Richard Allen Garriott de Cayeux
Game Developer
Class of 2019 Inductee
Garriott, who is the son of NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, was originally a game designer and programmer, and is now involved in a number of aspects of computer-game development.
The creator of the Ultima game series, Garriott was involved in all games in the series, and directly supervised all eleven main installments, starting with 1979’s Akalabeth: World of Doom and concluding with 1999’s Ultima IX: Ascension. Within the context of Ultima, Garriott presented himself as the fictional persona of Lord British.
The series is considered influential, notably helping with establishing the computer role-playing game genre.
He is credited with creating the now ubiquitous term “avatar” for one’s virtual self and the category of massively multiplayer games (MMORPGs).
Richard Garriott on his famous nickname, “Lord British”:
“I’ve got this name since my high-school days. Some older students were giving nicknames to the younger ones. I was called Lord British because they claimed that I had a British accent.”
Wikipedia Link:
Personal Website:
Awards
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1992.
The ninth inductee into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 2006.
The sixth recipient of the Game Developers Choice Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
Garriott received the British Interplanetary Society’s Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Best Individual Achievement in 2009.
Garriott received the British Interplanetary Society’s Astronaut Pin given to British-born astronauts in 2009.
Garriott was inducted into the Environmental Hall of Fame in 2010.
Social Media:
160 credits on 57 games on Mobygames: