Jon Ritman is a game designer and programmer notable for his work on 1980s computer games, primarily for the
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...
and
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...
home computers.
Career
His first experience with a computer was when he was 13, his first computer was a Sinclair ZX81 he bought in 1981.
His first game, ''Namtir Raiders'' for the
ZX81
The ZX81 is a home computer that was produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Dundee, Scotland, by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and designed to be a low-c ...
, gained its name from his surname reversed. He first drew attention with his games ''
Bear Bovver'' and ''Match Day'' for the ZX Spectrum.
In 1988, Ritman was voted Best Programmer Of The Year at the
Golden Joystick Awards.
In 2014 Ritman appeared in the documentary feature film ''
From Bedrooms to Billions'', which tells the story of the British video game industry from 1979 to its release.
Games
*''Namtir Raiders'',
Artic
*''Cosmic Debris'', Artic
*''3D Combat Zone'', Artic
*''Dimension Destructors'', Artic
*''
Bear Bovver'', Artic
*''
Match Day'' series,
Ocean
The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...
*''
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'', Ocean
*''
Head over Heels'', Ocean
*''
Monster Max
''Monster Max'' is a 1994 action-adventure game, action-adventure puzzle video game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Titus Interactive, Titus France in Europe for the Game Boy. The player is the titular aspiring rock star, who, ...
'',
Rare/
Titus
Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...
*''
Super Match Soccer'', 1998
Ritman also worked on two other football games that were not published:
* ''Final Whistle'' was developed for the Razz arcade system, but was cancelled as it looked like an improved version of ''Match Day II'' not suitable for
arcade games
An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade ...
.
* ''Soccerama'' was developed for
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
, but did not pass Nintendo's quality control due to a
bug that could not be fixed.
References
External links
Jon Ritman's website
at crashonline.org.uk
Ritman interview
at computeremuzone.com
at tacgr.emuunlim.com
Biography
British video game designers
British computer programmers
Golden Joystick Award winners
Living people
British video game programmers
Year of birth missing (living people)
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