Classic game pioneers founded our studio with skills learned at coin-op in the Golden Age of the Arcade and online in the Age of the Dial Up Modem. Hex was the language of both pixel artists and machine code programmers. New technology spawned new creativity. The first thing to learn is to always be learning.
Ted Turner funded the studio in 1992. As Turner Interactive, it developed the game elements of the transmedia properties in Turner’s entertainment, news and sports divisions. The studio released nine entertainment titles (including Gettysbaurg, Dinotopia, Pagemaster, Flintstones Cuckoo Clock). These enjoyed enthusiastic reviews and sales in top ten on the Ingram Charts.
Nimble moves during the tectonic mergers of Turner, AOL and Time Warner took the studio private. Starting in 1997, Big Fun Development produced entertainment games (Pie Jackers) before concentrating on crossover titles (I See Sue, Reign of Ronin) which introduced learning into mass market games.
The studio launched a full ‘serious games’ practice. Under the GamesThatWork label, it applied its extensive game creation skills to solving real-world problems of human performance.
The US military (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines) quickly recognized the value of digital games.
They began engaging GamesThatWork to solve problems in tactical training, leadership development, cross-cultural communication and in the integration of intelligent machines into human teams.
Leading research institutions (NSF, NIH, NYU Medical Center) underwrite GamesThatWork’s innovative games for health and security.
Increasingly, the premiere Advanced Research Projects agencies (DARPA, IARPA) select GamesThatWork for large-scale programs to advance cognitive skill acquisition.
Educators work closely with designers at GamesThatWork to achieve precise learning objectives in multiplayer games online and in classrooms (Acton Academy, NYU Center for Advanced Digital Applications).
Corporate clients, first came to GamesThatWork for brand awareness and promotional games (Coca Cola, Random House).
Now they look to the studio to address stubborn problems with culture and talent development (Boeing).
New clients bring new challenges.
New technologies (motion capture, web, mobile, augmented and virtual reality) bring new solutions.
The one thing we’ve learned is that we will always be learning.
