Carol Shaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carol Shaw
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Shaw in 1983
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| Born | 1955 (age 69–70) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Computer programmer Video game designer |
| Years active | 1978–1990 |
| Known for | River Raid (Atari 2600) |
| Spouse(s) | |
Carol Shaw (born 1955) is a famous American computer programmer and video game designer. She was one of the very first women to design and program video games! Carol is best known for creating the popular game River Raid (1982) for the Atari 2600. She also worked at Atari, Inc. from 1978 to 1980, where she helped make games like 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe (1978) and Video Checkers (1980). She stopped making games in 1984 and retired in 1990.
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Early Life and School
Carol Shaw was born in 1955 and grew up in Palo Alto, California. Her dad was an engineer. He worked at a science lab called the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
When she was a kid, Carol liked playing with her brother's model trains. She kept this hobby even when she went to college.
Carol first used a computer in high school. She found out she could play fun text-based games on it. This sparked her interest in computers.
She went to the University of California, Berkeley. In 1977, she earned a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Later, she got a master's degree in computer science from the same university.
Her Career in Games
Working at Atari
Right after getting her master's degree in 1978, Carol Shaw got a job at Atari, Inc.. She worked on games for the Atari VCS, which was later called the Atari 2600. Her job title was Microprocessor Software Engineer.
Her first game project was called Polo. It was meant to promote a cologne brand. The game was almost finished, but Atari decided not to release it.
Carol's first game that was actually sold was 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe for the Atari 2600 in 1978. She also created Video Checkers (1980). She helped with two other games too: Super Breakout (1981) and Othello (1981).
A co-worker named Mike Albaugh said Carol was "simply the best programmer" for the 6502 computer chip. He said she was great at making the "kernels" for games. These kernels are the tricky parts that make the picture appear on the screen.
Carol also worked on projects for the Atari 8-bit computers. She helped write the Atari BASIC Reference Manual. She also made a programmable Calculator application for Atari.
Working at Activision
Carol left Atari in 1980 to work for another company called Tandem Computers. She programmed using a special language called assembly language. Then, in 1982, she joined Activision.
Her first game at Activision was River Raid (1982) for the Atari 2600. She got the idea for it from an arcade game called Scramble. River Raid became a huge success for Activision. It also earned Carol a lot of money!
Carol also made Happy Trails (1983) for the Intellivision game console. She also helped bring River Raid to the Atari 8-bit computers and Atari 5200. She left Activision in 1984.
After Game Development
In 1984, Carol Shaw went back to work at Tandem Computers. She retired early in 1990. She has done some volunteer work since then. She said that the success of River Raid helped her retire so early.
In 2017, Carol Shaw won the Industry Icon Award at The Game Awards. This award celebrates people who have made a big impact in the video game world. In the same year, she gave her old games, game boxes, and game designs to the Strong National Museum of Play. This museum keeps important items from video game history.
Personal Life
Carol Shaw lives in California. She has been married to Ralph Merkle since 1983. Ralph is a researcher who works with cryptography (secret codes) and nanotechnology (tiny technology).
Games Carol Shaw Worked On
Atari 2600
- 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe (Atari, 1978)
- Othello (Atari, 1978) with Ed Logg
- Video Checkers (Atari, 1980)
- Super Breakout (Atari, 1981) with Nick Turner
- River Raid (Activision, 1982)
Intellivision
- Happy Trails (Activision, 1983)
Atari 8-bit computers
- Atari BASIC (Atari, 1979-1981) - she helped write the instructions
- Atari Calculator (Atari, 1979-1981)
- River Raid (Activision, 1983) - she helped move this game from the Atari 2600 to Atari 8-bit and 5200 computers
Unreleased Games
- Polo, Atari 2600 (Atari, 1978)
See also
In Spanish: Carol Shaw para niños
