REBECCA HEINEMAN: AN ENDURING LEGACY

Veterans pay tribute to the gaming legend that cofounded Interplay

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One of the early pioneers of the videogame industry recently passed away after a battle with cancer. Rebecca 'Burger' Heineman started a Go Fund Me campaign in early October when it became obvious that her insurance would not cover the full costs required to battle the aggressive form of cancer she was diagnosed with. “This is the fight for my life. Please help me. I want to keep creating games and comics and I need your support to beat this cancer,” she posted.

Sadly, despite a swell of support, Rebecca soon learned that the cancer was progressing faster than anticipated. “It’s time,” she posted on 16 November. “According to my doctors. All further treatments are pointless. So, please donate so my kids can create a funeral worthy of my keyboard, Pixelbreaker! So I can make a worthy entrance for reuniting with my one true love, Jennell Jaquays.” Rebecca passed away on 17 November, leaving behind an impressive legacy.

Rebecca’s videogame journey began back in the Eighties when she entered and won a 1980 Space Invaders national competition in New York. She was soon offered a job writing for Electronic Games and then found herself working for Avalon Hill at the age of 16, after the studio discovered she had reverse-engineered an Atari 2600. Rebecca then worked at Boone Corporation, creating games like Chuck Norris Superkicks. When Boone dissolved, she teamed up with Brain Fargo, Troy Worrell and Jay Patel to form Interplay Productions, where she programmed the likes of Wasteland, The Bard’s Tale and the Mac and 3DO ports of Wolfenstein 3D.