Mark Friedman — First Generation Gamer

Mark Friedman was first introduced to the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge Integrated Product Team (IPT) in 2008 as a game evaluator, and then in 2009 was invited to become part of the IPT.

Mark became an early adopter of games soon after he purchased an Apple 2+ in 1981. In those early days, Lode Runner and Wizardry were the bomb. While Wizardry spells and dungeon maps provided a welcome break from high school studies, Lode Runner with its built in level editor, kept Mark busy in the evening hours during college! These very early personal computer games became quite an interesting dinner conversation with Brenda Brathwaite (Romero) and fellow SGSC IPT member, Dr. Peter Smith, during a recent Innovations in Education Conference! Turns out, Brathwaite had been a script writer for the Wizardry production.

Mark began his professional career at a public accounting firm assisting with the automation of the processes used there, and soon returned to earn his MBA at his alma mater, William & Mary (a shared alma mater with Kent Gritton, one of the founders of the SGS&C). By 1994, Mark was leading the Information Technology advances at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia, and first created electronic postcards, digital images and text distributed on a floppy disk via their Museum Shop. He later developed online educational simulations such as the 4-rotor Enigma encryption device for use on the Museum’s website.

In 2012 his research and publications on education, training and serious games led him to his position as an Advisor Technologist at Concurrent Technologies Corporation. He has been fortunate to combine his passion for gaming with his work with the U.S. Military creating and as a credelivering innovative training for the U.S. Military.

In addition to his volunteer role with SGS&C, Mark is serving as a member of the I/ITSEC Emerging Concepts Subcommittee. He previously served on the Education Subcommittee.