An inventor, adventurer, entrepreneur, collector, and entertainer, and son of legendary scientist-astronaut Owen Garriott, Richard Garriott de Cayeux has been behind some of the most exciting undertakings of our time. A legendary pioneer of the online gaming industry—and a member of every gaming Hall of Fame—Garriott invented the multi-player online game, and coined the term “Avatar” to describe an individual’s online character.
A lifelong adventurer and member of the Explorers Club, Garriott has used the fortune he amassed from the gaming business to embark on a number of thrilling expeditions. He has plumbed the depths of the Atlantic ocean to see the remains of the Titanic, hunted for meteorites in Antarctica, and in 2008 became one of the first private citizens to be launched into space. Richard has been one of the foremost pioneers of the private space industry, investing his time and energy into making space travel more accessible.
In this fascinating memoir, Garriott invites readers on the great adventure that is his life. Yet his is no ordinary autobiography; throughout, Garriott engages readers with interactive activities and challenges them with “secret codes” for his games. An audacious genius with an insatiable curiosity and an irrepressible playfulness, Garriott takes readers on an unforgettable intellectual experience that is enlightening, adventurous, and fun.
Richard Garriott’s story begins with an Apple II and a dream. At eighteen, he spent his entire life savings—two hundred dollars—to produce Akalabeth, his first video game. The first week he sold maybe a dozen copies, but soon after, the California Pacific Computer Company came calling, asking to publish the game.
Never could Richard have foreseen that this would become a multibillion-dollar industry. He would go on to launch Ultima, a seminal series of role-playing games. Ultima Online was the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game, and was named one of Time’s 100 greatest video games ever. Throughout, Richard has aspired to build the most lifelike gaming worlds possible, allowing players to interact with every object on the screen, experience consequences for moral transgressions, and fully personalize their gaming journey.
Away from the screen, Richard has also pushed the limits of human experience. A lifelong adventurer, he has plumbed the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to see the remains of the Titanic and hunted for meteorites in Antarctica, and in 2008 he became one of the first private citizens to travel into space. He was named by Maxim as one of the “Six Most Interesting Men You Can Actually Meet,” and was the real-life inspiration for James Halliday in Ernest Cline’s classic Ready Player One, soon to be a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. Here, in his own words, is his extraordinary life story.
"An entertaining book that describes Garriott's twin passions to explore (not just space but also the deep sea and Antarctica, among other places) and create."
