Photo: Rebecca Heineman / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on October 30, 1963 in Whittier, California, United States, Rebecca Heineman was a programmer, professional gamer and video game developer. Rebecca Heineman died on November 17, 2025, aged 62. Credited works include Tass Times in Tonetown, The Bard's Tale and The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate.
My Take
Heineman is a genuine pioneer who deserves far more recognition than she gets. She won the first national video game tournament, then helped shape the industry from the inside, building The Bard's Tale and Dragon Wars and co-founding companies like Interplay. That is a rare double life: champion player and foundational developer. She was also openly transgender, living publicly with a courage I admire as much as her technical legacy. She kept working at the frontier of games until her death in 2025. I think of her as one of the quiet architects the medium was lucky to have.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rebecca Heineman
- Name (Japanese)
- レベッカ・ハインマン
- Reading
- れべっか・はいんまん
- Born
- October 30, 1963 – November 17, 2025
- Origin
- Whittier, California, United States
- Occupation
- programmer / professional gamer / video game developer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Rabbit
2. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Tass Times in Tonetown |
| Notable work | The Bard's Tale |
| Notable work | The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate |
| Notable work | Dragon Wars |
3. Links
- Official sitehttp://burgerbecky.com/
- Xhttps://x.com/burgerbecky
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca%20Heineman
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7301768
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Rebecca Heineman born?
Rebecca Heineman was born on October 30, 1963.
When did Rebecca Heineman die?
Rebecca Heineman died on November 17, 2025, aged 62.
Where was Rebecca Heineman from?
Rebecca Heineman was from Whittier, California, United States.
What did Rebecca Heineman do?
Rebecca Heineman worked as programmer, professional gamer, video game developer.
What was Rebecca Heineman known for?
Rebecca Heineman's notable works include Tass Times in Tonetown, The Bard's Tale, The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate.
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