Greg Coomer
For other uses, see Coomer (disambiguation). |
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| Greg Coomer | |
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1997 - January 2024[2] |
Greg Coomer is a designer who worked at Valve.
Contents
Biography
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Greg has worked on a variety of graphic design, multimedia, and web projects for Nintendo and Microsoft. He worked with Gabe Newell at Microsoft before joining Valve in 1997 as one of its first employees.[3] He helped to name the company "Valve", designed the company's website, and then led Valve's first cancelled video game project, Prospero.[4] He left Valve to work as a freelancer some time after they shipped Half-Life, but still collaborated with them on several occasions. He later rejoined Valve, before departing again in January 2024. He studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign where he graduated with a degree in Visual Communication.[5] Greg's sister, Christen Coomer, is also a designer at Valve.
Work
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Greg was in charge of the alien world, Xen, for Half-Life.[6] He did art direction prototypes of a few levels, mostly for Xen levels. He designed the heads-up display, carried out the visual design for the launcher/menu application, helped to art direct, and produced marketing materials and product packaging with Lisa Mennett.[7] He also spent some time on texture decisions in the game with Karen Laur.[8]
He created the heads-up display elements for Half-Life 2.
Greg worked on an early concept for the Valve intro that runs in-game with Steve Theodore and Doug Wood.[9]
Trivia
Greg's surname appears in Half-Life as an Easter egg in the Anomalous Materials laboratory on a locker and can be heard in announcements. His face was one of the several to be used for the head model of Gordon Freeman for Half-Life 2, which was used for marketing materials and packaging.[10]
Selected gameography
- Half-Life (1998)
- Half-Life: Opposing Force (1999)
- Half-Life 2 (2004)
- Half-Life 2: Episode One (2006)
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007)
- Portal (2007)
- Portal 2 (2011)
- Half-Life: Alyx (2020)
Gallery
Half-Life heads-up display.
Concept art for Aleph/The Librarian from Prospero.
Ditto.
Coomer's face used for the head model of Gordon Freeman.
Company biographies
- Greg Coomer - Product Design / Communications
- Prior to joining Valve, Greg helped Microsoft design various software products. Before that, he worked with Nintendo, started and ran a user interface design company, and spent several years as a freelance product designer. Greg helped to name the company "Valve", and then led the first game project that Valve ever cancelled. His secret dream is to create a game called 'Akzidenz-Grotesk'. You know, for kids.
- Gregg Coomer - Game Designer/Art Director
- Gregg has worked on a variety of graphic design, multimedia, and web projects for Nintendo and Microsoft. Resident art-boy, he'll critique your shoes, interior decoration, and interface design, in that order. His secret dream is to create a game called 'Aksidenz Grotesk'. You know, for kids.
References
- ↑ About the Valve team on Valve's official website (archived)
- ↑
Greg Coomer on LinkedIn
- ↑ At Valve "three people can ship anything" on GamesIndustry.biz (October 30, 2012)
- ↑ Biography on Valve's official website (December 7, 2003) (archived)
- ↑ Seattle Interactive Conference 2012 Speakers (archived)
- ↑ Interview with Lisa Mennet on Halflife.org (July 1998) (archived)
- ↑ Interview with Gabe Newell on The Gaming Nexus (March 16, 1998) (archived)
- ↑ Interview with Greg Coomer on Halflife.net (February 7, 1998) (archived)
- ↑ The Lost Valve Intro on Half-Life Editing Resource Center (November 19, 1999) (archived)
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, page 145
