Zach Gage ’08: From Video Game Enthusiast to Indie Game Design Genius
Zach Gage ’08, a renowned independent game designer, has made a significant impact on the gaming industry with his innovative and creative approach to game design. His journey from a young boy who loved playing video games to a celebrated game designer has been filled with challenges, creativity, and a unique perspective on the intersection of art and technology.
Growing up in Brooklyn and the outskirts of New York City, Gage was surrounded by a family of artists. His mother, grandmother, and grandfather all had backgrounds in the arts, which influenced his creative development from a young age. Limited access to video game consoles led him to explore creative tools on his computer, sparking his interest in game design and interactive art.
During his time at Skidmore College, where he majored in studio art, Gage delved into various artistic disciplines such as photography, painting, drawing, and communication design. This diverse background provided him with a unique perspective on game design, emphasizing unstructured creativity and the value of starting projects without a fixed end goal in mind.
After earning his MFA from Parsons School of Design in 2010, Gage focused on creating interactive installations that blurred the lines between art and gaming technology. His work has been exhibited at prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Japanese American National Museum, showcasing his ability to push the boundaries of traditional game design.
One of Gage’s most notable projects is Lose/Lose, a controversial game released in 2009 as part of his dissertation. In Lose/Lose, players control a spaceship tasked with destroying alien invaders, with a twist – each alien destroyed results in the permanent deletion of a random file on the player’s device. This provocative game raises questions about the value of digital data, the consequences of our actions in a digital environment, and the nature of risk and reward in video games.
Gage’s talent for reimagining traditional games is evident in his popular titles like SpellTower, Ridiculous Fishing, and Really Bad Chess. His ability to innovate with familiar concepts and introduce creative twists has garnered him widespread acclaim in the gaming community. Really Bad Chess, for example, offers a refreshing take on the classic game by randomizing the pieces at the start, leveling the playing field for players of all skill levels.
In his most recent venture, Gage collaborated with Orta Therox to create Puzzmo, a puzzle gaming platform that reinvents the classic newspaper games page. Acquired by Hearst Corporation in 2023, Puzzmo offers daily games from Gage and other designers to over 100 publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle and the Houston Chronicle.
Zach Gage’s journey from a young video game enthusiast to a respected indie game designer is a testament to his creativity, passion, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of game design. With a background in art, a knack for innovation, and a commitment to creating engaging and thought-provoking games, Gage continues to make a lasting impact on the gaming industry and inspire a new generation of game designers.