Jun 15, 2021
Time for a surprise!
Joining Dan in the Garden today is game industry veteran William Volk. Volk started his career in late 1979 as a game tester for Avalon Hill and developed or spearheaded games across all generations of platforms. As a cofounder of Aegis Development, Volk was part of the first Macintosh game releases before the company pivoted to the Amiga. Volk joined Activision in 1988, serving on its executive team as VP of Technology. We talk Volk’s career past and present, including development in the early days of the Macintosh, the influence of gaming on education, his return to indie development with The Climate Trail, and how the Amiga keeps coming back.
Recorded March 7, 2021
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Theme Song by Space Vixen
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Chapters
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:06 - William Volk
00:04:00 - Avalon Hill and The 8-Bit Era
00:16:07 - Pyramid of Peril and Mac Challenger
00:20:33 - Aegis Development and the Amiga
00:28:23 - Activision and The Manhole
00:43:15 - Lightspan, Inc. Games
00:49:27 - Transitioning to Mobile Gaming
00:58:48 - Pioneering Games on the iPhone
01:08:35 - Ownerfy, The Amgia, and Warhol
01:12:41 - The Climate Trail And An Indie Resurgence
01:23:26 - Outtro and Credits