Cliff Johnson (game designer)
Cliff Johnson (born 1953)[2] is an American game designer, best known for the early computer puzzle games The Fool's Errand (1987) and 3 in Three (1990). Both games were notable for visual puzzles and a metapuzzle structure. His games have won awards such as "Best Puzzle Game of the Year" and "Best Retro Game Ever".
Cliff Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 14, 1953[1] Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Game designer |
| Years active | 1984– |
Notable work | The Fool's Errand, 3 in Three |
Biography
Johnson was born August 14, 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, the only child of Norman and Leatrice Johnson. He attended Bristol Eastern High School in Connecticut, which is where he started making Super 8 movies. In 1972, he had jobs "building monsters" for five different amusement parks. He later attended University of Southern California's film school, where he became a teaching assistant in animation and created some of the Monty Pythonesque animations for Nickelodeon's television series Out of Control.[1][2]
In 1984, using his first computer, a 512 KB so-called "Fat" Mac, he learned to program and created the game The Fool's Errand, which in 1987 won "Best Puzzle Game of the Year" from GAMES Magazine and was declared "Best Retro Game Ever" by British GamesTM magazine.[3])
From 1990–1995, he directed the *FunHouse* production group for Philips Media, and from 1996–2001, he consulted with Mattel, Warner Bros. and Disney for online puzzles and treasure hunts.[1]
In 2002, Johnson designed a $100,000 Challenge for the book Mysterious Stranger by street magician David Blaine. It was solved in 2004.[4]
Authored games
- The Fool's Errand (1987) — GAMES Magazine's Best Puzzle Game of the Year
- At the Carnival (1989)
- Disney's Cartoon Arcade (1990)
- 3 in Three (1990) — MacUser's Best Game of the Year; GAMES Magazine's Best Puzzle Game of the Year
- Hanna Barbera's Cartoon Carnival (1993)
- Merlin's Apprentice (1994)
- Labyrinth of Crete (1995)
- The Fool and His Money (2012)[2]
Other contributed works
- Game Design: Disney's The Hunt for the Lost Toy, website contest, 1996
- Game Design: Of Light and Darkness: The Prophecy, 1998
- Treasure Hunt Design: David Blaine's Mysterious Stranger book, 2002
References
- "Cliff Johnson". fools-errand.com. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- Maher, Jimmy (November 20, 2015). "Cliff Johnson's Fools Errand". The Digital Antiquarian. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- "Retrospective: Cliff Johnson" (PDF). GamesTM. Archived from the original (pdf) on June 2005. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- Johnson, Cliff. "Mysterious Stranger Book Excerpts". fools-errand.com. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
External links
- Cliff Johnson at MobyGames
- Johnson's official website (click on the image at the upper right to see his biography timeline)
- Inside Mac Games, March 31, 2003, "Cliff Johnson's April Fool's Treasure Hunt"