Cathryn Mataga

Cathryn Mataga (formerly William Mataga) is a game programmer and founder of independent video game company Junglevision. Under the name William, she wrote Atari 8-bit computer games for Synapse Software in the early to mid 1980s, including Shamus.

Mataga designed the game Shamus in 1982, which she wrote under the name William for the Atari 8-bit family. Much of the game's appeal was said to come from Mataga's sense of humor, such as creating a "grand rendition" of the Alfred Hitchcock theme song in the game's introduction. Mataga followed it with a sequel Shamus: Case II and scrolling shooter Zeppelin.

Steve Hales of Synapse Software, in an interview for the book Halcyon Days, states that he and Mataga convinced company founder Ihor Wolosenko to get the company into interactive fiction.

Mataga developed an interactive fiction programming language known as BtZ (Better than Zork) for Brøderbund in the early 1980s. Mataga worked with Hales and poet Robert Pinsky on the interactive fiction game Mindwheel (1984).

Mataga was one of the programmers working at Stormfront Studios on the original Neverwinter Nights MMORPG. Don Daglow credits Mataga as one of the programmers who made Daglow's assertion come true that he could make the game a success.

• Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004), Rockstar Games, Inc.
• Dragon's Lair (2001), Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
• Rayman (2001), Ubi Soft Entertainment Software
• Spyro: Season of Ice (2001), Universal Interactive Inc.
• X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse (2001), Activision Publishing, Inc.
• Rampage 2: Universal Tour (1999), Midway Games
• Stronghold (1993), Strategic Simulations, Inc.
• Treasures of the Savage Frontier (1992), Strategic Simulations, Inc.
• Gateway to the Savage Frontier (1991), Strategic Simulations, Inc.
• Neverwinter Nights (1991), Strategic Simulations, Inc.
• Breakers (1986), Brøderbund Software, Inc.
• Brimstone (1985), Brøderbund Software, Inc.
• Essex (1985), Brøderbund Software, Inc.
• Mindwheel (1984), Brøderbund Software, Inc.
• Shamus: Case II (1984), Synapse Software
• Zeppelin (1983), Synapse Software
• Shamus (1982), Synapse Software
• Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands (1996), Strategic Simulations, Inc.
• Rayman: 10th Anniversary (2005), Ubisoft, Inc.
• Spider-Man 2 (2004), Activision Publishing, Inc.

• Charla, Chris (November 2001). "Digital Eclipse's Rayman Advance", Game Developer 8 (11): 42–48.Archived
• van Looy, Jan (2010). Understanding computer game culture: the cultural shaping of a new medium. Lambert Academic Pub. p. 271. 
• Marks, Robert (2003). Everquest Companion: The Inside Lore of a Game World. McGraw-Hill. 
• Kosek, Steven (July 21, 1985). "Poet Robert Pinsky goes hi-tech to give electronic novel a whirl", Chicago Tribune, p. 33.
• ^ "Mindwheel: An Electronic Novel". QuestBusters. 2 (3): 11. March 1985. 
• "Pinsky, Robert (Neal)." Contemporary Poets. Gale. 2001. Retrieved May 21, 2014 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3401600586.html