Roberta Williams

Posted by Philip Jong.
First posted on 16 July 2006. Last updated on 13 March 2008.
Articles  »  Interviews
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No adventure game designer had ever achieved the level of success as Roberta Heuer Williams (Roberta Williams) had. Born in 1953, she and her husband Ken Williams co-founded On-Line Systems, which later became Sierra On-Line, when she was only 26. Mystery House, which she wrote in 1979, was the first graphic adventure game ever created for the PC. Her portfolio of games, spanning over nearly 20…

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Previous Comments

Very Good

Colonel's Bequest was the first computer video game that I purchased. I was thrilled to read this interview and hear that Roberta is doing well. I grew up with her adventure games and they had a great impact on me. I think the adventure genre is still alive and kicking with games like Syberia and Dreamfall.

United States By Anonymous • On 17 July 2006 • From New York, USA

Excellent

Very nice interview.. good to hear from Roberta again after all these years.
I'm looking forwards to reading that book when and if it's released.. too bad she won't make any more games though.. I could use a 'real' adventure game with some challenge, something that's sadly lacking these days.
A DVD release of Phantasmagoria would also be awesome but I guess it's doubtful that they still have the original footage?

Anyways, this interview got me all nostalgic.. time to get that Roberta Williams Anthology out of the closet (thank God I bought that collection back when it was first released!) :D

Norway By Øystein Lende Olsen • On 17 July 2006 • From Bryne, Norway

Excellent

Very nice interview, it filled a few gaps that I had about this incredible game designer. Hats off to the people behind this interview. I look forward to read her novels.

Sweden By Patrik Hildingsson • On 17 July 2006 • From Malmö, Sweden

Excellent

What a MILF! Uhn Uhn Uhn.

United States By Roofles • On 17 July 2006 • From Somewhere

Excellent

Games or no games, Roberta is not only knowlegable about many things but she is a very compassionate and fun. I am very privilaged to know her and she sure looks better then ever.

United States By Hair Designer • On 17 July 2006 • From Seattle

Excellent

Great interview, but it's a huge pity that it seems that we'll never see a game from her again.

New Zealand (Aotearoa) By Richard • On 17 July 2006 • From Somewhere

Excellent

Excellent interview! It is very nice to hear and see Roberta again in this exclusive interview. All of us at Phoenix Online Studios wish her and Ken the best of luck, in whatever endeavors they choose to persue. We also appreciate their support for our project, The Silver Lining.

Canada By Neil Rodrigues • On 17 July 2006 • From Ottawa, Canada

Excellent

Very good to hear from Roberta and to see photos of her and Ken. I was lucky enough to have worked at Sierra for about 4 years, being involved in the whole new process involved in making Phantasmagoria. They are great people and I am glad they are happy.

United States By Robin K • On 17 July 2006 • From Colorado, USA

Excellent

It's a great interview. It's cool to hear how she approached making a game and it's design. Even though she hasn't played an adventure game for 8 years, she's still optimistic about the genre. I hope, like she does, that the genre will gain some prominence again.

United States By Melanie • On 17 July 2006 • From USA

Nice interview, glad to hear something about Roberta! Sad to read though that designing adventure games seems to be in the past. It’s quite understandable, after designing games for almost two decades, but I still had hopes that Ken and Roberta would try something new, for instance a collaboration with Phoenix Online Studios (The Silver Lining). What I am also wondering about is that both are writing books or intend to write books - Ken’s book on boat trips and Roberta’s intended historical novel about Ireland and the USA; so not game-related. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but it would be a bit weird that over a few decades we have only a handful of interviews with Ken and Roberta, in stead of a serious book in which they tell about their “Sierra life.” I think that is a great waste, as they must remember hundreds of stories about all those years. If they don’t want to write such a book – besides its significance for gaming history, it might become a best-seller - it would be nice if someone would be willing to write it, interviewing them and all other well-known Sierra names.

Netherlands By Marc • On 16 July 2006 • From Somewhere
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