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Mat Dickie[]

Mat Dickie, known in the world of video games as MDickie, is an independent author and developer of English origin. His fame lies mainly in his contribution to the genre of professional wrestling in the field of independent video games, highlighting titles such as Wrestling Revolution, available for iOS and Android devices. This game reached a staggering number of downloads in just two months after its release in 2012. Eventually, this creation surpassed the impressive download mark and its sequel, Wrestling Revolution 3D, went on to compete with the WWE 2K series games in both the mobile and PC markets.

Dickie's journey as a video game developer began in 2000 with his first PC game. However, he decided to retire in 2009 to pursue a career as an educator. In late 2011, he resumed his passion for game development, especially focused on mobile devices, which culminated in the release of Wrestling Revolution in 2012. However, he retired from full-time video game development again in 2018. In 2019, Mat Dickie announced a new wrestling-related project for Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, which eventually materialized as Wrestling Empire, released in early 2021.

It's worth mentioning that many of Dickie's games have gained some notoriety due to their unconventional controls and simple graphics. Dickie himself has noted that this conscious choice to use low-resolution graphics and limited polygonization has allowed for more efficient performance, which in turn has allowed him to "push a lot of boundaries." The indie nature and low budget that characterize his creations have contributed significantly to their popularity, leading Dickie to humorously describe himself as "solely responsible for the worst games ever enjoyed by millions of people."

Early Life[]

Mat Dickie, a prolific video game creator, was born in the village of Brigg in North Lincolnshire. His childhood story is marked by the influence of parents who worked hard in a modest newsagent's shop. While his parents were busy at work, Mat found refuge in the newsagent's shop, where boredom became the catalyst for his creativity. Using the materials available there, he began to give free rein to his imagination, making improvised toys that gave the first signs of his innate creative spirit.

His school days were spent at Brigg Primary School, where from an early age he was fascinated by the world of video game development. In those days, his notebooks were filled with sketches of game concepts that bubbled up in his restless mind. This passion for video games was fueled by his love for the games he played as a child, such as WWF No Mercy, Super Fire Pro Wrestling and WWF WrestleFest. These playful experiences left an indelible mark on his imagination, influencing many of his future creations.

In his spare time, Mat Dickie experimented with Deluxe Paint on his Commodore Amiga computer, a platform that allowed him to explore his artistic abilities and his penchant for visual creation. However, a turning point in his career came in 1998 when he acquired his first PC. This event marked the official start of his career as a game developer. From then on, he began to shape a legacy of unique and original games that would resonate with a global audience.

Professional Career[]

PC Game Development[]

Dickie started creating his first game when he came across a copy of DIV Game Studio, a programming language that promised to make game development easier. He bought it at his local Woolworths branch and spent the summer of learning it by example.

Dickie released his first game, Hardy Boyz Stunt Challenge, in August, in which the player took on the role of one of the Hardy Boyz, wrestlers from the WWF (later known as WWE). The game took two weeks to complete and was posted on a wrestling website, where it received downloads and positive feedback, which inspired him to continue creating video games and set up his own website in November. In , he moved to Manchester to complete a degree in video games and computer science at the University of Salford. That same year he released his first full game, Federation Online, a flash-based wrestling game.

In , Idigicon, which had already published one of Dickie's games, Boxer's Story, contacted him again to make a version of his latest release, Wrestling Encore, for the British professional wrestling promotion One Pro Wrestling; however, legal complications arose because 1PW did not have the video game license for the American professional wrestlers who worked for them. To counter this problem, 1PW attempted to buy the rights to the entire game from Dickie rather than the rights to sell the version he had created for the promotion at their live shows, with the added advantage that he would be able to meet the wrestlers working for the promotion at the time, including Bret Hart and Jeff Jarrett. Dickie declined the offer.

In , Dickie created his first major non-wrestling game, Hard Time, a prison simulator that was named Games for Windows magazine's "Indie Game of the Month." The game was nearly released through a THQ subsidiary. Dickie also intended to develop his brand of wrestling with them; however, they considered it a conflict of interest.

Dickie released The You Testament in early , a game loosely based on the New Testament in which the player follows the life and times of Jesus Christ and his various miracles. Dickie developed it in three months, which, according to PC Gamer, made it the "best worst game ever". He then decided to retire from game development, after realizing that it was unable to meet the growing expectations of gamers and critics. Dickie subsequently decided to become an educational application developer, publishing educational resources on TES. Dickie's ambition was to improve learning and make it fun; however, he later came to the conclusion that entertainment had little to do in education. From, his educational resources have been used in classrooms; he was also invited to TES's awards. He also became an author, writing a book about his game development career and writing others on religion and spirituality as a religious educator.

Mobile Video Game Development[]

In the early months of 2012, Dickie was unemployed, about to buy his first home and expecting the birth of his first child. These circumstances motivated him to come out of retirement and turn to mobile game development, releasing Wrestling Revolution as his first major game for mobile devices. In addition, he also released several 2D versions of his classic PC games for mobile devices, such as Hard Time in 2013, Popscene in 2014, and Wrecked in 2017.

Its most successful game to date, Wrestling Revolution 3D, reached 50 million downloads in 2017, becoming the first sports game on Google Play to achieve such a feat.

However, in July 2018, Dickie again announced his retirement from full-time game development. This was due to a number of reasons, including "alarming intolerance" from digital retailers, among other reasons. In an interview, he also mentioned the increasing demands from gamers following the release of AAA titles such as WWE 2K19. Dickie stated that he did not wish to compete directly with WWE games, but instead intended to offer a "cheaper...lighter.... [and] more creative," which would always be created by himself or a smaller team.

Development, Publication and Hosting of Wrestling Empire[]

In 2019, Dickie announced the development of a new wrestling project for both the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. This project eventually became known as Wrestling Empire and was officially released on January 11, 2021. Originally, Dickie had intended to release the game in 2020, aligning with the 20th anniversary of WWF No Mercy and also marking his 20th year as a game developer. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was only able to complete approximately a third of the planned features for the game. As a result, Dickie decided to release Wrestling Empire in an unfinished state and promised to add additional features through regular updates.

Wrestling Empire has been described as reminiscent of wrestling games from the Nintendo 64 era, drawing inspiration from that period's emphasis on gameplay over graphics. This approach aligns with Dickie's priorities as an indie game developer.

In a review by Chris Scullion of Nintendo Life, the game received a 6/10 rating. Scullion praised the game for its extensive roster, customization options, and career mode. However, he also noted that the game engine had its quirks and was prone to unexpected issues, suggesting that players might need to adopt a somewhat unconventional mindset to fully enjoy it. Despite these quirks, Scullion found the game to be overwhelmingly impressive, especially considering that it was created by a single person.

Works[]

Mobile Video Games[]

  1. The You Testament (2018)
  2. Back Wars (2018)
  3. Extra Lives (2017)
  4. Wrecked (2017)
  5. Super City (2016)
  6. Weekend Warriors (2015)
  7. School Days (2015)
  8. Wrestling Revolution 3D (2014)
  9. Popscene (2014)
  10. Hard Time (2013)
  11. Wrestling Revolution (2012)
  12. Sure Shot (2012)
  13. Flash StuntZ (2012)
  14. Moksha (2010)

DeskTop Video Games[]

  1. Wrestling MPire Remix (2011)
  2. Under Development (2010)
  3. The You Testament (2008)
  4. Popscene: Track 2 (2008)
  5. Wrestling MPire (2008)
  6. Reach (2007)
  7. Hard Time (2006)
  8. World War Alpha (2006)
  9. Grass Roots (2006)
  10. Popcorn (2005)
  11. Wrecked (2005)
  12. Sure Shot 3D (2004)
  13. Big BumpZ (2003)
  14. Federation Booker (2003)
  15. Federation Wrestling (2002)
  16. Sure Shot: Star Wars Edition (2002)
  17. Sure Shot (2002)

Games "For History"[]

  1. Federation Online: September Edition (2001)
  2. Federation Online (June 2001)
  3. Big Bumps (February 2001)
  4. Sure Shot (December 2000)
  5. Wrestling Vs Boxing (December 2000)
  6. THAT Love Triangle (November 2000)
  7. Con-chair-to (October 2000)
  8. Case 3:16 (September 2000)
  9. Fat Bastards: Live On PPV (September 2000)
  10. The Rock's Promo Cutter (August 2000)
  11. Hardy Boyz Stunt Challenge (August 2000)

MultiConsole Video Games[]

Literary Works[]

  • Inspiration for the Interactive Generation (2009, ISBN 1441414983)
  • Sportuality (2009, ISBN 0956160913)
  • A-fear-ism: The Ignorance Of Atheism (2010, ISBN 1449978347)

References (SECTION IN PROGRESS)[]

Social Links:[]

  1. http://www.facebook.com/MDickieFans
  2. http://www.youtube.com/MDickieDotcom
  3. http://www.twitter.com/MDickieDotcom
  4. http://www.mdickie.com/
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