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Video Games

I and my partner Jason Rubin founded Naughty Dog, Inc. in 1985 and ran the company for almost twenty years. While there, I was a design/co-director/technical lead on Math Jam, Ski Crazed, Dream Zone, Keef the Thief, Rings of Power, Way of the Warrior, Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Crash Bandicoot: Warped!, Crash Team Racing, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, and Jak 3. I was lead programmer (and sometimes sole programmer) on all of these games except for Crash Team Racing.

Overall, games I’ve been lead programmer on have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

The story of my earliest days as a programmer can be found here.

Below is an index of my posts about video games development. To see all the games posts inline click here. Eventually I plan on doing series about each of my games, but I’ve only tackled the first Crash Bandicoot at this time.

_

Crash Bandicoot

Making Crash Bandicoot – part 1 - the idea
Making Crash Bandicoot – part 2 - characters
Making Crash Bandicoot – part 3 – the tech
Making Crash Bandicoot – part 4 - gameplay
Making Crash Bandicoot – part 5 - crates & more
Making Crash Bandicoot – part 6 - E3 & beyond
Crash as a Startup
Crash Bandicoot – An Outsider’s Perspective
Crash Bandicoot Programming – GOOL
Crash Bandicoot goes to Europe
Crash Bandicoot goes to Japan – part 1
Crash Tools – part 1
Crash Tools – part 2
Crash Tools – part 3
Crash Bandicoot Russian Fan Interview
Old 20 Questions from NDI website
Crash Anniversary Memories
Crash Launch Commercials
_

Miscellaneous

How do I get a job designing video games?
Video Game Programming – Why
Video Game Programming – The Specs
Video Game Programming – Getting Started
Video Game Programming – School
Video Game Programming – The Method
All Your Base Are Belong to Us
Ready Player One (awesome video game novel)
Musings on LISP
WOW Expansion Cinematics
Uncharted 3 Reviews
Way of the Warrior – Lost Interview
Dark Souls – Mini Review
Jak & Daxter Collection
Naughty Dog – A Pedigree Breed
The Last of Us
Naughty Dog – 25 Years
Games, Novels, and Story
Jak & Daxter Video Retrospective
Diablo 3 Beta Preview
_

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  • Karen

    Andy Gavin you (and Jason Rubin) are truly legends! Playing the Crash games as a kid, I had no idea how revolutionary they were to the gaming industry. I feel like I owe a lot to crash for not only being the first game character I loved but also giving the gaming industry a boost, and an incentive to step up their performance. Crash is such an important figure to me, and I do hope one day that gaming trends will shift somewhere back to those colorful, cartoony, exciting worlds that Crash Bandicoot gave to us, despite the fact I still love gritty/dark games. I also hope that some day, i don’t care when, Crash will return, and when he does, he’ll give us something great and wonderful to play, perhaps not as good as the originals, but surely better than what we’ve been given today.

    Also, as for your other video game articles, I’ve read them all and they are very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to blog these for us! 
    Also, I was wondering… do you personally think a re-make of the original crash bandicoot would be cool if done right? As in, if characters were given back their original designs and the linear/platforming system of gameplay was restored? I know free-romp is much more popular now but I personally prefer platformers, and I feel like they should still be around. At times it feels like we’re being given the same games over and over again, at least to me. :/
    Sorry for ranting! You have just been such an inspiration on my future career choice, and these articles have really gotten me interested! 

    -Karen

    • http://all-things-andy-gavin.com Andy Gavin

      Thanks for the kind words!

  • Pingback: Jak & Daxter Collection :: All Things Andy Gavin

  • daniel.collins15

    A week ago, i got off my computer, off WOW, off my Diablo 3 beta, off it in general. I sat down, dusted off my old PS2 and put in the best game i have ever played. Jak and Daxter, The Precursor Legacy. There are so many different things i want to say, but the best one is thank you. Thank you for making a game that i enjoyed thoroughly through my childhood, a game that never ceases to amaze you or challenge you. All the Jak and Daxter games that were developed by naughty dog were truly amazing, ill say it again, Thannk you so very much.

    • http://all-things-andy-gavin.com Andy Gavin

      You are very welcome!

      • daniel.collins15

        One more question ive been dieing to ask the right person (Looks like ive found him)

        Is there a future for Jak and Daxter? I had to ask :)  

        One other thing aswell, what was your involvement in J&D The Lost Frontier? 

        All the best :)  

        • http://all-things-andy-gavin.com Andy Gavin

          There is the Jak & Daxter Collection, coming in a month or so. Beyond that, who knows? :-)

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