Roberta Williams

Updated: 11/16/2019 by Computer Hope
Roberta Williams

Name: Roberta (Heuer) Williams

Born: February 16, 1953

Computer-related contributions

  • American video game creator and designer.
  • Co-founder/writer of Sierra On-Line (Sierra Entertainment).
  • Best known for her work with Mystery House, the King's Quest series, and Phantasmagoria.
  • Named as one of the most influential PC game designers of the 80's and 90's and has often been credited with creating the graphic adventure genre.
  • Her first title was Mystery House (1980), often called the first graphical adventure game.

Honors and awards

  • Named 23rd position on the list of top game creators of all time by IGN (2009), IGN.
  • Ranked number 10 on the list of the most influential people of all time in computer gaming for adventure game design by Computer Gaming World (1997).
  • Listed number ten in Gamespots "most influential people in computer gaming of all time".

Quotes

"I appreciate the sentiment that I am a popular woman in computer gaming circles; but I prefer being thought of as a computer game designer rather than a woman computer game designer. I don't put myself into gender mode when designing a game."

Related computer pioneers

Websites