Dani Bunten named to AIAS Hall of Fame

  • By Curt Feldman, GameSpot
  • Posted Jan 23, 2007 4:28 pm PT

[UPDATE] Widely admired game designer to be inducted at upcoming D.I.C.E. ceremony; Sid Meier to accept award for game creator who passed away in 1998. Trip Hawkins, Will Wright comment on the news.

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Will Wright reflects on the legacy of Dani Bunten, and how her design principles influence him still.

For many in the game industry, there will never be another Dani Bunten. The many online tributes to the game designer speak to an individual with both a broad and gifted design sense, as well as someone with a deep vein of human goodness.

For others, the name Dani Bunten will be met only with curiosity.

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Academy pres Joseph Olin talks about the upcoming D.I.C.E. Summit, the inside story behind the Dani Bunten HOF nod, and how Gears of War could have walked away with so many nominations.

Both camps will be indulged next month when the game designer, who passed away at the age of 49 in 1998, is inducted in the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Hall of Fame. She joins previous inductees Richard Garriott, Trip Hawkins, Peter Molyneux, Yu Suzuki, Will Wright, John Carmack, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Sid Meier, and Shigeru Miyamoto.

The induction will take place during the AIAS Achievement Awards, to be held during the D.I.C.E. Summit on February 8, 2007, according to Joseph Olin, AIAS president.

Design great Sid Meier will accept the award on Bunten's behalf.

Upon hearing the news, Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins told GameSpot, "Dani Bunten was one of the titans of design, and was a great combination of passion, design ability, technical skills, social conscience, and team spirit."

Bunten's game creations include Cartels and Cutthroats, Modem Wars, Command HQ, Global Conquest, Seven Cities of Gold, and Heart of Africa, but no game has stood for more kudos than M.U.L.E., a strategy title first published by Electronic Arts for the Atari 800.

Hawkins continued, saying that "Dani was one of the first artists I sought out when I founded Electronic Arts and together we planned and conceived M.U.L.E. as a new kind of business simulation game. I wanted something less serious, more conceptual, easier to play, and with more action than a traditional business sim, and Dani's skills are evident in all the clever nuances that have made M.U.L.E. one of the most famous games of all-time, especially among the cult of game designers."

She lived her professional live in Little Rock, Arkansas, naming her design studio Ozark Softscape, and worked in relative isolation with colleagues Bill Bunten (her brother), Alan Watson, and Jim Rushing. Dani distinguished herself in her private life by committing to a sex change operation in the early '90s, dropping the moniker Dan for Dani.

Bunten's career is well documented on the Web, with tributes, bios, and mentions of her death written by numerous admirers. Veteran game designer Greg Costikyan, now with his own game studio, Manifesto Games, wrote this about Bunten when she passed away:

"Dani Bunten Berry was a giant. I don't mean that she stood six-foot-two, although she did. I mean that she was one of the great artists of our age, one of the creators of the form that will dominate the 21st century, as film has dominated the 20th and the novel the 19th: the art of game design. I mean that she displayed a complete mastery of her craft, always pushing the edges of the possible, always producing highly polished work of gemlike consistency and internal integrity. I mean that in her writings and her speeches (many available at her professional Web site), she demonstrated enormous thoughtfulness about her chosen field, a level of intellectual analysis matched by a mere handful of contemporaries."

Those who knew her migrate freely between the male and female presence of Dan and Dani Bunten--something Bunten herself referred to simply as "a pronoun change."

In the case of M.U.L.E., Hawkins said, "Dani's heart was in the right place and we both wanted games to be a social medium that had relevance and increased your intelligence. I insisted that the game realistically model and support a variety of key economic principles and Dani was quite ingenious in how this was implemented, in the process inventing some user-interface mechanics that are still copied today."

Bunten's approach, Hawkins said, "was the antithesis of the 'mindless shoot 'em up.' It is ironic that a single-player game, The Seven Cities of Gold, was Dani's biggest commercial hit because for the most part Dani and I were pioneers of multi-player gaming in various forms. Seven Cities was the first effective presentation of a legitimate historical simulation in a video game, and is another one of my all-time favorites."

"I don't know that he has admitted it publicly, but Sid Meier's break-out hit, Pirates, was obviously inspired by The Seven Cities of Gold. Who could forget the gameplay mechanic that allowed you to, 'Amaze the Natives?' "

In the accompanying audio clips, Will Wright, who dedicated his game The Sims to Bunten, talks about the Bunten legacy, and AIAS president Joseph Olin alerts GameSpot first to the news of the Bunten nod, and speaks additionally about the upcoming D.I.C.E. event at large.

Hawkins concluded, saying that among game development cognoscenti, "Dani was a great leader and source of inspiration that we will never forget. Dani's selection for the Hall says something very positive and very important about how influential Dani was as a thinker and designer and how that leadership inspired so many others."

37 Comments

  • dmso12

    Posted Mar 10, 2007 2:11 pm PT

    what is the point of saying 'who' or 'never heard of them' - look it up! Try 1) reading the article and 2) having the intellectual power to reason that if she is being inducted, she must have done something worthy of the honor, right?

  • Pete5506

    Posted Feb 10, 2007 10:53 am PT

    its about time

  • slappylad

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 9:43 am PT

    Seven Cities Of Gold and M.U.L.E were two of the first PC titles I ever played, IMHO, dan/dani was one of the true pioneers in this business and his/her legacy is still being felt to this day. Im glad AIAS is finally giving dan/dani some well deserved recognition.

  • dbunten

    Posted Feb 5, 2007 9:21 pm PT

    Its amazing to see that people still remember my dad. Its been years since he has passed away, yet people still remember what he did. One of the last things i remember me and him doing was going to CGDC(Computer Game Dev Conference) and him(or her, whatever you want to say) receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. Which is actually sitting behind me on a shelf. Im just glad to know that someone besides me and my family still remember my dad.

  • pandaramaster

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 1:52 pm PT

    It's about time Dani got the recognition and the award.

  • Otto_the_Pale

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 12:39 pm PT

    QUOTE:


    whiplash: What did she die of?


    A la Wikipedia: Bunten, a chain smoker since her teens, was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in 1998.

  • bghattas

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 12:07 pm PT

    You "kids" can find plenty of sites about Dani Bunten Berry, M.U.L.E., Ozark Software, Seven Cities Of Gold and more on the Internet. She was a fantastic programmer and her selection to the Hall was long overdue.

  • Grimmbro

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 5:07 pm PT

    Many over look that Bunten's games were some of the first that allowed two players to play against each other from their own computers. Ah the hours trying to get those machines to talk with each other paid off smartly. Plus the games always had some funny little quirk that would make you laugh. I wish someone would update them and release.

  • whiplash

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 3:49 pm PT

    What did she die of?

    And I wonder what she would think of something "mindless" like Geometry Wars... excellent design, but purely reactionary gameplay.

  • Lasafrog

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 2:55 pm PT

    She was fantastic, I was always a huge fan of hers. In fact, I just broke out my Commodore-64 less than a week ago, and was showing off my original copy of M.U.L.E. My buddy commented repeatedly on how smart the game came across, especially for it's time. Anybody who hasn't played the game seriously needs to find a way to play one of the origianl versions (not the later ported NES version, it moves at a broken pace), and I recommend the C-64 over the Atari, even if you just need to go find an emulator. The game is genious, as was Dani. Congrats on the win, you're missed.

  • Shifty_Pete

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 12:16 pm PT

    Wow, died at 49? Too young for anyone, much less a talented developer.

  • ObiKKa

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 5:51 am PT

    I bet some of her games could be downloaded at the abandonware game site www.abandonia.com (or www.reloaded.org - probably made from some same team). Author review & user ratings over there, too.

    BTW, where is Warren Spector in the AIAS Hall of Fame? Well, I guess there were so many other good designers that the rest would need to be patient before finally being inducted into it!

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 1:41 am PT

    Never heard of her before

  • iowastate

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 3:24 pm PT

    Well deserved and about time she was honored. M.U.L.E. was the best NES game IMO, and the first multi-player strategy game I ever saw. btw I was already 30 when it was released, so yeah I'm older than 20.

  • vaejas

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 2:16 pm PT

    Oh, and Roberta Williams should win next year.

  • vaejas

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 2:09 pm PT

    I remember trying M.U.L.E., Seven Cities of Gold, and yes even the great Modem Wars (Gamespot feature link). I feel Bunten contributed more to solidify the great genres than Bushnell ever did. Just looking at one old 16 colour screenshot you can draw the parallels to modern design.

  • ZZT-X

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 1:40 pm PT

    I'm 19 and I love M.U.L.E.
    Bunten earned this honor with that game alone.

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 11:07 am PT

    I'm not older than 20. Probably that's why I haven't heard of Dani Bunten.

  • EboMike

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 10:40 am PT

    Man, you guys are kids. Is anyone here older than 20?

  • i_like_evil

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 8:57 am PT

    Never heard of him/her.

  • fmcuk

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 8:11 am PT

    ????
    who?

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 9:18 pm PT

    Sorry, can't say I heard of him until now.

  • Pumper

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 9:06 pm PT

    Those who don't know him were probably playing WOMB ball. Those were good times...he was one of the greats.

  • kenerhai

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 8:34 pm PT

    "are you on Cliffy B.s payroll?"

    niiiiiice. who isnt on Cliffy's payroll?! Gears is storming America faster than Halo and grown twice as big in half the time. Now when Halo 3 drops. . .well see.

    As for Dani Bunten, well, I've been playing since the late days of Atari and early NES, but I can't say I've ever heard of her, but I'm sure she likely deserves credit for what shes given the industry.

  • gatsbythepig

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 8:20 pm PT

    that's nice for... who?

  • SolInvictus-HGG

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 7:47 pm PT

    Dani who?

  • Relax

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 7:40 pm PT

    M.U.L.E. is still considered by my group of friends to be the best multiplayer game ever created. Simple, elegant design and endlessly replayable, none of us can figure why a similar type of game, if not a remake itself, was never produced. Maybe now that XBLA is a going concern things will finally change...

  • Re_ensurer

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 7:24 pm PT

    Never heard of Mrs. Bunten.

  • Inu7

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 7:06 pm PT

    Tis a bit before my time. Command HQ of 1990 was too complicated for my 4 year old mind. Still can note how he/she paved the way for generations to come though.

  • buzzoinks

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 6:27 pm PT

    I was obsessed with M.U.L.E. when I was kid. I'm glad Dani is getting her due. Gamers and transexualls have something to cheer about!

  • thebrazenone

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 6:21 pm PT

    someone needs a face lift, if only i could find that grave

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 6:15 pm PT

    neato

  • Maxor127

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 5:50 pm PT

    MULE was an awesome game. I still like playing it even today. I have respect for anyone who can appreciate that game.

  • Generic_Dude

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 5:46 pm PT

    There was a talented mind behind that ghoulish face. Sad news.

  • Doolum

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 5:26 pm PT

    Never heard of that person before.

  • adamfirefist

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 5:09 pm PT

    Two comments for Dani. 300+ for Halo. There is something amiss in the gaming world.

  • Xa31nov1s

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 4:41 pm PT

    Interesting...

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