Bing Gordon Quotes

Powerful Bing Gordon for Daily Growth

About Bing Gordon

Bing Gordon, born on August 19, 1948, in New York City, is an influential American game designer, entrepreneur, investor, and author, best known for his work in the video game industry. Growing up in a family of educators, Gordon's early life was steeped in intellectual curiosity. He attended Harvard University, where he studied history and literature. However, it was his fascination with mathematics and computer science that led him to Silicon Valley during the 1970s, where he worked for Intel Corporation and Xerox PARC. In 1980, Gordon co-founded Activision, one of the first independent video game companies. His work there included designing games like Pitfall! and River Raid, which were instrumental in popularizing the console gaming industry. In 1984, he joined Lucasfilm Games (later renamed LucasArts) as a vice president, where he produced groundbreaking titles such as The Manhole, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Loom. Gordon's influence extends beyond game design. He is known for his contributions to the field of game design principles, particularly in the areas of player motivation, storytelling, and immersion. His book "Rule of Cool: Designing Fun in Games, Films, and Beyond" (2013) explores these concepts in depth. In 1995, Gordon moved to Electronic Arts, where he served as Executive Vice President for several years. He later became a venture capitalist and angel investor, funding and advising numerous tech and game startups, including Pixar Animation Studios, Tripwire Interactive, and Zynga. Throughout his career, Bing Gordon has been recognized for his innovative work in the video game industry, receiving multiple awards and accolades. His impact continues to resonate in the world of gaming and beyond.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

This quote emphasizes personal responsibility in shaping one's own destiny. Instead of passively waiting for circumstances to unfold, the quote encourages individuals to actively participate in creating their future by making informed decisions, setting goals, and taking proactive steps towards achieving them. Essentially, it suggests that our actions today can significantly impact what tomorrow brings and thus, we should strive to design our own success rather than relying on predictions or external factors.


"Innovation comes from the edges."

The statement "Innovation comes from the edges" implies that groundbreaking ideas often originate from unconventional or peripheral areas, rather than the established center or mainstream of a particular field. This suggests that to foster innovation, one should encourage exploration and experimentation beyond traditional boundaries, as these can yield fresh perspectives and creative solutions that might not be found in more conventional avenues.


"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new."

This quote by Bing Gordon encourages us to invest our efforts in creating positive change rather than getting bogged down by resisting or fighting against existing circumstances. To induce transformation, it's more fruitful to constructively build new solutions instead of wasting energy on battling the status quo. By focusing on cultivating something fresh and innovative, we can pave the way for meaningful change in a more efficient and productive manner.


"A product that doesn't differentiate is a commodity."

This quote by Bing Gordon suggests that if a product lacks unique features or advantages compared to similar offerings, it becomes a mere commodity. In today's competitive marketplace, being a commodity can lead to diminishing profits as customers tend to make purchasing decisions based on price alone. Therefore, for businesses aiming for sustainable growth and profitability, it is crucial to create products that stand out from the competition by offering something unique, innovative, or superior in some aspect. Differentiated products can command a premium price, foster customer loyalty, and ultimately lead to long-term success.


"The essence of leadership is being able to create a shared vision and then orchestrating people and resources to make that vision a reality."

Bing Gordon's quote underscores the crux of leadership as the ability to articulate and communicate a compelling, collective vision, while skillfully coordinating human efforts and resources to transform that vision into a tangible reality. Effective leaders inspire their followers by connecting them to an ideal, uniting diverse individuals towards a common goal, thereby fostering collaboration, productivity, and overall success.


I believe in books. I believe more in 'cross-media' - how characters are adapting across mediums.

- Bing Gordon

Believe, More, I Believe In, Adapting

If you're living off credit-card advances and ramen noodles, a buyout offer might be too hard to resist. And you'll be even smarter the second time around.

- Bing Gordon

Living, Noodles, Might, Smarter

For missionary entrepreneurs, the dream outcome is to build an 'Internet treasure' - a brand that defines a generation, proves that we are better than our parents, and becomes something we couldn't live without.

- Bing Gordon

Generation, Entrepreneurs, Brand

Once you find out that someone likes a certain game on Facebook, now you know what kind of virtual gift you can get them. You can send them a little decoration. Social games give you goals where you can help and reward your friends.

- Bing Gordon

Gift, Game, Virtual, Decoration

In any business that grows big on one business model, transitions can throw everything in the air.

- Bing Gordon

Business, Big, Grows, Transitions

The world of digital media is being transformed. A bunch of new businesses can be reinvented, thanks to social graphs, the mobile internet, and the new shopping habits of the young. Those are going to create a whole generation of cool new companies.

- Bing Gordon

Habits, Young, Whole, Transformed

I ran the high school newspaper and was in student government. I played sports my whole life but was never picked as captain.

- Bing Gordon

Sports, Newspaper, Student, Ran

One skill of a great entrepreneur is to get a whole complicated discussion and then say, 'We're going to do this one and we're only going to do this one'. Managers are good at prioritizing. Entrepreneurs know what is the one thing.

- Bing Gordon

Going, Entrepreneurs, Whole, Entrepreneur

The Internet Treasure companies tend to go public rather than get acquired, although there are clear exceptions, like Instagram, YouTube, Skype and PayPal.

- Bing Gordon

YouTube, Like, Rather, Skype

The 1980s was a time of the great recession of interactive entertainment. When Atari fell in 1982, until Nintendo launched its console, video games were an outcast for five years.

- Bing Gordon

Outcast, Console, Nintendo, 1980s

If you don't measure yourself by achievement, how are you going to set achievement levels for other people?

- Bing Gordon

Achievement, Other, Set, Levels

Smart people tend to enjoy thinking about a lot of things at once. I'd say entrepreneurs should be serial monogamists; do one thing at a time until you make sufficient progress and then move on.

- Bing Gordon

Enjoy, About, Entrepreneurs, Serial

Somehow, the company must stay true to the founding vision while avoiding the pitfalls of rapid growth - and perhaps survive the hiring of a previously successful executive who doesn't work out.

- Bing Gordon

Hiring, Rapid, While, Pitfalls

It's very difficult for people who don't play video games to understand their power simply by watching, and it's very difficult for people who aren't close to technology to understand how rapidly it can change whatever it touches.

- Bing Gordon

Change, Play, Very, Rapidly

In my world, I read resumes upside down, so I start with personal interests. So if somebody doesn't have believable, interesting interests, they're not going to work in a creative business.

- Bing Gordon

Business, Going, Read, Believable

The first time I had a secretary, I was sheepish about being demanding or even asking questions.

- Bing Gordon

Questions, Asking, About, Demanding

I'm a huge believer in learning anything from multiple points of view.

- Bing Gordon

View, Believer, Multiple, Points

As you grow up, you become more comfortable with your own peccadilloes, and I'm bad with people who aren't self-motivated. And now, when I see them coming, I run the other way.

- Bing Gordon

Own, Bad, Other, Grow Up

Secrecy is the foundation of politics.

- Bing Gordon

Politics, Foundation, Secrecy

Even as an 18-year-old, I had to grow comfortable with my leadership style, which is that I was really impatient with under-motivated people - extremely impatient, to the point where I was counterproductive as a manager of underproductive people. And that hasn't really changed. If people need to be motivated, I'm no good.

- Bing Gordon

Good, Had, Counterproductive, Impatient

When we started EA in 1982, our goal was to make games as big a media as visual entertainment or movies. That was how big we dreamed at the time.

- Bing Gordon

Goal, Big, Entertainment, Dreamed

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