Tom Hall

{{Infobox person

| name = Tom Hall

| image =

| caption = Hall in 1999

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|09|02}}

| birth_place = Wisconsin, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Video game designer, programmer

| employer = PlayFirst

| spouse = Terri Hall (died 2021)

| children =

| website = {{URL|https://tomtomtom.wordpress.com/}},

}}

Tom Hall (born September 2, 1964) is an American video game designer best known for his work with id Software on titles such as Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Commander Keen. He has also been the co-founder of Ion Storm, together with his friend and colleague John Romero. During his years in the company, Hall designed and produced Anachronox and was also actively involved in the development of Deus Ex.

Career

Hall attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned a B.S. in Computer Science.{{cite web |url=https://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/recognition/tom-hall-86-video-game-innovator/ |title=Tom Hall '86: Video Game Innovator |last=Hart |first=Hugh |date=Summer 2012 |website=On Wisconsin |access-date=June 4, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930095201/https://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/recognition/tom-hall-86-video-game-innovator/ |archive-date=September 30, 2015}} In 1987, Hall worked at Softdisk Inc., where he was both a programmer and the editor of Softdisk, a software bundle delivered monthly. Along with some of his co-workers, John Carmack, John Romero and Adrian Carmack, he founded id Software, having always dreamt about the possibility of making videogames for a living.{{cite book |last=Kushner |first=David |date=2003 |title=Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture |location=New York |publisher=Random House |page=77 |isbn=0-375-50524-5}} During the subsequent years, he served as creative director and designer there, working on games such as Catacomb 3-D and the Commander Keen series, of which he was the lead designer, then Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny, and Doom.{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/tomhall |title=Tom Hall of Ion Storm |author=Gestalt |date=November 4, 1999 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=June 4, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518083519/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/tomhall |archive-date=May 18, 2015}}

After some disputes with John Carmack and John Romero{{cite web |last1=Craddock |first1=David |title=Pause Screen: Sandy Petersen, Renderer of Veils Chapter 7 CHAPTER SELECT Pause Screen: Sandy Petersen, Renderer of Veils Long before he crafted Quake's Elder World full of unseen horrors, an eight-year-old Sandy Petersen answered the call of Cthulhu. |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/99662/stairway-to-badass-the-making-and-remaking-of-doom?page=8 |website=Shack News |date=March 16, 2020 |access-date=2 December 2023}} over the direction to take with Doom, Tom left id Software in August 1993 to join Apogee, a company that had become well renowned in the market for its highly successful shareware distribution philosophy, and came to be known as 3D Realms in later years. Tom was the game designer for Rise of the Triad, produced Terminal Velocity, and helped in varying degrees on Duke Nukem II and Duke Nukem 3D as well.{{cite web |url=https://3drealms.com/news/3d-realms-vault-1994-design-tips-tom-hall-part-1/ |title=The 3D Realms Vault: 1994 Design Tips from Tom Hall - Part 1 |last=Schreiber |first=Frederik |date=November 4, 2014 |website=3D Realms |access-date=June 4, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315110051/https://3drealms.com/news/3d-realms-vault-1994-design-tips-tom-hall-part-1/ |archive-date=March 15, 2015}}{{cite news |url=https://3drealms.com/news/3d-realms-vault-1994-design-tips-tom-hall-part-2/ |title=The 3D Realms Vault: 1994 Design Tips from Tom Hall - Part 2 |last=Siegler |first=Joe |date=March 16, 2015 |website=3D Realms |access-date=June 4, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403033046/https://3drealms.com/news/3d-realms-vault-1994-design-tips-tom-hall-part-2/ |archive-date=April 3, 2015}} He also worked on the Prey engine until August 12, 1996, when he left Apogee.

In November 1996, Hall co-founded Ion Storm with former id Software colleague John Romero. During the years at Ion Storm he produced the critically acclaimed Anachronox, a sci-fi themed adventure game with prominent role-playing elements. The company also produced the 2000 Game of the Year, Deus Ex,{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/december00/goty2000/indexgoty.shtm |title=2000 Game of the Year |date=2001 |website=GameSpy |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812023534/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/december00/goty2000/indexgoty.shtm |archive-date=August 12, 2012}} in which Hall voiced several characters. He and Romero then founded Monkeystone Games, a company with the goal of producing mobile games in the new mobile industry.{{cite web |url=http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/PG.Biz/The+Mobile+Games+History+Project/feature.asp?c=10691 |title=A Brief History of Mobile Games: 2001 - A Mobile Odyssey |last=Wright |first=Chris |date=December 25, 2008 |website=Pocket Gamer |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015010036/http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/PG.Biz/The+Mobile+Games+History+Project/feature.asp?c=10691 |archive-date=October 15, 2012}} He designed Hyperspace Delivery Boy!, which was released on December 23, 2001, with programming by John Romero.{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/08/20/monkeystone-on-hyperspace-delivery-boy |title=Monkeystone on Hyperspace Delivery Boy |last=Harris |first=Craig |date=August 20, 2002 |website=IGN |access-date=June 4, 2015}}

He and Romero joined Midway Games in 2003,{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news241003midwayceo |title=Midway CEO Speaks |last=Bramwell |first=Tom |date=October 24, 2003 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=June 4, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232031/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news241003midwayceo |archive-date=March 3, 2016}} and Monkeystone closed in January 2005. Hall also left Midway early that year and did independent game consultation work out of Austin, Texas, until in February he joined a startup company called KingsIsle Entertainment based in the same area.{{cite web |url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/tom-hall-makes-his-move/ |title=Tom Hall Makes His Move |last=Van Zelfden |first=N. Evan |date=February 14, 2006 |website=The Escapist |access-date=June 4, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524041634/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/tom-hall-makes-his-move/ |archive-date=May 24, 2021}}

Hall left KingsIsle Entertainment and joined Loot Drop on January 1, 2011.{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2011/03/03/loot-drop-banks-on-talented-game-designers-as-it-takes-on-social-gamings-giants-exclusive/ |title=Loot Drop banks on talented game designers as it takes on social gaming's giants (exclusive) |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=March 3, 2011 |website=VentureBeat |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309020918/https://venturebeat.com/2011/03/03/loot-drop-banks-on-talented-game-designers-as-it-takes-on-social-gamings-giants-exclusive/ |archive-date=March 9, 2011}} Along with Loot Drop, he unsuccessfully tried to crowdfund a game called Shaker on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in October 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lootdrop/an-old-school-rpg-by-brenda-brathwaite-and-tom-hal/posts/332306 |title=SHAKER: An RPG by Brenda Brathwaite & Tom Hall (Canceled) |date=October 19, 2012 |website=Kickstarter |access-date=January 11, 2014}} Hall later tried to crowdfund another game on Kickstarter, Worlds of Wander, which was also unsuccessful in reaching its goal.{{cite web |url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/368238381/worlds-of-wander-plus-secret-spaceship-club-game/posts |title=WORLDS OF WANDER plus "Secret Spaceship Club" Game! |date=March 1, 2013 |website=Kickstarter |access-date=January 11, 2014}}

In March 2013, Hall joined PlayFirst as Principal Designer.{{cite web |url=http://tomtomtom.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/new-job-principal-designer-at-playfirst/ |title=New Job: Principal Designer at PlayFirst! |last=Hall |first=Tom |date=March 31, 2013 |website=TOMTOMTOM.COM |access-date=January 11, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111165930/http://tomtomtom.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/new-job-principal-designer-at-playfirst/ |archive-date=January 11, 2014}}

In 2020 and 2021, he worked as a designer on the virtual reality tabletop RPG Demeo,{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D5cwq4HVXc |title=Lex Fridman Podcast: interview with John Carmack |website=YouTube |date=August 5, 2022}} published by Resolution Games for the Oculus Quest hardware.

Dopefish

Hall is the creator of the Dopefish, a green, dimwitted fish in Commander Keen episode IV.{{cite web |url=http://dopefish.com |title=The Dopefish |last=Siegler |first=Joe |website=Dopefish.com |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222183432/http://www.dopefish.com/ |archive-date=February 22, 2011}} References to it have appeared in other video games, including the Quake series, Rise of the Triad, Daikatana, Duke Nukem 3D and Max Payne since.{{cite web |url=http://dopefish.com/fishinfo.html |title=Dopefish in Games |last=Siegler |first=Joe |website=Dopefish.com |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220225723/http://dopefish.com/fishinfo.html |archive-date=February 20, 2011}}

Voice work

Hall provided the following voices for the computer role-playing game Deus Ex: Morpheus, a sentient AI; Howard Strong, a ruthless and cruel MJ12 operative; and Walton Simons, the nano-augmented Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He also voiced the project director in Deus Ex: Invisible War{{'s}} opening cutscene, and PAL-18, Councilman Willis, Dr. Hush-Hush and Eddie the Chew in Anachronox. He was also the voice and likeness of the main antagonist of Rise of the Triad, El Oscuro, voiced the Death Monk enemies from the game,{{cite web |url=http://archive.kontek.net/rott.classicgaming.gamespy.com/hell/rott2.htm |title=ROTT in Hell - Part II |last=Bowen |first=Kevin |website=KonTek.Net |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406084219/http://archive.kontek.net/rott.classicgaming.gamespy.com/hell/rott2.htm |archive-date=April 6, 2011}} and earlier he voiced some of the characters in Wolfenstein 3D, including the female character Gretel Grösse.{{cite web |url=http://www.incgamers.com/Features/241/tom-hall-on-wolfenstein-3d/2 |title=Tom Hall on Wolfenstein 3D |last=Parrish |first=Peter |date=August 27, 2009 |website=IncGamers |access-date=February 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203045959/http://www.incgamers.com/Features/241/tom-hall-on-wolfenstein-3d/2 |archive-date=February 3, 2012}}

Personal life

Hall suffered a stroke on Tuesday, April 13, 2010. He was in rehabilitation until April 21, when he was released.{{cite web |url=http://news.bigdownload.com/2010/04/15/id-software-co-founder-tom-hall-recovering-from-stroke/ |title=id Software co-founder Tom Hall recovering from stroke |last=Callaham |first=John |date=April 15, 2010 |website=BigDownload |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521000334/http://news.bigdownload.com/2010/04/15/id-software-co-founder-tom-hall-recovering-from-stroke/ |archive-date=May 21, 2015}} He was married for eighteen years to Terri Hall, who died on May 2, 2021.{{cite tweet |number=1392607797032804357 |user=ThatTomHall |title=I just lost the light and love of my life on May 2nd. Will black out social media for a bit. She was so amazing. E… |date=May 12, 2021}}

Games

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Developer ! Publisher ! class="unsortable" \| Credited for
1989 \| Catacomb \| Softdisk \| Softdisk \| Creative director (MS-DOS), Levels
1990 \| Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons \| Ideas from the Deep \| Apogee Software \| Creative director, sounds
1991 \| Slordax: The Unknown Enemy \| Softdisk \| Softdisk \| Creative director
1991 \| Hovertank 3D \| Softdisk \| Softdisk \| Game designer
1991 \| Catacomb II \| Softdisk \| Softdisk \| Creative director
1991 \| Catacomb 3-D \| id Software \| Softdisk \| Creative director
1991 \| Shadow Knights \| id Software \| Softdisk \| Creative consultant, level design, sound
1991 \| Rescue Rover \| id Software \| Softdisk \| Game designer
1991 \| Rescue Rover 2 \| id Software \| Softdisk \| Creative director
1991 \| Commander Keen in Keen Dreams \| id Software \| Softdisk \| Creative director
1991 \| Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy \| id Software \| Apogee Software \| Creative director
1991 \| Commander Keen in Aliens Ate My Babysitter \| id Software \| FormGen \| Creative director
1992 \| Wolfenstein 3D \| id Software \| Apogee Software \| Creative director
1993 \| Doom \| id Software \| id Software \| Uncredited creative director
1995 \| Rise of the Triad \| Apogee Software \| Apogee Software \| Creative director
2001 \| Anachronox \| Ion Storm \| Eidos Interactive \| Project leader, game designer
2002 \| Hyperspace Delivery Boy! \| Monkeystone Games \| Monkeystone Games \| Game designer
2003 \| Red Faction \| Monkeystone Games \| THQ \| Creative commando
2003 \| Jewels and Jim \| Monkeystone Games \| THQ \| Game designer, lead programmer
2003 \| Dig It! \| Monkeystone Games \| THQ \| Game designer, lead programmer
2003 \| Congo Cube \| Monkeystone Games \| THQ \| Game designer, lead programmer
2005 \| Narc \| VIS Entertainment \| Midway Games \| Creative director
2005 \| Area 51 \| Midway Austin \| Midway Games \| Additional writing and design
2012 \| Pettington Park \| Loot Drop \| Zynga \| Creative director and lead designer
2016 \| Restaurant Dash with Gordon Ramsay \| PlayFirst \| Glu Mobile \| Lead game designer

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Developer

! Publisher

! class="unsortable" | Credited for

1989

| Catacomb

| Softdisk

| Creative director (MS-DOS), Levels

1990

| Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons