Tim Schafer
Tim Schafer
Full Name and Common Aliases
Timothy J. Schafer is commonly known as Tim Schafer.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on July 22, 1967, in Los Angeles, California. No information on his death date is available.
Nationality and Profession(s)
American video game designer, director, and programmer. He has worked extensively in the video game industry for over two decades.
Early Life and Background
Tim Schafer grew up in a family that encouraged creative pursuits from an early age. His father was a high school art teacher, which likely instilled in him an appreciation for the arts. Schafer developed an interest in writing and storytelling at a young age, which eventually led to his involvement with video games.
Major Accomplishments
Schafer's career spans multiple iconic titles, including:
The Secret of Monkey Island (1990): A critically acclaimed point-and-click adventure game that showcased Schafer's storytelling ability.
Full Throttle (1995): Another highly praised point-and-click adventure, which cemented Schafer's position as a leading voice in the genre.
Grim Fandango (1998): A cult classic and one of the most beloved games of all time, featuring Schafer's signature blend of humor, mystery, and fantasy elements.Notable Works or Actions
Schafer co-founded Double Fine Productions in 2000 with Alex Lifschitz. Under his direction, the studio has released several critically acclaimed titles, including:
Psychonauts (2005): A platformer that received widespread critical acclaim for its creative gameplay and engaging story.
Brütal Legend (2009): An action-adventure game set in a heavy metal world, which showcased Schafer's ability to blend humor with complex gameplay mechanics.
Broken Age (2014): A point-and-click adventure that returned to the genre's roots while pushing the boundaries of storytelling and player choice.
Impact and Legacy
Schafer's influence on the video game industry cannot be overstated. He has been a driving force behind many beloved titles, and his commitment to innovative gameplay and engaging narratives has inspired countless developers. His ability to balance humor with depth has made him a favorite among gamers and critics alike.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Tim Schafer's impact on the video game industry is multifaceted. As one of the most influential designers of his generation, he continues to push the boundaries of what games can achieve. His dedication to storytelling, innovation, and player choice has made him a household name among gamers.
Quotes by Tim Schafer
In the future, we will play games while floating naked in a tank of warm, sensory-depriving gelatin. Games will be distributed chemically, into the gelatin, and absorbed into the player's skin. The gelatin will be Lingonberry-flavored, and the games will encourage good citizenship.
We want playing our games to entertain people on many different levels. Deeper down, I want to make a connection with the player, and it's the way, to me, of saying to the person playing the game that they're not alone in the world.
I think I just have an idea in my head about how big an adventure game should be, so it's hard for me to design one that's much smaller than Grim Fandango or Full Throttle. There's just a certain amount of scope needed to create a complex puzzle space and to develop a real story. At least with my brain, there is.
Oh yeah - you have to write every day. Or every weekday. Because writing is a job. It's not eureka moments over and over. It's grueling work, panning for gold. You just keep at it and eventually you get a few grains. Or flakes. Or whatever gold looks like in rivers. Or maybe it's like fishing. Who cares? You just have to do it every day because you never know which day is going to be your productive day.
When you have a programmer-founded company it often gets really techy, if you have a producer or a business-person, it all really sets the flavor of the company, just the priorities and the way you deal with everything.
I've always seen this overlap between medieval warfare and heavy metal. You see heavy metal singers and they'll have like a brace around their arm and they'll be singing about Orcs. So let's just make a world where that all happens. That all gets put together, the heavy metal, and the rock, and the battling, actually does happen. Let's not flirt around with this let's just do it.
I've always been a proponent of the idea that technology doesn't matter to game design. The example I always like to point out is 'Tetris,' one of the greatest games ever made.
When I'm playing 'Rock Band,' I'm like, 'Man, someday, later on in life when I'm a famous rock star...' Which gets a little harder to convince myself of as I reach middle age, but it still happens a lot.