Christopher Erhardt Explained

Christopher Erhardt
Birth Place:December 23, 1958 Seattle, Washington
Death Place:December 3, 2012 Issaquah, Washington
Occupation:Head of School, AIE US Campuses

Christopher Erhardt (December 23, 1958 - December 3, 2012) was the Head of School - US Campuses for the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) from the time the school opened until his death.[1] From 1998-2007 he was the Associate Dean as well as V.P.-Production at DigiPen Institute of Technology in the United States.[2]

Biography

During the first 10 years of his life, Christopher Erhardt lived in Seattle, Washington, Detroit, Michigan, Riverside, California and Arcadia, California. He received a Bachelor of Science from the University of San Francisco, did graduate studies in psychology at Harvard University and acquired his master's degree in business from Capella University. In 2008 he completed his doctoral dissertation on video game players and demographic considerations and he was awarded his PhD from Cappella in 2010.[3] Erhardt had over 19 years of experience in the Interactive Media Industry, where he was responsible for the production, design and product management of more than 22 titles with such publishers as Infocom, Activision, Electronic Arts, Infogrames, and Ocean Software of America.

Erhardt started working at an early age, putting himself through his undergraduate degree by odd jobs that ranged from magician to fur currier to line chef. In the early 80s he was a product planner for companies such as Teledyne and other TEMPEST secured, MIS-based programming and project management tasks. He moved into the game industry in 1987 when Infocom requested his assistance in transitioning them from text-only games into graphical titles, leveraging his education in adolescent psychology to help them develop more compelling titles.

Erhardt was the President of ISOG based at Hyderabad, India until June 2009.

In December 2010, it was announced that Erhardt would be the head of the new Seattle branch of the Academy of Interactive Entertainment, which offers certificate programs and continuing education courses in digital media, game development, special effects and film production.[4]

Games credited on

YearGamePlatformRole/dutyCompany
1988Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOSProducerInfocom
1988MacintoshProducerInfocom
1989DOSProducerInfocom
1989Pool of RadianceMacintoshProducer, sound designerStrategic Simulations
1990Circuit's EdgeDOSProducerInfocom
1990ChillerNintendo Entertainment SystemDesignerShareData
1990Hard NovaAmiga, Atari ST, DOSProducerElectronic Arts
1990Battle SquadronSega GenesisProducerElectronic Arts
1990Sword of SodanSega GenesisProducerElectronic Arts
1990Spider-ManSega Genesis, Master SystemDesignerSega of America
1991James PondSega GenesisProducerElectronic Arts
1991James Pond II: Codename RobocodSega GenesisProducerElectronic Arts
1991Rings of PowerSega GenesisProducerElectronic Arts
1991StarflightSega GenesisExecutive producerElectronic Arts
1992Black CryptAmigaProducerElectronic Arts
1992The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated ScalpelDOS, 3DOProducer, video directorElectronic Arts
1994NoctropolisDOSVideo directorElectronic Arts
1995PocahontasDOSExecutive producerGT Interactive
1996Total Control FootballDOS, WindowsProducer/Product managerPhilips Media
2007SynaestheteWindowsExecutive producerDigiPen
2008Nocturnal: Boston NightfallWindowsDesigner, producerBig Fish Games
2009Route 66WindowsDesigner, producerBig Fish Games
2009Rangy Lil's Wild West AdventureWindowsDesigner, producerGameshastra

Academic career

In 1998, Erhardt transitioned into an academic environment and became a professor of Game Design and Production at DigiPen Institute of Technology. In 2000 he was responsible for co-creating, with Alex Dunne, the student submissions category of the Game Developers Conference Independent Games Submission.[5] In 2002 he moved to Beirut, Lebanon and spent two years teaching game software design and production to French and Arabic speaking computer engineering students. In 2005, upon his return to the US, he approached Valve to develop a level design program at DigiPen using their FPS engine. In 2006 he worked with Microsoft Game Studios to bring XNA product development into DigiPen and inaugurated one of the first series of C#/XNA Game Studio Express product development programs at an accredited academic institution.

In 2007 Erhardt left DigiPen Institute of Technology and moved to India to head ISOG.

2005-2007 public presentations

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Obituary: Game designer, producer and educator Christopher Erhardt. Frank. Cifaldi.
  2. News: AIE's Faculty Bios. theAIE.us. 2012-12-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20170405025413/http://www.theaie.us/About_AIE/Teachers. 2017-04-05. dead.
  3. Book: Offerman, Michael J., Interim President . August 14, 2010 . Commencement 2010 . Minneapolis . MN . 16.
  4. Web site: Seattle's getting a new school for video game, film studies . Brier . Dudley . . 22 April 2011.
  5. Web site: IndieGames.com. www.indiegames.com.
  6. News: GDC. cmpevents.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20071020052639/https://www.cmpevents.com/GD05/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=227143. 2007-10-20.
  7. News: DigiPen newsletter. digipen.edu. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070205074230/http://www.digipen.edu/images/a/aa/Oct06NewsletterSM.pdf. 2007-02-05.
  8. News: DigiPen newsletter. digipen.edu. 2007-12-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20080808114531/http://www.digipen.edu/images/3/37/Dec05Newsletter.pdf. 2008-08-08. dead.
  9. News: 2006 Seattle Game Conference press release. stageselect.com. 2007-12-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716130705/http://www.stageselect.com/News/NewsViewer.aspx?newsid=1699. 2011-07-16. dead.
  10. News: VG Expo. vgxpo.com.
  11. News: GDC. gdcvault.com.