Tim Schafer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tim Schafer
Schafer in 2016
Born	Timothy John Schafer (1967-07-26) July 26, 1967 (age 58) Sonoma, California, U.S.
Occupation	Game designer, game programmer, game writer
Spouse(s)	Rachael Schafer

Timothy John Schafer (born July 26, 1967) is a famous American video game designer. He is known for creating games with great stories and funny writing. In 2000, he started his own company called Double Fine Productions. Before that, he worked at a company called LucasArts for more than ten years.

Schafer is the creative mind behind many popular games. These include Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, and Broken Age. He also helped design other classics like Day of the Tentacle and the first two Monkey Island games. Because of his amazing work, he has won major awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award and a BAFTA Fellowship.

Career

Starting at LucasArts (1989–2000)

Tim Schafer grew up in Sonoma, California. While studying computer science at UC Berkeley, he discovered he also loved to write. He wanted a job where he could do both programming and writing. He saw an ad for a job at Lucasfilm Games (later called LucasArts) that was perfect for him.

His job interview over the phone was a bit of a disaster. He accidentally mentioned a pirated version of one of the company's games! To make up for it, he sent a comic strip he drew. The comic showed him applying for the job and getting hired. The company loved it, and he got the job in 1989.

His first role was helping the main game developers. He and his co-worker Dave Grossman tested games and learned how to use the company's game engine, called SCUMM. Soon, they were asked to help write the dialogue for a new pirate adventure game. That game became the famous The Secret of Monkey Island.

Schafer and Grossman wrote most of the game's funny dialogue. After the success of Monkey Island and its sequel, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, Schafer got to lead his own projects. He co-designed the time-travel comedy Day of the Tentacle.

His first solo project was Full Throttle, a game about a biker gang, released in 1995. After that, he created Grim Fandango. This adventure game is set in the Aztec afterlife. Its characters look like the skeleton decorations from the Mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos. Grim Fandango won many awards, including Game of the Year from GameSpot.

Founding Double Fine Productions (2000–Present)

Schafer (second from right) with other game developers at a BAFTA event in 2011.

By 2000, LucasArts was making fewer adventure games. Many developers, including Schafer, decided to leave and start something new. In January 2000, Schafer founded Double Fine Productions.

The first game from Double Fine was Psychonauts. It was a creative platform game that was loved by critics. However, it didn't sell well at first. Years later, Double Fine got the rights back to the game. They released it on modern computers and made more money from it than ever before.

Schafer's next big game was Brütal Legend, released in 2009. It was a tribute to heavy metal music and art. The game starred actor and musician Jack Black. It also featured famous rock stars like Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford.

To keep his team creative, Schafer started an event called Amnesia Fortnights. For two weeks, the staff would stop working on their main project. They would split into small teams to create new game ideas. Some of these ideas, like Costume Quest and Stacking, later became full games.

Using Crowdfunding for New Games

Schafer at the PAX gaming festival in 2012.

In 2012, Schafer wanted to make a new adventure game. But game publishers were not interested in funding one. So, he turned to the website Kickstarter to ask fans for help. He asked for $400,000 to make a game called "Double Fine Adventure."

Fans were incredibly excited. The project raised over $3.3 million! This huge success showed that people still loved adventure games. The final game was called Broken Age and was released in two parts.

Because of this success, Schafer was able to buy back the rights to his old LucasArts games. Double Fine then released remastered, or updated, versions of Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, and Full Throttle.

Supporting Others and Recent Work

Schafer often hosts the Game Developers Choice Awards, as he did here in 2019.

In 2014, some people in the gaming community were targeted by online harassment. Schafer spoke out in support of those being harassed. Because he stood up for others, he also became a target of online attacks.

In 2015, Schafer helped create a new crowdfunding website for games called Fig. Through Fig, he announced a sequel to one of his most beloved games: Psychonauts 2.

In 2019, Microsoft bought Double Fine Productions. Schafer said this was a good move because it gave the company the money and freedom to focus on making great games. With Microsoft's support, Psychonauts 2 was released in 2021 and was a huge hit with critics and players.

Game Design Ideas

Schafer believes that the story is a key part of the gameplay. He tries to tell stories without using too many cutscenes (short movies in a game). He wants players to experience the story by playing the game itself.

He often gets ideas for games from interesting real-world places. For Full Throttle, he was inspired by stories about a biker bar in Alaska. He thought it was a unique world that most people never see. He wanted to bring that world to life in a game.

Awards and Recognition

Tim Schafer has received many awards for his work in video games.

• His game Psychonauts won awards for its great writing.
• Double Fine won for Best New Studio.
• He received a BAFTA award for Best Screenplay for Psychonauts.
• In 2018, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards.
• That same year, he received a BAFTA Fellowship, one of the highest honors in the entertainment industry.
• In 2023, he was added to the Hall of Fame by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

List of Games

See also

In Spanish: Tim Schafer para niños