Mike Pondsmith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Pondsmith
Pondsmith in 2017
Born	Michael Alyn Pondsmith Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of California, Davis
Occupation	Entrepreneur, game designer, graphic designer, writer, teacher
Notable work	Mekton, Teenagers from Outer Space, Cyberpunk 2020, Castle Falkenstein
Spouse(s)	Lisa Pondsmith
Children	Cody Pondsmith
Awards	2006 Origins Awards Hall of Fame 1994 Origins Awards Best Roleplaying Rules for Castle Falkenstein

Michael Alyn Pondsmith is an American roleplaying, board, and video game designer. He started his own company, R. Talsorian Games, in 1982. There, he created many popular role-playing games. Some of his most famous games include Mekton (1984), Cyberpunk (1988), and Castle Falkenstein (1994). Mike Pondsmith also worked on video games and taught game design.

Mike Pondsmith's Early Life and School

Mike Pondsmith grew up in a military family. His dad was an Air Force officer and his mom was a psychologist. Because of his dad's job, Mike traveled all over the world for the first 18 years of his life. He went to the University of California, Davis. There, he earned degrees in graphic design and behavioral psychology.

Mike started designing games when he was a kid. In college, he discovered pen and paper roleplaying games. He liked the game rules but not the fantasy world. Later, he found Traveller, a science fiction role-playing game. He liked the idea but rewrote the game rules for himself. He called his version Imperial Star.

Starting His Career

Before designing pen and paper games, Mike Pondsmith worked as a graphic designer in the video game world. His first job was designing boxes and ads for a company called California Pacific Computer Company (CPCC). This company mostly repackaged Japanese games for players in the Western world. He also helped design early Ultima games.

Mike's job at CPCC ended, and he then managed a typesetting business. This job gave him access to advanced computers and software. He used these tools to create his first game, Mekton. This game was about giant robots, inspired by Japanese comics. People liked his paper games so much that game design became his main career.

Early Role-Playing Games

Mike Pondsmith's first game was Mekton, released in 1984. It was a game about giant robots, inspired by Japanese manga and anime. He based it on Mobile Suit Gundam comics, even though he couldn't read the Japanese text. He just used the pictures to imagine the world.

Mekton was first released as a war-game focused on battles. Its success showed Mike he could make a living from game design. So, in 1985, he started his company, R. Talsorian Games (RTG). In 1986, Mekton was re-released as a full role-playing game.

In 1987, RTG released another game by Pondsmith called Teenagers from Outer Space. This game also won an award. Later, games like Cyberpunk and Castle Falkenstein followed.

The Cyberpunk Roleplaying Game

In 1988, R. Talsorian Games released Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk The Roleplaying Game of the Dark Future. This game was set in the year 2013. Mike Pondsmith was inspired to create Cyberpunk after watching the movie Blade Runner. He wanted to create a game that captured the dark, futuristic style of the film.

Cyberpunk became the biggest game series from RTG. It has many books and has been played by millions of people. In 1993, Pondsmith released Cybergeneration, which offered a different story for the Cyberpunk world.

In 1996, another company, Wizards of the Coast, made a card game called Netrunner based on the Cyberpunk world. Mike Pondsmith is even mentioned in the game's credits.

Castle Falkenstein

In 1994, R. Talsorian Games released Castle Falkenstein. This game had a steampunk theme, which mixes old-fashioned steam power with futuristic technology. Instead of dice, the game used playing cards. Castle Falkenstein won several awards, including the 1994 Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules.

Other Game Contributions

Mike Pondsmith also worked for other game companies. He helped with the science-fiction RPG Buck Rogers XXVC and two books for Dungeons & Dragons. He also made small contributions to the original Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game.

Taking a Break and Video Game Design

Around 1998, Mike Pondsmith decided to slow down R. Talsorian Games. He then took a job at Microsoft in 2000 to create games for the Xbox. He worked on games like MechCommander 2 and Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. In MechCommander 2, he even played a character named Steel.

In 2004, he left Microsoft to work on The Matrix Online game. He helped design missions for this online game. While he worked on video games, his wife, Lisa Pondsmith, kept R. Talsorian Games running with a few publications.

Cyberpunk v3.0

In 2000, Mike Pondsmith announced he was working on a third edition of Cyberpunk. This new version, called Cyberpunk v3.0, was finally released in 2005. The game's artwork was unique, using photos of action figures that Pondsmith collected.

Cyberpunk v3.0 was influenced by classic cyberpunk books and movies. It explored ideas about corporations, government, and new technology in the 21st century.

Interlock and Fuzion Game Systems

Mike Pondsmith also helped create game systems. He combined his company's Interlock System with another system called Hero System. This led to the Fuzion system, which was used in later RTG games, including Cyberpunk v3.0. Mike Pondsmith shares the rights to Fuzion with other game designers.

R. Talsorian Games

R. Talsorian Games is a company that publishes role-playing games. Mike Pondsmith started it in 1985. It was one of the first game companies to use desktop publishing. Today, Mike's wife, Lisa Pondsmith, is the general manager, and Mike is still the owner and lead designer. The company's name, "R. Talsorian," came from one of their early investors, a "raisin farmer."

Maximum Mike

Mike Pondsmith uses a special character called "Maximum Mike" in many Cyberpunk books. Maximum Mike talks directly to the reader, almost like he's breaking the fourth wall. Mike Pondsmith's real name was also used in the Netrunner card game. He appeared as a character named "Omni Kismet, Ph.D."

Cyberpunk 2077 Video Game

Pondsmith in 2012

In 2012, it was announced that Mike Pondsmith was working with CD Projekt Red, a video game company. They were making a video game set in the Cyberpunk world. On October 18, 2012, the game's name was revealed: Cyberpunk 2077.

Mike Pondsmith helps the video game creators with the game's world and rules. He also voices two characters in Cyberpunk 2077, including Maximum Mike, a DJ on a radio station in the game.

Mike Pondsmith's Personal Life

Mike Pondsmith is married to Lisa, and they have a son named Cody. Both Lisa and Cody work at R. Talsorian Games. Mike and Lisa met in college and got married in 1982. Lisa is the general manager of RTG and has written books for their games. Cody has also helped with game production and promotion.

Before designing games, Mike Pondsmith was an amateur paleontologist, someone who studies fossils. In his free time, he collects plastic GI Joe action figures. He also enjoys outdoor activities, reading, and playing with radio-controlled cars and planes.

Public Appearances

Mike Pondsmith often attends gaming conventions. He has been to many Gen Con events, and his experiences there were even featured in a book. He has also been a special guest at other conventions like Ropecon and I-CON. Both Mike and his son Cody often run games at these events. Mike has also spoken on stage about the Cyberpunk 2077 video game.

Academic Career

From 2010 to 2011, Mike Pondsmith taught game design classes at the DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington. He taught courses on game history and game mechanics.

Awards and Recognitions

Many games designed or co-created by Mike Pondsmith have won awards:

• Teenagers from Outer Space won the RPGA Gamer's Choice Award.
• Castle Falkenstein won the Best Roleplaying Rules of 1994 Origins Award.
• Castle Falkenstein also won the 1995 Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award for Best Role-Playing Product.
• Six Guns and Sorcery for Castle Falkenstein won the Best Roleplaying Supplement of 1996 Origins Award.
• Cyberpunk won the Best Science-Fiction Role-Playing Game of 1989 Origins Gamer's Choice Award.
• Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms won the Best Role-Playing Accessory of 1989 Origins Gamer's Choice Award.

On July 1, 2006, Mike Pondsmith was added to the Origins Awards Hall of fame. On September 12, 2020, he received the Jerry Lawson Lifetime Achievement Award at the Black in Gaming awards.

Board Games Designed

In 1990, Mike Pondsmith helped design three two-player board games:

• Attack in the Asteroids
• Battle for the Sprawls
• Craters of Tharsis

R. Talsorian Games also released Mike Pondsmith's board game GoDice! in 2006. The first version of Mekton is also considered a board game.

See also

In Spanish: Mike Pondsmith para niños