Computer:Apple II Computer System - Bill Budge

This artifact is part of a donation from pioneering game designer Bill Budge, who first achieved success as a game designer in 1981 with his early pinball game Raster Blaster, which he sold through his company BudgeCo. His most significant contribution to the field came from the development of Pinball Construction Set, which enabled users to create their own pinball playing field. This was perhaps the first game to make user generated content a key part of the play and the design of the game. The game became a best-seller when Electronic Arts acquired it and issued it in one of its album-style packages meant to promote excitement about the game and the developer. The game sold more than 300,000 copies. Electronic Arts also featured Budge prominently in its pioneering ads of the 1980s. In recognition of his innovations, Bill Budge received numerous awards including the Pioneer Award in 2011 from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.