Posted on 11/18/2025 7:38:42 AM PST by DallasBiff
Game developer Rebecca Heineman has died after being diagnosed with cancer last month. The news was shared to Bluesky by Heineman's friend, Heidi McDonald, while the most recent post on Heineman's GoFundMe is a goodbye message stating that her health was rapidly deteriorating, and she was entering palliative care. Heineman was 62, and the GoFundMe will remain live to help her family make final arrangements.
Born in 1963, Heineman initially made a mark on the industry by winning a national Space Invaders tournament in 1980 in New York, becoming the first formally recognized US champion of any videogame. She went on to have a far-reaching career, being credited on 67 games according to MobyGames.
Heineman co-founded Interplay in 1983 alongside Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, and Troy Worrell. The developer and publisher was the source of many foundational PC games, including Wasteland, Fallout, and Baldur's Gate. Heineman designed and programmed a number of games at Interplay, with her most prominent design credit being The Bard's Tale 3: Thief of Fate.
(Excerpt) Read more at pcgamer.com ...
Saw the death in the Wikipedia obituaries, and they even mention, he was born William Salvador Heineman.
“First RIP, but why does the media have to rewrite history, when “she” won the Space Invaders competition in 1980 as a he.”
They actually didn’t rewrite that bit, they avoided it by using Heineman.
“Born in 1963, Heineman initially made a mark on the industry by winning a national Space Invaders tournament in 1980 in New York, becoming the first formally recognized US champion of any videogame.”
“Trailblazer”?! Is that what they call gay sex?
hmm....cancer eh....I wonder if it was turbocharged. Diagnosed and dead within the next month raises a Spockian eyebrow.
In real life, you don’t get another quarter.
The Bard’s Tale 3 was good, but it was a huge step down from the previous games.
Funny how it works that way ...
He was a deranged dude in a dress.
More likely, TAILblazer.
when “she” won the Space Invaders competition in 1980 as a he.
“And the colored girls go....”
Good lord - he did almost nothing but ports.
The only reason he’s getting any mention in the press is because “she was so heroic”
Bs…
I pray for nothing but the best for this person, but that deciision is not mine to make.
He was a man. Period. He did all his best work as a man. Not a woman. Then he thought he was gay because he started hanging around gay guys. They told him to wear a dress. He did. End of story. “She” didn’t achieve anything. “He” did.
Porting games over (i.e. copying someone else’s work) and winning space invaders as a boy in 1980 does not make one famous for anything.
A man that pretended to be a woman whose long term partner, another man who pretended to be a woman; died last January. A lot to unpack there.
That said, there are other folks in the industry that have chosen that particular lifestyle. The "partner", Paul Jaquays (later "Jennell") was also in the early gaming industry (worked for Coleco, did some Dungeons & Dragons stuff, which means TSR Hobbies, then eventually Interplay and Electronic Arts, as with Heineman). Jaquays died last year.
And there's also Daniel Paul Bunten (Later "Danielle"). Like the other two, was also involved early in the gaming industry (worked on M.U.L.E. for Electronic Arts). Also worked for TSR. Died in 1998.
So the throughline seems to be Interplay, EA, and TSR Hobbies. All three of these individuals had connections to at least two of these companies (and some all three), all three became gender-confused. What was in the water at these places, anyway!?
LOL - you see, woman can reach the highest levels in a male-dominated industry!!
oh wait.....
You must be referring to that dude Bill Heineman.
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