Photo: Sonja Pieper from Karlsruhe, Germany / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on June 26, 1963, Richard Garfield is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Public records list Richard Garfield as a game designer, professor and mathematician. That works out to 63 years old in 2026. Education on record includes University of Pennsylvania. Notable works include Magic: The Gathering, Spectromancer and Artifact.
My Take
Richard Garfield is one of those rare people who genuinely changed a hobby forever — he didn't just design a game, he invented an entire category. Magic: The Gathering launched in 1993 and the collectible card game genre it spawned has never really stopped growing since. What gets me is that Garfield came at it as a mathematician first, and you can feel that in how Magic actually works: the mana system, deck construction constraints, card rarity — it's elegant game theory dressed up in dragons and spells. He's continued designing games since (Artifact had a rough landing, but the ambition was there), and he still teaches and lectures. The guy holds a PhD in combinatorics, designs some of the most strategically deep games on the planet, and somehow makes it look like a lifelong obsession rather than a career. That's the real tell of a genuine creator.
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)
- Richard Garfield
- Name (Japanese)
- リチャード・ガーフィールド
- Reading
- りちゃーど・がーふぃーるど
- Born
- June 26, 1963 (age 63)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Rabbit
- Origin
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Occupation
- game designer / professor / mathematician / businessperson / video game developer
2. Background
- University
- University of Pennsylvania
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Magic: The Gathering |
| Notable work | Spectromancer |
| Notable work | Artifact |
4. Links
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
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 Richard Garfield born?
Born June 26, 1963 (age 63).
Where is Richard Garfield from?
Richard Garfield is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
What does Richard Garfield do?
Richard Garfield works as game designer, professor, mathematician, businessperson, video game developer.
What is Richard Garfield known for?
Notable works include Magic: The Gathering, Spectromancer, Artifact.
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