Cathryn Mataga | |
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Known for | Shamus Founder of Junglevision |
Cathryn Mataga (born William Mataga) [1] [2] [3] is a game programmer and founder of independent video game company Junglevision. [4] Under the name William, she wrote Atari 8-bit computer games for Synapse Software in the early to mid 1980s, including Shamus , a flip-screen shooter. [5]
Mataga designed the game Shamus in 1982, [2] credited under the name William for the Atari 8-bit computers. [1] Much of the game's appeal was said to come from Mataga's sense of humor, such as creating a "grand rendition" of the Alfred Hitchcock theme song in the game's introduction. [6] Mataga followed it with a sequel Shamus: Case II and scrolling shooter Zeppelin .
Steve Hales of Synapse Software, in an interview for the book Halcyon Days , states that he and Mataga convinced company founder Ihor Wolosenko to get the company into interactive fiction. [7]
Mataga developed an interactive fiction programming language known as BtZ (Better than Zork) for Broderbund, in the early 1980s. [3] Mataga worked with Hales and poet Robert Pinsky on the interactive fiction game Mindwheel (1984). [3]
Mataga was one of the programmers working at Stormfront Studios on the original Neverwinter Nights MMORPG. [8] Don Daglow credits Mataga as one of the programmers who proved Daglow's assertion that he could make Neverwinter Nights a success. [9]
Then there was the designer of the great 8-bit classic, Shamus, William Mataga. He recently wrapped-up work on a Color Game Boy version of that game and is looking for a publisher. Only he now goes by Cathryn.
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