David Gaider

Last updated

David Gaider
David-Gaider-SummerfallStudios copy.jpg
BornCanada
OccupationVideo game writer
Narrative designer
Novelist
Comic book writer
Genre Fantasy
Science fiction
Years active1999-present
Notable works Dragon Age

David Gaider is a Canadian narrative designer and writer. He was the lead writer and creator of the setting for the role-playing video game series Dragon Age .

Contents

He worked for Edmonton, Alberta-located game developer BioWare from 1999 [1] to 2016, [2] before leaving to join another Edmonton-based studio, Beamdog, as their Creative Director. He departed Beamdog after two years.

In 2019, Gaider announced the assumption of a Creative Director position at the newly-founded Melbourne, Australia-based indie game developer, Summerfall Studios, and a new project entitled Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical .

Career

Gaider began his professional life in the service industry, eventually managing a small hotel, while game designing was a side hobby to him. [3] In 1999, a friend who worked as an artist at a local game studio named BioWare (at that point having only recently achieved success with the release of Baldur's Gate ) suggested to the studio founders, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, that Gaider be given a newly-available position in the design department. Gaider got the job and, as his first assignment, was handed the task of writing for Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn . The release of that title in 2000 was a great success for BioWare and cemented the studio as a major developer of role-playing games. [4]

Gaider then worked on Neverwinter Nights (released in 2002) and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), for which he wrote the characters HK-47 (winner of the 2004 Game Developers Choice Awards for "Original Game Character of the Year" [5] ), Jolee Bindo, and Carth Onasi. An expansion for Neverwinter Nights, called Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark , was the first title on which Gaider served as lead writer, responsible for the game’s overall narrative design and managing the project’s writers.

Gaider then assumed the role as lead writer on BioWare’s new fantasy game, Dragon Age: Origins , which was released in 2009. He was also credited with the creation of the Dragon Age setting, the world of Thedas. He was responsible for the writing of the characters of Zevran, Alistair, Morrigan, and Shale, as well as the writing of the major quests, "Nature of the Beast" and "Redcliffe". [6] [7] Gaider also wrote the prequel novels to Origins, The Stolen Throne and The Calling , both released in 2009. Afterwards, Gaider continued to serve as lead writer in the expansion Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening (2010) and then the sequel game, Dragon Age II .

In Dragon Age II (2011), Gaider is credited with writing the characters Cassandra Pentaghast, Fenris, and Knight-Commander Meredith. He then penned the follow-up novel Asunder , which was released on 20 December 2011. In 2012, Gaider was the lead writer of The Silent Grove , a six-part comic series published by Dark Horse Comics. [8] [9] The Silent Grove was followed by its narrative sequels, Those Who Speak and Until We Sleep, also written by Gaider.

Gaider was again lead writer for Dragon Age: Inquisition , released in 2014, the third game in the Dragon Age series. The game won a number of major awards, including the prestigious DICE Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Science, [10] as well as being selected by several gaming publications, including IGN, [11] Game Informer, [12] and Polygon (website) [13] as their Game of the Year. According to Electronic Arts' fiscal 2015 third quarter earnings report, Dragon Age: Inquisition is the most successful launch in BioWare history based on units sold. [14] In early 2015, Gaider moved on to writing the story of Anthem . After Gaider's departure from Bioware the story was rebooted. [15]

On 22 January 2016, Gaider left BioWare after 17 years in the company. [16] In February 2016, he announced that he would assume a position as Creative Director at Beamdog, a studio known primarily for releasing updated versions of BioWare and Black Isle Studios role-playing titles. [17] He left Beamdog in February 2018. [18] [19]

In 2019, Gaider co-founded Summerfall Studios, a Melbourne, Australia-based indie game company. The new studio's first project is Chorus: An Adventure Musical, funded both by Creative Victoria and a successful crowdfunding campaign on the Fig platform, which earned $690,079 USD from 6,018 backers as of November 10, 2019. [20] The project was renamed to Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical by 2022, with Gaider still attached as Creative Director. [21] The game was released in August 2023.

Personal life

Gaider is openly gay. In February 2014, he wrote a post on his now-defunct Tumblr blog, detailing his experiences as a "[video game] developer who happens to be gay." [22]

Works

Video games

Novels

Comic books

Related Research Articles

<i>Baldurs Gate</i> Franchise of fantasy role-playing video games

Baldur's Gate is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. The game has spawned two series, known as the Bhaalspawn Saga and the Dark Alliance, both taking place mostly within the Western Heartlands, but the Bhaalspawn Saga extends to Amn and Tethyr. The Dark Alliance series was released for consoles and was critically and commercially successful. The Bhaalspawn Saga was critically acclaimed for using pausable realtime gameplay, which is credited with revitalizing the computer role-playing game (CRPG) genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BioWare</span> Canadian video game developer

BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zeschuk. Since 2007, the company has been owned by American publisher Electronic Arts.

<i>Neverwinter Nights</i> (2002 video game) Dungeons & Dragons video game

Neverwinter Nights is a third-person role-playing video game developed by BioWare. Interplay Entertainment was originally set to publish the game, but financial difficulties led to it being taken over by Infogrames, who released the game under their Atari range of titles. It is the first installment in the Neverwinter Nights series and was released for Microsoft Windows on June 18, 2002. BioWare later released a Linux client in June 2003, requiring a purchased copy of the game to play. MacSoft released a Mac OS X port in August 2003.

<i>Dragon Age: Origins</i> 2009 video game

Dragon Age: Origins is a 2009 role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise. Set in the fictional kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the game puts the player in the role of a warrior, mage, or rogue coming from an elven, human, or dwarven background. The player character is recruited into the Grey Wardens, an ancient order that stands against monstrous forces known as "Darkspawn", and is tasked with defeating the Archdemon that commands them and ending their invasion. The game is played from a third-person perspective that can be shifted to a top-down perspective. Throughout the game, players encounter various companions, who play major roles in the game's plot and gameplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minsc</span> Fictional character from Baldurs Gate

Minsc is a fictional character in the Baldur's Gate series of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing video games developed by BioWare. He originated from the pen-and-paper Dungeons & Dragons sessions held by the lead designer of Baldur's Gate, James Ohlen, and was expanded upon by the game's lead writer, Lukas Kristjanson. His video game debut was in Baldur's Gate as a companion character who can join the player's party. He also appears in the sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, the expansion, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, the 2015 game Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, the 2023 game Baldur's Gate III, as well as in promotions relating to the titles. Minsc is voiced by Jim Cummings in his original video game appearances, and by Matt Mercer in Baldur's Gate III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Muzyka</span> Canadian investor, entrepreneur and physician

Raymond Alexander Muzyka is a Canadian investor, entrepreneur and physician. Originally trained as a medical doctor and practicing as an emergency department and family physician after graduation, he is the co-founder of video game developer BioWare, and was CEO, senior vice president, and general manager of the BioWare label of Electronic Arts. In October 2012 he announced that he was embarking on a 'third career' mentoring and angel investing in technology, new media, medical and social entrepreneurs, and impact investing at ThresholdImpact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Zeschuk</span> General manager at BioWare Austin

Gregory Zeschuk is a Canadian businessman who was a VP at Electronic Arts and General Manager at BioWare Austin until 2012. He co-founded video game developer BioWare in Edmonton in 1995 with Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip, after all three earned their medical degrees from the University of Alberta. Zeschuk announced his retirement from BioWare on September 18, 2012. He is currently involved in a number of projects related to the craft-beer industry, including the production of a web-based interview show known as "The Beer Diaries." Greg is also the chairman of the board of the smart playground technology startup, Biba Ventures based in Vancouver, BC.

James Ohlen is a video game designer. He was Senior Creative Director of BioWare where he worked for 22 years prior to starting the publishing company Arcanum Worlds in 2018. In 2019, Ohlen became the lead of a new internal development studio Archetype Entertainment under Wizards of the Coast to develop new intellectual property and video games for the company.

Dragon Age is a media franchise centered on a series of fantasy role-playing video games created and developed by BioWare, which have seen releases on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The franchise takes place on the fictional continent Thedas, and follows the experiences of its various inhabitants.

<i>Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford</i> 2006 video game

Darkness over Daggerford is a premium module for BioWare's Neverwinter Nights role-playing video game. It was released for digital distribution on August 16, 2006. Considered a user-made mod, the game was created by Canadian company Ossian Studios, headed by former BioWare employee Alan Miranda. It was remastered and released as an official premium module on June 1, 2018.

<i>Neverwinter Nights</i> Dungeons & Dragons-based video game series

Neverwinter Nights is a series of video games developed by BioWare and Obsidian Entertainment, based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Aside from also being set around the city Neverwinter, it is unrelated to both the 1991 Neverwinter Nights online game and the 2013 online game called Neverwinter.

Casey Hudson is a Canadian video game developer, known for his work on several of BioWare's video games, and mainly the Mass Effect trilogy as game director.

IdeaSpark Labs Inc. is a Canadian video game developer founded in 2009 by BioWare co-founder Trent Oster and former BioWare lead programmer Cameron Tofer. Beamdog's distribution service was launched in July 2010.

Brent Knowles is a writer, programmer, and game designer currently working at Beamdog. He worked at the role-playing game studio BioWare for ten years, during most of which he was a Lead Designer/Creative Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorian Pavus</span> Fictional character

Dorian Pavus is a fictional character in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise. The character made his debut in the 2014 video game Dragon Age: Inquisition, where he serves as a companion and party member. Within the series, he is a human mage from a proud noble bloodline of the Tevinter Imperium, a realm governed by a powerful magic-using oligarchy situated in the northern region of Thedas, the continent in which the Dragon Age series is set in. A self-assured man born with magical virtuosity, he is nonetheless considered a pariah as his morals and ideals do not line up with the rest of his family nor the rest of the general populace living in Tevinter. Though he rejects the decadence and corruption which is prevalent throughout Tevinter society, he loves his homeland and wants his vision of a Tevinter where prejudices don't run rampant realized. Seeking to halt what he perceives as the moral decay of his countrymen and the fundamentalist zealotry of his former mentor, he decides to join the Inquisition, believing he could not return without first eliminating the forces corrupting his homeland.

Mike Laidlaw is a Canadian video game developer best known for his work at BioWare as the creative director for the Dragon Age fantasy role-playing video game franchise, and the lead designer and director on the first three games.

Jennifer Brandes Hepler is a video game developer, author, and scriptwriter. She is known for her time at Edmonton, Alberta-located game developer BioWare where she worked as a senior writer for eight years, with much of her work centered on the Dragon Age fantasy role-playing video game franchise. Hepler's notable work after she left BioWare in 2013 include the mobile strategy video game Game of Thrones Ascent, and the 2018 point-and-click adventure game Unavowed.

References

  1. ↑ "David Gaider". Spectrum Literary Agency. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011.
  2. ↑ Chalk, Andy (22 January 2016). "David Gaider, the lead writer of Dragon Age, leaves BioWare". PC Gamer . Future US . Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "IGN's archive interview with David Gaider". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (22 December 2018). "As Baldur's Gate turns 20, we remember why it was great". Eurogamer . Gamer Network . Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "4th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Archive" . Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Developer post on Bioware Community.
  7. ↑ Post № 2.
  8. ↑ "REVIEW : David Gaider – Dragon Age : The Silent Grove". Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  9. ↑ Allegra Frank (22 January 2016). "Dragon Age lead writer leaves BioWare after 17 years (update)". Polygon . Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "Dragon Age: Inquisition Takes Game of the Year at DICE Awards". The Escapist . 6 February 2015. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "IGN Best of 2014 - Best Overall Game". IGN . 19 December 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  12. ↑ Jeff Marchiafava (7 January 2015). "Game Informer Best Of 2014 Awards". Game Informer . Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  13. ↑ Colin Campbell (31 December 2014). "Polygon's Games of the Year 2014 #1: Dragon Age: Inquisition". Polygon . Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Phil Savage (29 January 2015). "Dragon Age: Inquisition had most successful launch in Bioware history". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  15. ↑ Schreier, Jason (2 April 2019). "How BioWare's Anthem Went Wrong". Kotaku . G/O Media . Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  16. ↑ David Gaider's Twitter Account
  17. ↑ Purchese, Robert (9 February 2016). "Veteran BioWare writer David Gaider seems to have a new job". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  18. ↑ "David Gaider has left Beamdog". PC Gamer . 9 February 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  19. ↑ Guille, Lee (9 February 2018). "Farewell to Dave!". Beamdog . Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  20. ↑ Le, Lawrence (6 November 2019). "Chorus, the adventure musical game, reaches crowdfunding goal". PC Invasion. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  21. ↑ Kim, Matt (2 April 2022). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical's Narrative Choices Will be Familiar to Dragon Age Fans". IGN. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  22. ↑ "David Gaider's Blog: ON "THE GAY THING"". Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  23. ↑ Smith, Ed (3 May 2023). "Dragon Age Inquisition dev says BioWare "resented" its writers". PCGamesN . Network N. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.