Videogame Pioneer Martin Alper Dies

Martin Alper, the former president of Virgin Interactive and a videogame pioneer, died over the weekend. He was remembered by many video game designers who worked for him at Virgin Interactive Entertainment, which at one time was one of the biggest companies in the game industry.

Alper, 72, played an important role in the careers of many famous game developers, including Command & Conquer studio Westwood Studios and Shiny Entertainment, creator of The Matrix and Earthworm Jim. He eventually built a large video game publishing house in Irvine, Calif.