Photo: NASA / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Richard Garriott is proof that the line between game designer and adventurer can simply be erased. As Lord British he practically invented the modern computer role-playing game with Ultima, and Ultima IV's focus on virtue and ethics over hack-and-slash was genuinely ahead of its time. Then, not content with virtual worlds, he became one of the very first private space tourists, following his astronaut father into orbit. Add in his expeditions to the poles and deep ocean, and he reads like a character from one of his own games. I respect that his curiosity always outran his comfort zone.
Overview
Richard Garriott (born 1961), also known by his game persona Lord British, is a video game designer and developer famous for creating the pioneering Ultima series of computer role-playing games. The son of NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, he co-founded Origin Systems and later became one of the first private citizens to travel to the International Space Station, in 2008. He is also noted for his expeditions and adventuring.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Richard Garriott
- Name (Japanese)
- リチャード・ギャリオット
- Reading
- りちゃーど・ぎゃりおっと
- Born
- July 4, 1961 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Ox
- Origin
- Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Astronaut / Engineer / Programmer / Game developer / Game designer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Clear Creek High School
- University
- University of Texas at Austin
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Astronaut — see all → · Engineer — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.