Lauren Elliott

Lauren Elliott
Born Lauren Roosevelt Elliott
29 August 1946
Boston, Massachusetts
Nationality American
Known for Creator of Carmen Sandiego

Lauren Roosevelt Elliott (born August 29, 1946) is an American video game designer, internet entrepreneur, publisher and inventor. He is recognized as one of the pioneers in the edutainment video game industry.

Elliott’s greatest success to date came as the original co-designer for the Carmen Sandiego game series which remains the best-selling edutainment game in history.

Biography

Lauren Roosevelt Elliott was born on August 29, 1946, in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the grandson of Hall Roosevelt, brother of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Education

After graduating from the Millbrook School for Boys, Elliott attended Cornell University, transferring three years later to the University of Colorado in Boulder where he received his degree in architecture. Becoming interested in environmental design, he then studied briefly at the University of Pennsylvania under Ian McHarg, followed by two years of graduate work in ecology at the University of California at Davis.

Career in game design

In 1983, Elliott walked into Broderbund Software in San Rafael, California, with a sketchpad full of game designs and was hired on the provision that he could convince a programmer to take on one of his designs. Over the next 13-year period he authored and worked on more than 23 titles. He now has over 30 million copies of his work in circulation and is winner of over 50 awards in originality and lifetime sales categories.

While at Broderbund, Elliott and Gene Portwood were Will Wright's project managers on his first video game, Raid on Bungeling Bay, in 1984.

In 1996, Elliott left to form Elliott Portwood productions with his partner Gene Portwood. During the next four years, they produced titles for The Learning Company, Maxis Software, Virgin Software, and The Software Toolworks.

In 2002, Elliott formed Dream Zero, an internet gaming company, later acquired by The Big Network.

In 2005, Elliott published a book – With Love, Aunt Eleanor – written by his mother, who is the niece of Eleanor Roosevelt.[1]

Current projects

Games designed by Elliott

References

  1. ↑ "Book Review: With Love, Aunt Eleanor". ForeWord Reviews. April 15, 2004.

External links