Jon Shafer
{{Short description|American video game designer (born 1985)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jon Shafer
| image = Jon_Shafer_2012.jpg
| caption = Jon Shafer in 2012
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|03|30}}
| birth_place = Aurora, Colorado, United States
| death_date =
| death_place =
|alma_mater=Towson University
| occupation = Game designer, game programmer, producer, entrepreneur
| years_active = 2005–present
| known_for = Civilization V, At the Gates
| spouse =
| children =
}}
Jon Shafer is an American designer and programmer of video games. He was the lead designer of the strategy game Civilization V, developed by Firaxis.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/28917/Shirk_Sid_Meiers_Rule_of_33s_Reigns_For_Civilization_V.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614184236/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/28917/Shirk_Sid_Meiers_Rule_of_33s_Reigns_For_Civilization_V.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 14, 2010 |title=Shirk: Sid Meier's 'Rule of 33s' Reigns For Civilization V |publisher=Gamasutra |date=June 11, 2010 |accessdate=February 19, 2013}}
Shafer is the president of Conifer Games, a video game development company he founded in 2012. The studio's first title is At the Gates, a 4X strategy game similar to Civilization in which players command a barbarian kingdom with the goal of defeating both rival tribes and the waning Roman Empire.{{cite web | url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/02/06/jon-shafers-at-the-gates-new-strategy-studio-conifer-games-is-starting-small-but-has-huge-ambitions/ | title=Jon Shafer's At the Gates: New strategy studio Conifer Games is starting small but has huge ambitions | publisher=VentureBeat.com | date=February 6, 2013 | accessdate=April 10, 2013}} The budget for developing At the Gates is primarily made up of funds raised through a Kickstarter campaign held in February 2013.{{cite web | url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonshafer/jon-shafers-at-the-gates/ | title=Jon Shafer's At the Gates by Jon Shafer - Kickstarter | publisher=Kickstarter.com | date=February 6, 2013 | accessdate=February 19, 2013}}
Life and career
Shafer was born and grew up in Aurora, Colorado. He learned to program when he was 8 years old from his father. As a child he cultivated a passion for history.{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/2/6/3950722/they-could-be-heroes-conifer-jon-shafer-at-the-gates |title=They Could Be Heroes: Conifer Games At The Gates |publisher=Polygon.com |date=February 6, 2013 |accessdate=April 10, 2013}}
These interests led Shafer to Sid Meier's Civilization series. He developed fan mods for Civilization III while in high school, and became a beta tester for the Civilization III expansion pack, Conquests, and Civilization IV. Early in Civilization IV{{'}}s development he wrote an extensive guide explaining how to utilize its Python scripting language,{{cite web|url=http://apolyton.net/showthread.php/167960-Jon-Shafer-s-Guide-to-Python-in-Civ4 |title=Jon Shafer's Guide to Python in Civ4 |publisher=Apolyton.net |date=July 8, 2007 |accessdate=April 10, 2013}} and this led to him joining Firaxis for a programming internship in February 2005. Shafer was later hired full-time, and served as a designer and programmer on the two Civilization IV expansions, Warlords and Beyond the Sword.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/5966/building_civilization_v.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100815071722/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/5966/building_civilization_v.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 15, 2010 |title=Features - Building Civilization V |publisher=Gamasutra |date= |accessdate=July 7, 2012}}
Following the completion of Beyond the Sword, Shafer was named the lead designer and principal gameplay programmer for Civilization V, the next full title in the series. While in this role, Shafer drew from his past modding experience and from computer games he had played as a child, most notably Panzer General.{{cite web|url=http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/civilizationv/216/interview.html |title=Civilization V: Interview |publisher=Strategy Informer |date= |accessdate=July 7, 2012}}
In January 2011, Shafer joined Stardock to lead an unannounced game project and assist with development on the Elemental series.{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/civ-v-lead-joins-stardock-6285918 | title=Civ V lead joins Stardock | publisher=GameSpot.com | date=January 4, 2011 | accessdate=July 7, 2012 | author=Magrino, Tom}} In February 2013, he announced that he had left Stardock and founded Conifer Games, and was developing a new 4X title, At the Gates.
In June 2017, Shafer joined Paradox Development Studio as a game director on an unannounced project, only to part ways in November of the same year, citing creative differences.{{cite web | url=https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/en/jon-shafer-moves-on-from-paradox-interactive/ | title=Jon Shafer moves on from Paradox Interactive | accessdate=November 17, 2017}}
Shafer attended Colorado State University from 2002–2005, studying history and computer science. After acquiring a position at Firaxis he left Colorado State but later completed his undergraduate study at Towson University in 2006 with a BS in History.{{cite web|url=http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonshafer |title=Jon Shafer |publisher=LinkedIn |date= |accessdate=July 7, 2012}}{{cite web | url=http://www.civilization5.com/#/community/bios | title=Meet the Civilization V Development Team | publisher=2K Games | date=June 29, 2010 | accessdate=February 19, 2013}}
References
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