David Braben

Doctor of Letters, 2013

“What inspired you?”

It’s a question creative minds are asked all the time.

You don’t have to look far in the video game industry before you’ll find someone who’ll say “Elite.”

The space exploration game was created by David Braben, and it’s one of the reasons he’s considered one of the most influential developers ever.

Elite – released in 1984 – is way ahead of its time.

It’s considered the first open world game, paving the way for titles like Skyrim, Fallout and World of Warcraft.

It gave players a real sense of freedom, that incredible feeling of being able to do whatever they wanted.

David would go on to mastermind games like the cult classic LostWinds on the Wii, Rollercoaster Coaster Tycoon 3, Planet Coaster and the long awaited Elite: Dangerous.

He was awarded an honorary degree by Abertay in 2013.

David Braben

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