GarageGames

GarageGames is an Internet game publishing label based in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in 2001 by four former employees of Dynamix, specifically Jeff Tunnell, Rick Overman, Tim Gift, and Mark Frohnmayer. The name is intentionally similar to the term garage band , and is meant to evoke a similar concept in game development. When Tunnell started Dynamix with Damon Slye in 1984, many game companies were garage outfits brought together through the desire to create entertaining titles rather than seeking fame or profit. The stated goal of GarageGames is to offer licensing of game engines and publishing to virtually anyone, in contrast to leaving would-be game makers at the mercy of corporations who only care about the bottom line .

All four founders were prominent developers on the Starsiege and Tribes (video game) series while at Dynamix, and GarageGames most heralded product is the Torque Game Engine, or TGE. It is a modified version of the engine used in Tribes 2 and is available both to professional game developers and amateurs via a flexible licensing plan. The GarageGames web site features news and forums intended to promote sharing of information and encouragement to aspiring developers.

The Torque Game Engine was originally called the V12 Engine until a Canada software company threatened GarageGames with a trademark infringement lawsuit. Both terms play on the dual meanings of engine with respect to the computer industry and mechanical engineering.

More recently, GarageGames engine offerings have expanded to include the Torque Shader Engine, which is focused on nextgen graphics, and the Torque 2D engine, which is targeted towards 2D game development. Both are built on top of the Torque Game Engine core code.

=External links=

*[http://www.garagegames.com GarageGames website] *[http://actionvault.ign.com/features/qas/garagegames.shtml A 2001 IGN interview with Jeff Tunnell about GarageGames] *[http://www.planettribes.com/features/interviews/gg_interview.shtml A 2001 interview with the founding members by fansite PlanetTribes]