Gamelab
Independent studio behind Diner Dash and game-based learning spinoffs.
Gamelab was an independent game studio located in New York City, launched in 2000 by Eric Zimmerman and Peter Seung-Taek Lee. The studio is most famous for developing *Diner Dash*, a title that became one of the most downloaded games ever, and for creating two influential offshoots: the nonprofit Institute of Play and the game-and-community platform Gamestar Mechanic.
The founders, along with audio designer Michael Sweet, first made a game called *BLiX*. It was a finalist at the 2001 Independent Games Festival and won Best Audio. After incorporating gameLab in 2000, Zimmerman and Lee used an advance from an exclusivity deal with Shockwave.com to open an office in downtown Manhattan. Between 2000 and 2009, the studio released 34 video games across multiple platforms for publishers including LEGO, HBO, PlayFirst, VH-1, and iWin. It also produced eight massively multiplayer social games, each created exclusively for and played at the annual Game Developers Conference from 2001 to 2008.
In 2004, gameLab released the award-winning *Diner Dash*, a strategy and time-management game published by PlayFirst. That same year, Frank Lantz—then gameLab’s director of game design—and students from his Big Games class at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program created *Pac-Manhattan*, a real-life version of *Pac-Man* played on the streets around NYU. This was one of the earliest and most influential pervasive games, covered by *The New York Times* and international media. In 2005, gameLab employees Greg Trefry, Mattia Romeo, Nicholas Fortugno, and Catherine Herdlick, along with co-founder Lee, co-founded Come Out & Play, an annual festival of original big games played on New York City streets. Lantz later left to co-found the studio area/code, which Zynga acquired in 2011 (becoming Zynga New York), and he now directs NYU’s Game Center.
In 2007, gameLab spun off the nonprofit Institute of Play, which aimed to use game design and play as educational tools. Within six months, the Institute received a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to develop Quest to Learn, a New York City public school built around game-design principles. In 2009, with another MacArthur grant, gameLab partnered with Katie Salen to release the award-winning *Gamestar Mechanic*, a game and community site. gameLab closed that same year, selling its assets to Arkadium.
Quick Facts
- Industry
- Video games
- Founded
- 2000
- Founder
- Eric Zimmerman / Peter Seung-Taek Lee
- Defunct
- 2009 (assets acquired by Arkadium)
- Key People
- Eric Zimmerman (co-founder, chief executive) / Peter Seung-Taek Lee (co-founder, president) / Frank Lantz (director of game design) / Nicholas Fortugno (director of game design) / Katie Salen
- Num Employees
- 40
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Zimmerman and Lee created the game BLiX, which was named a Finalist and won Best Audio at the 2001 Independent Games Festival. They incorporated gameLab in 2000, then used an advance on BLiX royalties from an exclusivity deal with Shockwave.com to open an office in downtown Manhattan. Between 2000 and 2009, gameLab released 34 video games on multiple platforms, published by companies including LEGO, HBO, PlayFirst, VH-1, and iWin, plus eight massively multiplayer social games created exclusively for the yearly Game Developers Conference from 2001 to 2008.
In 2004, gameLab released Diner Dash, a strategy and time management game published by PlayFirst.
Reader's Guide
Gamelab's significance lies in its dual impact on casual gaming and game-based learning. Diner Dash became a cultural phenomenon, downloaded over half a billion times across multiple platforms in its first six years, helping to define the time-management genre. The studio's spin-offs extended its influence: the non-profit Institute of Play received a MacArthur Foundation grant within six months of its founding to develop Quest to Learn, a New York City public school designed around game design principles. Gamestar Mechanic, created in partnership with Katie Salen and supported by another MacArthur grant, became an award-winning platform for teaching game design to young people. Gamelab also contributed to the pervasive games movement through Pac-Manhattan and the Come Out & Play festival. The studio closed in 2009 and sold its assets to Arkadium, but its legacy persists through its games and educational initiatives.
Did You Know?
- Gamelab's first game, BLiX, won Best Audio at the 2000 Independent Games Festival.
- Pac-Manhattan, created by Frank Lantz and NYU students, was one of the earliest and most influential pervasive games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Gamelab?
Gamelab was a small, independent video game studio out of New York City that ran from 2000 through 2009. They are best remembered for the casual hit Diner Dash and for spawning two major game-based-learning spinoffs.
Who founded Gamelab?
Eric Zimmerman and Peter Seung-Taek Lee launched the studio in New York City in 2000. Before formally incorporating, they had already produced a game called BLiX with audio designer Michael Sweet, which took home Best Audio at the 2001 Independent Games Festival.
What games did Gamelab release?
Across roughly a decade the team shipped about 34 standalone titles plus eight massively multiplayer social games for GDC. Their breakout release was Diner Dash, which went on to become one of the most-downloaded casual games ever.
What are the Institute of Play and Gamestar Mechanic?
Both grew directly out of Gamelab's work. The Institute of Play is a nonprofit dedicated to game-based learning, while Gamestar Mechanic is a community platform that blends collaborative game design with educational tools.
Why is Gamelab important to casual-gaming fans?
They showed that a tiny New York duo could create a globally beloved casual game while simultaneously pioneering the games-and-education space. Their legacy persists through Diner Dash's massive player base and the two spinoff organizations that carried their philosophy forward.
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