Podcasts/Episode 8 - The UK Scene
Dr. Mark Eyles started working on computers before there was a proper gaming industry in the UK. As an early employee at Quicksilva, he did everything from soldering RAM boards together to writing backstories for home versions of popular arcade titles.
In the 1990s, he did game design work for companies like Sega and Rebellion. He was also a major contributor to the UK’s Sonic the Comic, writing stories for the first several dozen issues.
In the interview, he describes:
- His work designing the Eternal Champions spinoff Chicago Syndicate for Game Gear.
- How game design evolved as the industry moved from home computers like the ZX-81 and ZX Spectrum to more modern consoles.
- The origins of Sonic the Comic, and the connection to a never-produced series called “Alternity.”
- Moving to education, helping to start the Women In Games conferences, writing books, and what it’s like playing games when you’re not focused on getting them made.
More links:
- There’s a research article that accompanies this episode. Bo initially reached out to Mark after finding a cheat code in Chicago Syndicate that managed to stay hidden for three decades.
- Mark wrote an account of his experience in the early UK gaming scene that appeared in Cogent Arts & Humanities in 2016.
- There are scans of Mark’s Sonic the Comic stories on the Internet Archive.