Trip Hawkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Trip Hawkins
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Hawkins outside his Santa Barbara office in 2019
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William Murray Hawkins III
December 28, 1953 Pasadena, California, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (BA) Stanford University (MBA) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Founding Electronic Arts Founding 3DO |
| Board member of | Global Worldwide; DMarket; Break Away Data; Big Wolf Games; Sandsoft Games |
| Spouse(s) | Lisa Proctor Hawkins |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | AIAS Hall of Fame Award (2005) |
William Murray "Trip" Hawkins III (born December 28, 1953) is an American businessman. He is famous for starting three big companies: Electronic Arts, The 3DO Company, and Digital Chocolate. These companies have made many popular video games and game systems.
Contents
Trip's Journey in Gaming
Trip Hawkins loved games from a young age. As a teenager, he tried to create his own version of a football board game. He even borrowed money from his dad to start his first business. But this first try didn't work out.
Later, he got his first computer. This made him think about making a digital football game. He liked the idea because computers could handle all the complicated math. This would make the game easier for players to enjoy.
Learning About Strategy
Trip went to Harvard University. There, he created his own special study program. It was all about strategy and game theory. This means he learned how to plan and make smart decisions, which is very useful for creating games and businesses.
Starting Electronic Arts (EA)
In 1975, Trip thought it would take about seven years for home computers to become popular enough for a game career. He was right! By 1982, he was working at Apple Computer in marketing. But he decided to leave and start his own company, Electronic Arts (EA).
EA quickly became very successful. Trip helped change the game industry. Before him, many games were made by just one person. He helped make it common for large teams to work together on complex games.
One of his biggest successes was signing John Madden. John Madden was a famous football coach. He became a spokesperson and advisor for EA's football game. This led to the super popular Madden NFL video game series, which is still played today.
Working with Sega
At first, EA made games for computers. They didn't want to follow Nintendo's strict rules for making games. So, when Sega released its Genesis console, Trip saw an opportunity.
He hired a team to figure out how the Genesis system worked. This is called reverse engineering. It allowed EA to make games for the Genesis without paying high fees to Sega.
Trip then told Sega what he had done. He offered to partner with them to compete against Nintendo. Sega agreed, and EA became an official partner. They even got a special deal on licensing fees.
The 3DO Company
In 1991, Trip left his daily role at EA, but stayed on its board. He started a new company called 3DO. This company aimed to create a new video game console.
When the 3DO console came out in 1993, it was the most powerful game system available. But it had a big problem: it was very expensive. It cost about $599, while other systems were much cheaper.
Because it was so expensive, not many people bought it. Also, many of its games used a lot of full-motion video. This was new and exciting at the time, but it often meant the games weren't as fun to play.
In 1994, the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn came out. These consoles were also powerful and had better games. This made it even harder for the 3DO to succeed. Trip Hawkins was still seen as a "visionary" in the game world, but the 3DO console didn't do well.
Changing Direction and New Ventures
In 1996, 3DO stopped making consoles. Instead, it became a company that just made video games. They made games for the PlayStation, PC, and other systems. Trip became the creative director, guiding the games they made.
However, the company tried to make games too quickly. This often meant the games weren't very good, and sales suffered. Even though Trip had helped the company before, it eventually went bankrupt in 2003. Many of its game series, like Might and Magic, were sold to another company called Ubisoft.
After 3DO, Trip started a new game company in 2003 called Digital Chocolate. This company focused on making games for handheld devices, like early smartphones. He left his role as CEO of Digital Chocolate in 2012.
Since then, Trip has worked with other technology companies. He joined the board of Extreme Reality, which makes motion control software. He also advised companies like Nativex (mobile ads) and Skillz (mobile eSports).
His newest company, If You Can Company, aims to help children learn important social and emotional skills. Their first game, "IF...", teaches kids about compassion and how to deal with bullying. It's designed for schools and teachers.
Trip Hawkins also taught about business and leadership at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 2016 to 2019. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.
Honors
In 2005, Trip Hawkins was given a special award. He became the eighth person to be added to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. This award honors people who have made a huge impact on the video game industry.
See also
In Spanish: Trip Hawkins para niños
