Mel Croucher

Mel Croucher
Born1948 (age 75–76)
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, writer, video game designer
Known forimmersive entertainment pioneer

Mel Croucher (born 1948) is a British entrepreneur and video games pioneer. Originally an architect, he moved into computers and in 1977 launched one of the very earliest games companies,[1] Automata UK, as an extension of his publishing business. He is now credited for setting up "the first games company in the U.K.",[2] celebrated as "the father of the British videogames industry"[3] and presented as "a pioneer in affective computing".[4] His first broadcasts of computer game software were made over AM and FM radio.[1] After the release of the Sinclair ZX81,[5] his label published several games for the early home computer market, including three Computer Trade Association award-winners: Pimania (1982), Groucho (1983, a.k.a. My Name Is Uncle Groucho, You Win A Fat Cigar), and the groundbreaking[6] "multi-media" title Deus Ex Machina (1984).

Croucher has championed immersive entertainment throughout his career as director and producer, mixing audio, video, spoken word, real-world locations and computer-generated effects. He is currently Executive Chairman of the Jeeni streamed entertainment channel.[7]

  1. ^ a b Lean, Tom (2016). Electronic Dreams: How 1980s Britain Learned to Love the Computer. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-4729-1833-8.
  2. ^ Colin Campbell, The one-hour life of a 1980s video game auteur, Polygon, 25 September 2013
  3. ^ Dan Wood, The Father of The British Videogames Industry, Mel Croucher – The Retro Hour, episode 50, 16 December 2016
  4. ^ "What is the future of the Internet? – A Discussion between Emmanuel Legeard and Mel Croucher". Cerebrum. April 2017.
  5. ^ "Mel Croucher interview - The Spectrum Golden Years". zxgoldenyears.net. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference ground was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Team - Jeeni". jeeni.com. Retrieved 1 June 2024.