Editing Doug Church

{{short description|American video game designer and producer (born 1968)}}
{{Infobox person
|image=Doug church.jpg
|image_size=200px
|caption=Church tests an [[Indie Game Jam]] 2005 project.
|name=Doug Church
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1968|11|16}}
|birth_place=[[Evanston, Illinois]], United States
|death_date=
|death_place=
|occupation=[[Game designer]], [[Video game producer|producer]]
|employer = [[Valve Corporation|Valve]]
}}

'''Doug Church''' (born November 16, 1968, in [[Evanston, Illinois]]),<ref>{{cite web | author=Paul M Harrison| date=October 15, 2012 | title=Doug Church, A Brief Introduction | url= http://paul1216944.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/doug-church/}}</ref> is an American [[game designer|video game designer]] and producer. He attended [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] in the late 1980s, but left and went to work with [[Looking Glass Studios]], when they were making primarily [[MS-DOS]]-based [[immersive sim]] games, including ''[[Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss|Ultima Underworld]]'', ''[[Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds|Ultima Underworld II]]'', ''[[System Shock]]'' and ''[[Thief (computer game series)|Thief]]''. His colleague [[Warren Spector]] claims, in fact, that Church was the one who originally coined the term "immersive simulation".<ref name="Fenlon2017">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/the-designers-of-dishonored-bioshock-2-and-deus-ex-swap-stories-about-making-pcs-most-complex-games/|title=The designers of Dishonored, Bioshock 2 and Deus Ex swap stories about making PC's most complex games|last=Fenlon|first=Wes|date=May 8, 2017|work=[[PC Gamer]]|access-date=29 November 2017|quote=Warren [Spector]: I think Doug Church was the one who came up with [the term 'immersive simulation'], isn't he? He's the first person I ever heard use it.}}</ref>

Later, Church joined [[Eidos Interactive]] as technical director, lending programming and design expertise on a number of games from [[Ion Storm]] and [[Crystal Dynamics]], including extensive design work on ''[[Tomb Raider: Legend]]''. In 2005, he left Eidos to join [[Electronic Arts]].

In 2003, Church was given the [[International Game Developers Association]]'s Community Contribution award, in part for his work as co-chair of the IGDA's educational committee developing relationships between the game industry and academia.  He has also participated in many of the [[Indie Game Jam]]s, including developing "Angry God Bowling," the prototypical game for the first IGJ.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

In 2009, he was chosen by [[IGN]] as one of the top 100 game creators of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/top/game-creators/34.html |title=IGN - 34. Doug Church |website=IGN |language=en |access-date=2023-11-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420081343/http://www.ign.com/top/game-creators/34.html |archive-date=2014-04-20}}</ref>

From July 2005 to 2009, Church worked at [[Electronic Arts]]' [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] office, as team leader on a project supervised by filmmaker [[Steven Spielberg]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thorsen |first=Tor |date=2005-10-14 |title=Steven Spielberg, EA ink three-game next-gen deal |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/steven-spielberg-ea-ink-three-game-next-gen-deal/1100-6135746/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930120841/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6135746.html?sid=6135746 |archive-date=2007-09-30 |access-date= |website=[[GameSpot]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

On March 16, 2011, [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] announced that Church had been hired for an undisclosed position and project.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ordland |first=Kyle |date=March 16, 2011 |title=Valve Confirms Hiring Of Thief Designer Doug Church |work=Gamasutra |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/valve-confirms-hiring-of-i-thief-i-designer-doug-church |access-date=February 17, 2015}}</ref>

In August 2016, [[OtherSide Entertainment]] announced that Church had been hired as a creative consultant for the development of ''[[System Shock 3]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Donnelly|first1=Joe|title=System Shock 3 reveals 'dream' development team|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/system-shock-3-reveals-dream-development-team/|website=PC Gamer|access-date=13 March 2018|date=2016-08-30}}</ref>

==Games==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
|-
|1992
|''[[Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss]]''
|Programmer, additional support
|-
|1993
|''[[Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds]]''
|Lead programmer, designer, additional support
|-
|1994
|''[[System Shock]]''
|Lead programmer
|-
|1995
|''[[Flight Unlimited]]''
| rowspan="2" |Programmer
|-
|1996
|''[[Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri]]''
|-
|1997
|''[[Flight Unlimited II]]''
|Programmer, additional support
|-
|1998
|''[[Thief: The Dark Project]]''
| rowspan="2" |Programmer
|-
|1999
|''[[System Shock 2]]''
|-
|2000
|''[[Thief II: The Metal Age]]''
|[[Game engine|Engine]] programmer
|-
| rowspan="2" |2001
|''[[FreQuency]]''
|"Synth and Related Playstation 2 Voodoo"
|-
|''[[Deus Ex (video game)|Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition]]''
|Design, additional programming
|-
|2002
|[[Freedom Force (2002 video game)|''Freedom Force'']]
| rowspan="5" |Special thanks
|-
| rowspan="3" |2003
|[[Whiplash (video game)|''Whiplash'']]
|-
|''[[Deus Ex: Invisible War]]''
|-
|''[[Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home]]''
|-
|2004
|''[[Thief: Deadly Shadows]]''
|-
|2006
|''[[Tomb Raider: Legend]]''
|Design
|-
|2012
|''[[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive]]''
|
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041124092627/http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20041123/hall_01.shtml November 2004 Gamasutra interview with Church]
*[https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/formal-abstract-design-tools "Formal Abstract Design Tools for Games"] a notable early effort to develop a common language of game design methodology.

{{Looking Glass Studios}}
{{Valve}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church, Doug}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:American video game designers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Valve Corporation people]]


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