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Sir Peter Molyneux?
KBV writes "It seems that for the first time in history a games developer has been granted an OBE (Order Of the British Empire) by the Queen of England. When Peter Molyneux - the creator of Black & White, Fable, Populous and many other games - was asked by BBC News about the honor he simply said "It's come completely out of the blue, I never would have guessed that I'd have that kind of honour." For the games industry as a whole, this is very much a good thing. It's great that developers are being recognized for their hard work and cultural impact on the world."
To answer your question, "Sir Peter Molyneux?", the answer is no. He's been awarded an OBE not a knighthood.
OBE incidentally, is a three-letter acronym meaning, "Other Bugger's Energy".
... but the award is actually decided firstly by a 'relevent' government committee, and the prime minister comes in later on. At no point does the Queen decide who receives the awards - she simply hands them over.
It's Peter Molyneux OBE, rather than Sir Peter. He wasn't awarded a knighthood. Well done him though.
And it might be worth mentioning that Her Majesty is Queen of an awful lot of other places as well as England.
I mean, have you seen some of the people who have been Knighted? Charleton Heston, Peter Falk, Bob Hope, etc. I can only think of a handful of people who truly deserve this, such as Tim Berners Lee, etc. It's as overrated and unfair (in the subjective sort of way) as the Nobel Prize, where politics, incredible bias, and so forth determine nominees and laureates, not pure merit.
A blog like any other.
That's a Knighthood or KBE for overseas, I believe.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Steven Spielberg, but just Peter M OBE, here.
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Since arthurs, actors, movie directors and musicians ,all of whom contribute to video games these days, are awarded this title, it is fitting and may I add over due that someone who wrote the backbone for the above artists talents should also be recognized.
Thank you Peter Molyneux and congratulations.
-Teiresias
For us non-Brits, what exactly does being knighted confer on you? What are the benefits if any?
How selective is it? How many people are knighted, and how often?
-- Samir Gupta, Ph. D. Head, New Technology Research Group, Nintendo Co. Ltd., Kyoto, Japan.
what about "aptly named, Sir Not Appearing in THis Film"??
It seems that Her Majesty Queen had a great time playing Populous.
"Two things inspire me to awe -- the starry heavens above and the moral universe within." - Albert Einstein
But how would that work - Sir Lord British? That's like, redundant in so many different ways...
Spelling, grammar, punctuation? We need something that checks logic.
Recipients of a KBE (Knight of the British Empire) are called Sir. Whereas KBEs are limited in number (a KBE has to die before another can be kinghted) OBEs are quite commonplace - frequently given to non-celebs that do a service to their community etc..
Jez San of the late Argonaut Software received the title in 2002. Good research!
But what about Lord British?!
The u is silent.
Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you in your sleep.
You can get these Honours for 'services to ', and lets face it, a couple of these games are all time classics, Populous certainly defined a new genre of gaming. Oh, and a OBE doesnt make you a Knight, which is what you need for a Sir title.
OBE is a joke these days, to the point where people turn them down. Once they ment something but now they get handed out for next to nothing. Everyone in the country knows this and it gets 10 minutes on the news once a year at most.
I like muppets.
The entire staff of Rockstar Games was knighted today for their contributions towards "Thefting Autos Grandly."
shame on us / for all we have done / and all we ever were / just zeroes and ones
Americans not being entitled to use the styling "Sir" isn't particular to the United States: The rather complex rules of the British peerage system include a stipulation that "Sir" can only be used by individuals who are subjects of the Monarch of the United Kingdom. The historical reason is that the entire peerage system was once an actual system of fealty, and so awarding a title to a foreigner was just an honorary exercise, while awarding a title to a subject of the Monarch was "substantive", more like bestowing a position on them. Of course, the distinction between "honorary" and "substantive" titles is now rather anachronistic, since they're now all pretty much just honorary.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Now, it's not unusual for "celebrities of the moment" getting awards from the PM, but a games designer is rarely considered a celebrity. And Populus is hardly a current game.
Don't get me wrong - I think this is a good trend, and I'd like to see Ian Bell and David Braben also get awards for their contributions. It's just very surprising - it goes against the usual way these things work.
Mind you, Britain's current Prime Minister is a former Heavy Metal guitarist, so I guess unusual things can be expected to happen from time to time.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
The Queen knighted Molyneux expecting he will ride around on a horse and defend the crown and wear armour, but it turns out he's just going to keep on making video games. The Queen is going to apologize to Britain for getting everyone's hopes up and really just knighting some aging guy.
The only thing I hate more than hypocrites are people who hate hypocrites.
You know, the Queen has got to be the biggest moron in the entire world.
Much as I hate the Royal Family, you can blame the government for the poor choice of candidates. Remember, it's Tony Blair's behind you have to kiss if you want a knighthood. (David Blunkett will probably get something to cheer him up now he's out of a job).
Besides, scientists do 'controversial' things that millions of registered voters might object to, so no awards for them.
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
So "Fable" is more "orderly" than The Who?
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It's pronounced the same as the "b" in "lamb"
Specifically, if he had dual citizenship and an entirely legitimate peer-of-the-realm status in Britain, he could still not legally be "Sir" or "Lord" anything to Americans.
(Except, of course, in recongition of a visiting head of state...but then it's his British identity which has the status, not his American)
Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
I want to see Molyneux publish a game where we can send teams of OBEs, Knights and other promoted Britons into battle against one another. Given the range of meritorious services earning entry to the winners' circle, an environment like Populous might be best. BTW, I draft Lancelot and Lennon.
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make install -not war
It's essentially equivalent to the various "medals of honor" that many countries give out. For historical reasons, the British peerage system is much more complicated than the honorary awards of most countries, because it used to be an system of hierarchical real titles, rather than the honorary ones it is today.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
although the letters obe mean order of the british empire, they refer to several actual 'titles'
If you get an OBE it stands for Officer of the British Empire, a specific title. Above MBE (member) and below CBE (commander).
Free pedant points please
FGD 135
In an interview I read in Molyneuws, the Peter Molyneux quarterly, Peter had said in 2002 that he was going to become God's Second Son and appointed by God Himself. In 2003 he said he would be president of the world and that it would be announced at the next G8 summit. Late last year he said he would become a Governor of some northwestern state in the US.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
Better than Elton John IMHO. Fable is a great game. Black and White should have been but it had giant cows and that was one of the highlights...
Onward to the Aether Sphere!
Like Knight Commander Bill Gates wasn't enough! (yes, it's true)
Microsoft said Mr Gates, 48, was "absolutely delighted".
Words chosen by a true fearless knight, indeed.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Richard "Lord British" Garriott has gotta be spinning in his dungeon at this news.
Scientists get awarded knighthoods and OBEs too.
Given your reference to diabetes, for example there is Sir Philip Cohen, Director of the MRC Protein and Phosphorylation Unit at Dundee University who has done a lot of work to advance understanding of how insulin acts in the body.
The relevant Constitutional clause reads:
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States; and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them shall, without the consent of the congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.
This only prohibits those who "hold any office of profit or trust under [the United States]" from accepting titles, which I think has been interpreted to mean those who hold a position in government (although I could be wrong there).
As a bit of trivia, Canada also has a prohibition (the Nickle Resolution) against its citizens accepting foreign titles, including British peerage titles---even though it recognizes the Queen as titular head of state. I believe several other Commonwealth countries (Australia and New Zealand?) have similar prohibitions on British honors.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Not quite true. The constitutional bar you speak of would not apply to a knighthood which is *not* deemed a rank of nobility. It would however apply to a baronet which is... unless they ratify the missing 13th amendment...
...deserves it more than anyone else!
Beetle B.
Now I just hope Sir Peter won't grow his hair and start making games about Love & Peace.. :)
Do we care what the queenie says? Do we care who the queenie likes? Does it strike anyone else as completely ridiculous that certain crackers and marmalades get the queenies stamp of "me likey"? Does it strike anyone else as ridiculous that if you make a billion dollars you also get to be called sir? (She can really pick a winner that lady). Personally I'd prefer "Billionaire" as a prefix, but it strikes me as particularly ridiculous that this family has produced generations of failures, losers and scandals and still has the gumption to assign titles to success.
...Not to mention we fought a war against the entire concept of royalty in order to (as Ben Franklin said) "make their king a little man".
Can we all just agree that the entire concept of a royal family is irrelevant, archaic, out of touch and well... just plain silly? (And let's be honest, her social grace is extraordinarily questionable. Have you ever heard her speak an unscripted word? She can barely talk she's so affected and out of touch.)
Anarchy in the UK...
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Just let him come around to Neriak where my Inkie Shadowknight will make short work of him. This geek does not know the meaning of courage! He will taste my steel!
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
It seems that for the first time in history an semi-realistic American cartoon character has purchased a lordship. When Zonker Harris - plant-whisperer and babysitter extraordinaire - was asked by BBC News about the honor he simply said "It's come completely out of the blue, I never would have guessed that I'd have that kind of honour, right up until when the credit card confirmation came through." For the world of fictional people as a whole, this is very much a good thing. It's great that cartoon characters are being recognized for their hard work and cultural impact on the world.
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
In fact, now that I click your link, that's just what he got it for.
It's not like there's a royal warrant on Windows XP, like there is on IBM UK and Xerox . Warrants are funny...
Please, for the love of God, no more car analogies.
I look at it this way: The bureaucrats of today are no doubt exposed to many many conformist, spineless lemmings on a daily basis. These games provided people with a way of lightning bolting, drowning, squishing, or outright chucking conformist lemmings into a jagged mountain range. This man was very in touch with the frustration of modern leaders. This honor serves not only to reward an inventor, but also to make a statement.
There are other orders of knighthood, though, which are more exclusive. The Knights of the Order of the Garter are limited in number (at present, the limit is 26 plus the sons of the reigning monarch). It is the highest and oldest of the chivalric orders. It's also the most exclusive, with an average only slightly more than one person a year since it was founded.
Different orders have different charters, and it's entirely possible that you'll find some order out there that can actually do something useful. Not likely, but certainly possible. The biggest challange, though, is getting someone who would actually do anything useful into that order. That may actually be impossible.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Denegrate the Queen all you want, but at least she's not a Head of State that's culturally-, intellectually- and geographically-challenged, unlike those of some other countries that I can mention.
By the way, you have no idea how the British honours system works. The Queen has about much say so in who does and doesn't get recognised as you do over who does and doesn't get to be struck by lightning.
Fool.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
Hmmm...weren't Black & White and Populous games where the player had 'absolute' power? And isn't the monarchy something that used to have 'absolute' power? :-)
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Not that the games didn't make a buck or two (:-))
--dave
davecb@spamcop.net
The first? Not so.
3 12 7/
Stephen Grand, creator of the Creatures series, already has one:
http://www.nesta.org.uk/mediaroom/newsreleases/
--
Marc A. Lepage
Software Developer
The Order of the British Empire is a completely fictitious society invented to satisfy people who want impressive titles, without really giving them anything. The worthy people - the people who have done jobs nobody else wants to do for years - get the lowest ranks (OBE,MBE). The flashy people get the right to be called Dame or Sir, and the lower ranks exist so that the higher titles are not too obviously a complete joke. You can't be a commander if you have nobody to command, though that doesn't stop those terrorist "liberation armies" that seem to have no rank below colonel.
The only parts of the Honors System that are actually worth having are:
Real peerages (e.g. Lord Muck of Bradford): Allow you to spend your time in superior London hotel and get paid for it.
Order of the Bath (not what it sounds like)
Order of St Michael and St George - what civil servants get for creating the maximum bureaucratic chaos, and divided into 3 levels, viz.
CMG (Call Me God)
KCMG (Kindly Call Me God)
GCMG (God Calls Me God)
Finally, I have to point out that the real pinnacle of English aristocracy is to have a real, ancient and very important title and then NOT USE IT or even give it up. The left-wing parliamentarian Tony Benn, whose family have held the title of Lord Stansgate for many years till he renounced it, is an example of this tendency. The problem is that there is no official register of People Offered an Honor Who Refused It, and letting it be known that this has happened rather defeats the whole "I am above fancy titles" thing.
I do not understand why so many US science fiction writers seem to think that Empires are such a good idea. All they do is go into decline, leaving behind a flotsam of empty titles and people playing games in silly uniforms.
Panurge has posted for the last time. Thanks for the positive moderations.
Yeah but watching George Bush stand next to her and look like a little boy makes everything worthwhile...
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The queen doesn't select honours any more, the Government does it for her and she OKs it, in the same way that she 'gives Royal Assent' to acts of parliament to make them law but actually has no power. It's not a particurlarly good system, but it's not quite as terrible as it is sometimes made out to be.
BBC articleWhile it's nice to see that the world is finally embracing gaming, I think that they're doing it for the wrong reasons. A knight-ship for a game designer. Gimme a break. We're just beginning to tip the ice berg of gaming, so let's hold back the prestigous titles until someone comes a long that really puts his mark on gaming as a whole, and touches the WORLD. Gaming hasn't done this yet, IMO. Yes, it's big and gettting even bigger around the world, but there really hasn't been much of a test yet to see if video game media can provide change enough to impact the world like theatre, art, music and film has. And all this is aside from the likelyhood that the people handing out these prestigous awards have probably never even played these games themselves. In short, it's not time for this yet.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
True, but at least we had a chance to vote for our chimp.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
PS: A lot of people have said that Her Majesty enjoyed playing Populous. That is patently false. Elizabeth II is particularly enamored of the Syndicate series of games, and she hopes this award will convince Molyneux to make a sequel to it. So get crackin', Peter Molyneux, OBE!
*****
Dear Mary,
I yearn for you tragically,
A.T. Tappman, Chaplain, U.S. Army.
Remember that scene ("I find your lack of faith disturbing") where the Imperial Officers sit and Admiral Motti talks to Darth Vader about the Death Star and the missing plans; on the DVD commentary track, Lucas talks about how these people are 'ranked' (Admiral, Grand Moff, Lord of the Sith) are actually non-ranked 'honorifics' and they are all are equally ranked below the Emperor.
This is very noticible throughout the Star Wars series with the rise and decline of the Galatic Empire. Lucas and the Star Wars cast and crew spelled out how silly these titles actually are. It is one of the many layers of depth in the Star Wars universe.
Well deserved award. Not only was Populus an stroke of pure, unadulterated genious (and helped create an entire game genre), but to my knowledge, Populus was one of the few games that was never successfully cracked. I recall a slew of irritating patches that *never* worked.
That might have been funny except for the fact that he is in fact English. Used to live near me, actually.
Also, he hasn't been knighted, but that's an error in the article.
TWW
"Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
Conga-Rats Sir Molyneux!
[o]_O
Here
Well, I can't find the complete list but it exists and was leaked. Actually, I think there are a lot of hereditary peers and baronets who don't use their titles day-to-day. There's not much point in giving them up unless you want to enter the commons.
In soviet russia stale jokes recycle you!
Peter Molyneux has come up with some really great games over the years, most of which have allways been right on top of the latest technology.
Games like Populous (back in the sega days) was way ahead of its time, and even new games like fable where characters and even the game change as you progress has allways seemed like a major effect he has gone after with each game.
TruePunk | Games
Other than that, a fine article. I think there's a knighthood in it for the /. crew (honoury only, I'm afraid, since they're for'n)
TWW
"Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
It is one of the many layers of depth in the Star Wars universe.
Ummmm... yeah. <backs away slowly>
The poster used American English in describing the quote while the actual quote was in British English. Two different people.
What are you talking about? He is English.
Reality is defined by the maddest person in the room
Actually yes, I have heard her speak unscripted, and she is actually an amazingly intelligent person with an excellent memory who knows and gets along personally with the majority of world leaders. It'd pay to have people as knowledgeable as her in politics. It might save us from yet another pointless war.
And you monarchy bashing trolls are getting seriously boring. I guess you are the sort that also want to rid the country of every other tradition that we have, become just another boring country and adopt ID cards so that we can all be numbered. Most countries are proud of their traditions.
that's all there is to say.
OK, what does OBE stand for?
Now, tell us again it is not a joke, and one of bad taste at that.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
.... that negates the tenents of democracy itself?
It was traditional to execute people in public places, bear beating, and children cleaning chimneys.
We don't have to honour or follow traditions that have outlived their own historical context.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
> and she is actually an amazingly intelligent person with an excellent memory
...my recomendation would be to kick the sheepshit off your boots, drive 6 hours to London and fill out an application.
You're kidding. No really... you're kidding right? She's about as wooden and uncharismatic as anyone I've ever seen. Her speeches are awkward and she has about as much humanity as a stapler.
> and gets along personally with the majority of world leaders
Who she met how? By climbing the political ladder? Through personal (scratch that)... Through *any* achievement?
> I guess you are the sort that also want to rid the country of every other tradition that we have?
No, just the Queenie and Fox Hunting. You can keep Guy Fawkes night.
> become just another boring country and adopt ID cards
Uh... you guys don't have I.D. cards?! What the f*ck are you talking about? Do you mean drivers licenses and passports? Uh... if you don't have those
> Most countries are proud of their traditions.
History and tradition are two different things. Your queen isn't a tradition. She's a relic. Getting sh*tfaced immediately after work is a tradition that we're ok with.
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Congratulations, Mr. Molyneux. You now join the honorable ranks of Bill Gates, Elton John, and Pelé.
:-)
Isn't it great to know you're as good as those three?
An OBE is not a Knight. Only a Knight of the British Empire (KBE) aka a Knight of the Realm, should be addressed as "Sir" in that context.
:)
It is a nice thing though, I imagine.
GJC
Gregory Casamento
## Chief Maintainer for GNUstep
An elected chimp is still a chimp.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
One look at a British passport will confirm that for you.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
Many Commonwealth Realms have their own honors systems. Australia has its own military and civilian honours, for instance. MBE's, OBE's, KBE's and CBE's are pretty much restricted to Britons these days.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
The simple fact of the matter is that British policy at the time prohibited colonies from making a wide variety of manufactured goods that Americans were increasingly being able to manufacture. Britain wanted to keep the colonies as suppliers of raw materials, and nothing more, but Americans wanted to manufacture. A classic example is the British laws against metal shovels in the colonies, but, there are many others.
This is my sig.
I should be surprised, but I'm not. Way to miss the point. I get distracted for a moment and sign my name twice. That's critical there. The British kid themselves into thinking they're so different from the United States. Yes, you do have Activist royalty, like it or not.
It's your government that's elevating the status of celebrities rather than your bread and butter: people who are saving and improving actual lives. Sir Elton John? Come on. The examples I use, like them or not, are irrelevant.
This is symptomatic of the same problem worldwide: look at the scientific hacks that won the Nobel Prize in 2004!
So take my Karma. It doesn't mean anything to me. If you're going to send it to Hell, though, at least try to address the point.
I'll sign three times for you this time!
~Ben
~Ben
~Ben
Of course, the major difference between the head of state in the US and the UK is that in the UK, he/she is unelected but must remain apolitical.
Ofbcourse, the real joke was that the Deathstar was run by Brits, and most of the management team were actors normally specialising in playing villains in cop shows. Unsurprising really, as that part was filmed in Pinewood studios.
Ahh, so you are all in favour of burning effigies of Roman Catholics? ;)
How long did Molyneux have to carry around the Papal Magnet?
I have never actually seen an episode of Yes Minister, though I did see a brief clip once. If my views are unoriginal, it is because a substantial number of people (including, I am sure, others who like myself have had direct contact with the British Establishment) share them.
Panurge has posted for the last time. Thanks for the positive moderations.
Being an Oxford Univ. 'bod', we have plenty of Sirs around the place - usually, these are awarded to those making significant contributions (note the plural) in their chosen field. Of course, it's normal for Sirs here to also have the title Professor - as they're usually the only ones with the time and resources (and RSs!) to get enough done to warrant a knighthood! However, Prof. And Sir fade away into meaninglessness when compared to another title that's to be (rarely) found here - Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS); it carries more weight here than anything else!
@peetm
There was a period a bit back where that many of these seemed to be given out that I suspected that the Queen's primary motivation in bestowing them was actually to make sure that there were still *some* people around who had them. I didn't think Gates really deserved his, in all honesty...and I'm not sure what Elton John did to receive one, either...Presumably it was his cover of Candle in the Wind.
I do get the feeling though that despite long periods of inactivity, the Queen periodically experiences bouts of sheer terror over the idea of becoming irrelevant. I'm going to be accused of being an anti-monarchist here, but I'm actually not. I occasionally hear stirrings about the idea of the Queen being terrified about the monarchy's continuation, when if it dies, I believe that she as an individual should take full responsibility.
As an example of another religious leader, although the Pope has no real relevance whatsoever in the mind of me as an individual, he has gained a huge amount of respect and political influence from his involvement in the collapse of Soviet Russia. My point is, that because as an *institution* these figures (the Queen, the Pope, probably the Dalai Llama) have very little contemporary relevance, the only relevance/influence/power they can gain comes directly from their action as individuals.
To me, virtually nobody in the contemporary English royal family really does much at all. Elizabeth II has been almost entirely a caretaker monarch to my mind. Diana tried to be a lot more active, and the Queen's inner circle responded to that by ostracising her while she was alive.
So to the Queen I say...if you're worried about the monarchy dissolving, get out of the palace occasionally and actually *do* something. The world is currently going through a period in which Darwin's theory is acting ruthlessly upon institutions which do not remain in some way useful. If the monarchy dies, it will be directly your fault as an individual, not public apathy or anything else. We only need to look at the monarchy's (even comparitively recent) history to know that if the monarchy is in any way currently at risk, it only is primarily because of the current monarch.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Steven Spielberg, but just Peter M OBE, here.
Just to clear something up (as people doing the correcting are getting it a bit wrong too), FWIW knighthood's from the UK government are given on occation to non UK citizens, however only UK citizens have the 'right' to call themselves "Sir $firstname" as a result.
It's actually the same award, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, but those not holding UK citizenship are restricted to the being "$firstname $lastname KBE".
So Steven Spielberg should not use Sir Steven (nor should anyone when refering to him), for example, though Sir Tim Berners-Lee (or Sir Tim) is fine.
But he didn't make it because Her Majesty found out Queen wasn't even a difficulty level in Civilization.
Tyranny isn't the worst enemy of a democracy. Cynicism is.
Order of the Brittish Empire is Knighthood.
I guess you're not going to actually correct this entirely factually inaccurate story? Very poor.
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soon we will hear about a huge lan party in the parlament and that the queen is starting to get carpal tunnel
Ben Franklin didn't like some English spellings so just to be different after the colonies seceded he spelt things like grey and colour as gray and color. Honour is originally French anyway (damn Normans) so should be honeur anyway.
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