Daniel Benmergui

Daniel Benmergui is an independent game designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina known for the creation of art games such as Today I Die, I Wish I Were the Moon, and Storyteller.[1][2]

Daniel Benmergui
Benmergui at the 2018 Gamelab Congreso Videojuegos
NationalityArgentina
OccupationGame developer

Life and career
Benmergui at the 2012 Independent Games Festival

Benmergui grew up at his childhood home in a rural area inland in Argentina. Benmergui spent much of his childhood exploring outdoors, and hanging out with much older children from his neighborhood.

Before becoming an independent game developer, Benmergui was a development director at the French mobile game studio Gameloft, managing more than 120 game developers. When asked by Timothy Courtney about his time spent at Gameloft, Benmergui stated "My job was to define and enforce policies on how things are supposed to be done, as well as help with complicated technical problems. I became wiser on how to deal with people, something I am quickly unlearning now!"; Benmergui eventually left his job at a AAA game studio to focus on independent games. Benmergui went on to focus his full-time efforts on I Wish I Were the Moon, calling this time "an emotional revolution".

Between 2008–2009, Benmergui created six games, which most notably included I Wish I Were the Moon, Today I Die, and Storyteller. This was a turning point in Benmergui's career. When asked if he had cycles of creative passion, Benmergui replied "Exactly that: cycles. Sometimes I am productive designing, others programming, others just thinking, and yet others in which I'm not very productive at anything. It is frustrating how at the mercy of our emotional states we are sometimes."[3]

Awards

Today I Die was chosen as a finalist for the Nuovo Award at the 2010 Independent Games Festival.[4] His multiple-game package Moon Stories was awarded the Jury Award at Indiecade 2009[5] and was featured at Sense Of Wonder Night 2008 in Tokyo.[6]

Works
  • Fidel (2017)
  • Today I Die (2009)
  • I Wish I were the Moon (2008)
  • Night Raveler and the Heartbroken Uruguayans (2008)
  • Secret of Software 64 (2008)
  • Storyteller (2008)
  • The Trials (2008)
  • Fidel Dungeon Rescue (2017)

References
  1. http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2008/12/interview_daniel_benmergui_i_w.html
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-02-14. Retrieved 2010-05-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Courtney, Timothy (1 April 2016). "Game Talk: Developer of I Wish I Were the Moon and Today I Die, Daniel Benmergui Interview with Timothy Courtney". assassintim.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-19. Retrieved 2010-03-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. http://expo.nikkeibp.co.jp/tgs/2008/english/business/sown.html


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