Dave Gilbert (game designer)
American indie adventure game designer and founder of Wadjet Eye Games.
Dave Gilbert (born March 31, 1976) is an American independent adventure game designer who works with Adventure Game Studio. He started out making freeware games at home and turned professional in 2006, when he founded Wadjet Eye Games and released commercial versions of *The Shivah* and *The Blackwell Legacy*.
Gilbert’s first adventure game, *The Repossessor*, came out in 2001 as part of the Reality-on-the-Norm shared universe started by Ben Croshaw. In 2003 he released *Bestowers of Eternity — Part One*, about a young woman who inherits a family ghost after her aunt dies in an insane asylum; it won several awards in the 2003 AGS Awards. The following year, the AGS Forums organized a team contest, and Gilbert designed and wrote *Two of a Kind* for it. That game let players switch between two characters with distinct abilities and personalities—an unusual feature at the time—and it was one of only two entries finished by the deadline. Both were declared co-winners, and *Two of a Kind* won an AGS Award for Best Gameplay.
In the summer of 2006, Gilbert made *The Shivah* for the one-month MAGS contest, which it won. It was one of the first video games to star a rabbi. Afterward, he reworked the freeware version with improved graphics, new puzzles, and voice acting, then released it commercially. The game got good reviews and press attention, mostly for its subject matter, though it drew some criticism in the Israeli press. It was sold non-exclusively through Manifesto Games. Gilbert then decided to turn his hobby into a full-time career, founding Wadjet Eye Games to sell *The Shivah* and future titles. In December 2006, he released *The Blackwell Legacy*, a much-improved remake of *Bestowers of Eternity* (which he considered over-ambitious) that continued the story beyond the original. It was meant as the first episode in a series, and the second game, a prequel called *Blackwell Unbound*, came out on September 4, 2007.
In February 2008, Wadjet Eye Games announced a publishing deal with PlayFirst to develop a casual adventure game. That game, *Emerald City Confidential*—a noir story set in the world of Oz—was released on February 19, 2009.
In 2007, Wadjet Eye was nominated for Best New Studio at the Game Developers Choice Awards, and Gilbert presented *The Shivah* at the associated conference. He also received the AGS Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2
- born
- March 31, 1976
- field
- Video game designer
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Founding Wadjet Eye Games; creating the Blackwell series; The Shivah
Lore & Background
Dave Gilbert's first adventure game was The Repossessor in 2001, an entry in the Reality-on-the-Norm series. In 2003, he released Bestowers of Eternity — Part One, which won multiple awards in the 2003 AGS Awards. In 2004, he designed and wrote Two of a Kind for the AGS Team Challenge, a game featuring two playable characters with different abilities; it was declared a co-winner and won an AGS Award for Best Gameplay.
In the summer of 2006, Gilbert produced The Shivah for the MAGS contest, one of the first video games to star a rabbi. After its freeware release, he reworked it with improved graphics, new puzzles, and voice acting, releasing it commercially. The game received good reviews and press attention, with some criticism in the Israeli press. He founded Wadjet Eye Games to sell The Shivah and future titles. In December 2006, The Blackwell Legacy was released, a much-improved remake of Bestowers of Eternity. A prequel, Blackwell Unbound, followed in September 2007. In February 2008, a publishing deal with PlayFirst led to Emerald City Confidential, released in February 2009.
Gilbert is Jewish, a background he drew upon in making The Shivah, though he states he is not religious. He spent some years in South Korea teaching English and exploring China, and now lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and daughter.
Reader's Guide
Dave Gilbert's significance lies in his transition from freeware hobbyist to a professional independent game developer, founding Wadjet Eye Games in 2006. His early work, such as Two of a Kind, demonstrated innovative gameplay mechanics like dual playable characters. The Shivah gained attention for its unusual subject matter—a rabbi protagonist—and helped establish Gilbert as a notable figure in indie adventure gaming. The Blackwell series, beginning with The Blackwell Legacy, became a flagship episodic franchise. Gilbert's studio was nominated for Best New Studio at the 2007 Game Developers Choice Awards, and Gamasutra listed him among their top 20 breakthrough developers in 2008. His work, primarily using Adventure Game Studio, contributed to the revival of the point-and-click adventure genre in the independent game scene.
Did You Know?
- Dave Gilbert's first adventure game was The Repossessor in 2001, part of the Reality-on-the-Norm series.
- The Shivah was one of the first video games to star a rabbi.
- Two of a Kind featured two playable characters with different abilities and personalities, an unusual feature for an adventure game.
- Gilbert was awarded the AGS Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2007.
More in AGS Award winners 1-21
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