview at The Dig Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012064042/http://dig.mixnmojo.com/museum/interview_grossman.html |date=October 12, 2006 }}
- [http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,211 Interview at AdventureGamers.com]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190242/http://www.laisladelmono.com.ar/cms/?q=node%2F61 Dave Grossman - La Isla del Mono] {{in lang|es}}
- {{moby developer |id=198931|name=David Grossman}}
{{LucasArts adventure games}}
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Category:American video game designers
Category:American video game programmers