Steve Jackson (British game designer)

2.1. Birth and Upbringing

Steve Jackson was born on May 20, 1951, in Manchester, England.

2.2. Journalism Career

Jackson began his career in the games industry in 1974 as a freelance journalist for *Games & Puzzles* magazine. This early work allowed him to engage with the burgeoning world of games and puzzles, setting the stage for his future endeavors in game design and publishing.

3.1. Founding of Games Workshop

In early 1975, Jackson co-founded Games Workshop with his school friends John Peake and Ian Livingstone. The company's initial publication was a monthly newsletter titled *Owl and Weasel*, for which Jackson was the primary writer. The first issue of *Owl and Weasel* was distributed to subscribers of the *Albion* fanzine.

3.2. Early Business and RPG Popularization

The distribution of *Owl and Weasel* led to a pivotal moment when Brian Blume, a co-partner of the American publisher TSR, received a copy and, in return, sent Jackson and Livingstone a copy of TSR's new game, *Dungeons & Dragons*. Jackson and Livingstone were deeply impressed by *Dungeons & Dragons*, finding it far more imaginative than any contemporary games being produced in the UK at the time. They subsequently arranged an exclusive deal with Blume to sell *Dungeons & Dragons* across Europe, significantly contributing to the popularization of tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) in the region.
In late 1975, Jackson and Livingstone organized their first convention, the inaugural Games Day, further fostering the growth of the gaming community. Initially, they operated their business directly from their flat, selling game products. However, due to the constant stream of people visiting their residence in search of a physical store, their landlord evicted them in the summer of 1976. By 1978, the first official Games Workshop store opened in London, solidifying their presence in the retail market. In 1977, they also launched *White Dwarf* magazine, which became a prominent publication for RPG enthusiasts.

3.3. Conception of Fighting Fantasy

At a Games Day convention in 1980, Jackson and Livingstone met Geraldine Cooke, an editor at Penguin Books. They successfully persuaded her to consider publishing a book about the role-playing game hobby. The initial concept was an introductory guide to RPGs, but the idea of an interactive gamebook quickly emerged as a more appealing and innovative direction. After several months of development and discussion, Cooke deemed the concept viable and commissioned Jackson and Livingstone to create this new form of literature.

3.4. Success of the Fighting Fantasy Series

In 1980, Jackson and Livingstone began developing the concept for the *Fighting Fantasy* gamebook series. The first volume, *The Warlock of Firetop Mountain*, was published in 1982 by Puffin Books, a subsidiary imprint of Penguin. This pioneering work quickly became a global bestseller, establishing a new genre of interactive fiction where readers made choices that influenced the narrative's progression.
Following its initial success, Jackson and Livingstone individually authored many subsequent volumes, with numerous other authors also contributing to the expanding series. Steve Jackson notably wrote the acclaimed *Sorcery!* series, a four-part saga that utilized the same game system as *Fighting Fantasy*. While *Fighting Fantasy* was primarily aimed at children, *Sorcery!* was specifically marketed to an older audience, offering a more complex and mature interactive experience. Both Jackson and Livingstone attributed the widespread popularity of their gamebooks to their challenging difficulty, which encouraged replayability and deeper engagement. The *Fighting Fantasy* series had a profound impact, introducing millions of readers to interactive storytelling and influencing a generation of game designers and writers.

4.1. Sale of Games Workshop Stake

In 1991, Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone sold their stake in Games Workshop, marking the end of their direct involvement with the company they co-founded.

4.2. Computer Game Development

Following his departure from Games Workshop, Jackson continued to contribute to the gaming world. In the mid-1990s, he spent two and a half years working as a games journalist for the *London Daily Telegraph*. Subsequently, he co-founded the computer games development company Lionhead Studios with renowned game designer Peter Molyneux. Jackson played a key role in the studio's early projects. He remained with Lionhead until 2006, when he left after Microsoft acquired the company. His involvement in computer game development included titles such as *Lost Eden*, *Close Combat: Invasion - Normandy*, and *The Movies*. He also contributed to the digital adaptations of his *Sorcery!* gamebook series.

4.3. Academic Career

Steve Jackson holds the distinguished position of an honorary professor at Brunel University in London. In this academic role, he teaches the Digital Games Theory and Design MA program, where he imparts his extensive knowledge and experience in game design and theory to aspiring game developers. His work in academia highlights his commitment to fostering the next generation of talent in the interactive entertainment industry.

6.1. Gamebooks

• The Warlock of Firetop Mountain* (1982) - co-authored with Ian Livingstone, published by Puffin Books.
• Sorcery!* 1-4 (1983-1985) - published by Puffin Books.
• The Citadel of Chaos* (1983) - published by Puffin Books.
• Starship Traveller* (1984) - published by Puffin Books.
• House of Hell* (1984) - published by Puffin Books.
• Appointment with F.E.A.R.* (1985) - published by Puffin Books.
• The Tasks of Tantalon* (1985) - published by Oxford University Press.
• Creature of Havoc* (1986) - published by Puffin Books.
• Secrets of Salamonis* (2022) - published by Scholastic.

6.2. Video Games

• Lost Eden* (1995) - developed by Virgin Interactive.
• Circle of Blood* (1996) - developed by Virgin Interactive.
• Close Combat: Invasion - Normandy* (2000) - developed by Strategic Simulations, Inc..
• Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain* (2001) - developed by Laughing Jackal.
• The Movies (Premiere Edition)* (2005) - developed by Activision.
• Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain* (2009) - developed by Big Blue Bubble.
• Sorcery! 1 - The Shamutanti Hills* (2013) - developed by Inkle.
• Sorcery! 2 - Kharé - Cityport of Traps* (2013) - developed by Inkle.
• Sorcery! 3 - The Seven Serpents* (2015) - developed by Inkle.
• Sorcery! 4 - The Crown Of Kings* (2016) - developed by Inkle.

6.3. Other Works

• Fighting Fantasy: The Introductory Role-playing Game* (1984) - published by Puffin Books. This work served as an introductory guide to role-playing within the *Fighting Fantasy* universe.
• The Trolltooth Wars* (1989) - published by Puffin Books. This is a novel set within the *Fighting Fantasy* world, featuring characters from the gamebook series.
• BattleCards* (1993) - a unique card game featuring a "scratch-and-slay" system.
• F.I.S.T.* (Fantasy Interactive Scenarios by Telephone) (1988) - an innovative telephone-based single-player role-playing game, conceptually similar to the *Fighting Fantasy* gamebooks.