Sam Houser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Houser
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Houser in the mid-2010s
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| Born | 1971 (age 53–54) London, England
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| Occupation | Video game producer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
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| Family | Dan Houser (brother) |
Sam Houser (born in 1971) is an English video game producer. He helped start and now leads a famous video game company called Rockstar Games. He is also a main creative mind behind the popular Grand Theft Auto game series, working on it since the third game. His brother, Dan Houser, also helped create Rockstar Games and was in charge of creative ideas until 2020.
Contents
Sam Houser's Early Life and Inspiration
Sam Houser was born in London, England, in 1971. His mother, Geraldine Moffat, was an actress, and his father, Walter Houser, was a lawyer. His younger brother, Dan Houser, later helped him start Rockstar Games.
Sam went to St Paul's School and studied at the University of London and the University of Cambridge. From a young age, he loved crime movies because his mother often acted in them. He once even thought about becoming a bank robber after watching the movie The Getaway! As a kid, his favorite games were Elite and Mr. Do!. He said Elite helped him explore his "bad boy" side early on.
Sam Houser's Career Journey
Sam Houser started his career in 1990 at Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), working in the mail room. By 1994, he joined BMG's new division for interactive entertainment, which focused on video games. By 1996, he was leading the development team at BMG Interactive.
He became a video producer for BMG Interactive after a lunch with a music label executive. The executive thought Sam had great ideas. When BMG teamed up with a small company that made CD-ROMs, Sam moved to the Interactive Publishing part of BMG. This allowed him to work closely on developing video games.
Creating the Grand Theft Auto Series
Sam Houser is known as an executive producer and creator of many games in the Grand Theft Auto series, working with his brother Dan. For Grand Theft Auto III, Sam made sure the game had a strong look, sound, story, and overall feel.
He describes the first three Grand Theft Auto games (from the early 2000s) as a "trilogy." This series shows their unique view of different places:
- Grand Theft Auto III shows the East Coast around the year 2000.
- Vice City is their take on Miami in the 1980s.
- San Andreas explores California in the early 1990s.
Staying Out of the Spotlight
Even though they created one of the most successful video game series ever, Sam and Dan Houser prefer to stay out of the media. They want the focus to be on the Rockstar Games brand, not just on one person. In 2009, Time magazine named both brothers among the 100 most influential people. Sam also produced other popular games like Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V.
In 2014, Sam Houser was honored by being added to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame. This is a special award for people who have made a big impact on video games. In 2015, actor Daniel Radcliffe played Sam Houser in a TV movie called The Gamechangers.
Sam Houser's Personal Life
Sam Houser has citizenship in both Britain and America. He became an American citizen in 2007. He lives in Brooklyn, a part of New York City.
Sam Houser's Works as Executive Producer
Sam Houser has been an executive producer for many video games. Here are some of the games he helped bring to life:
- Grand Theft Auto (1997)
- Body Harvest (1998)
- Space Station Silicon Valley (1998)
- Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1999)
- Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
- Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
- Manhunt (2003)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)
- The Warriors (2005)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)
- Bully (2006)
- Manhunt 2 (2007)
- Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
- Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned (2009)
- Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009)
- Red Dead Redemption (2010)
- L.A. Noire (2011)
- Max Payne 3 (2012)
- Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
Voice Acting Roles
Sam Houser has also lent his voice to characters in some games:
- Grand Theft Auto III (2001) – as the AmmuNation Clerk
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) – as a Gangster
- Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
Images for kids
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Sam Houser in the mid-2010s
See also
In Spanish: Sam Houser para niños
