22 July 2010

Former MLB Pitcher Curt Schilling Taking Video Games to A New Level

As a Player, former Major League Pitcher Curt Schilling was a “GAMER” in more ways than one.

On the diamond his career numbers speak for themselves; a record of 216-146, an earned run average of 3.46 to go along with 3,116 strikeouts.

In 1993 he helped guide the Philadelphia Phillies to the 1993 World Series, before actually winning the Fall Classic with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 and again with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007.

To date, he is the only major league pitcher in history to compete in World Series games while in his 20's, 30's and 40's, retiring with a post season record of 11-2. His .846 post season winning percentage is a major league record for pitchers with at least 10 post-season decisions.

By the way, Schilling will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2013, which of course is a Blog for another time.

Yes, the former 6 time all-star and World Series co-MVP (2001), was a GAMER, and by all accounts still is.

You see during his baseball career, Curt constantly had his nose buried in a lap top computer, we of course were led to believe it was to study the hitting tendencies and splits of opposing batters, but some of Curt’s former teammates tell me Schill was also a huge video gamer, a habit he picked up back in 1980.

One of Schilling’s favorite PC games was the EverQuest - EverQuest II saga. To give you a quick synopsis. EverQuest II is set in the fictional world of Norrath five hundred years after The Planes of Power storyline of the original EverQuest game. The gods withdrew from the world in retaliation for mortal incursions into their planes. On Norrath itself, Dark Elves and the Orcs destroyed much of Faydwer; while the Ogres, Goblins, Orcs, and Giants ravaged Antonica. Transport and communication to the moon Luclin were cut off.

See, now how do you not get caught up in a politically based story like that and not want to do something to help rectify the situation? With all joking aside, EverQuest I and II, and games like them, are widely popular among video gamers all over the world.

With this knowledge in hand, Schilling decided to combine his love of video gaming with his ability to excel in pressure packed environments by sliding head first into the competitive world of video game development.

In 2006, Schilling founded Green Monster Games, an entertainment and IP (intellectual property) Development Company which was later renamed, 38 Studios after his former MLB jersey number. The company focused on MMORPGs (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games), which of course Schilling has a personal passion for, thanks for his adventures with Everquest and Everquest II.

After leasing 30,000 sq feet of office space in downtown Maynard, Massachusetts, Schilling then had to assemble his team and if you know anything about Curt Schilling, then you know nothing but the best will do.

The 38 Studios' team includes a wide array of talent and experience. In the past, members of the team have worked on everything from movies like The Spiderwick Chronicles and A Bug's Life, to games including EverQuest II, Doom, Half-Life 2, and Lord of the Rings Online.

It has been four years now since Schilling took a leap of faith, faith that he and his company could make a difference in the gaming industry and thanks to collaborations with the likes world-renowned comic book and toy creator Todd McFarlane (http://www.spawn.com//) and best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore (http://www.rasalvatore.com/), big things are about to happen for 38 Studios.

Actually, I should rephrase that by saying Big Huge things are about to happen. You see not too long ago, 38 Studios acquired Big Huge Games (http://www.bighugegames.com/). Simply put, Big Huge Games is a very successful RTS (real time strategy) game making studio.

Everything had fallen into place for 38 studios including a publishing agreement with EA (Electronic Arts), I’m pretty sure you all know who they are. As a matter of fact it is that agreement that has paved the way for 38 Studios to publish its first video game, an RPG (role playing game) that started out with the code name Project Mercury but to be released under the name Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

Scheduled for release in the fall of 2011, Reckoning is an epic, open-world, single-player RPG set in Amalur, a mysterious and magical new fantasy setting.

The world of Amalur was created by New York Times-bestselling author R.A. Salvatore and brought to life visually by renowned artist and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. For more information on the release of this game and another upcoming projects by 38 studios check out the following links. (http://www.reckoningthegame.com/) and (http://www.38studios.com/).

By the way, Reckoning will be available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. You can also follow the game on Twitter ReckoningGame and become a Facebook fan at facebook.com/ReckoningTheGame.

On the Outside Looking In, I'm Phil Andrews

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