# Richard Tunnell <small style="color: gray">Last updated: February 12, 2026</small> ## Overview Richard Tunnell is a video game designer and programmer who worked extensively at Dynamix during the company's most productive years under Sierra On-Line ownership.[^ref-1] As the brother of Dynamix co-founder Jeff Tunnell, Richard contributed to many of the studio's most successful franchises including The Incredible Machine series, 3-D Ultra Pinball, and Trophy Bass.[^ref-2] His versatility allowed him to serve in multiple capacities—designer, programmer, artist, and documentation writer—across more than twenty games during his career at the Eugene, Oregon-based studio.[^ref-3] Tunnell's career at Dynamix spanned the company's evolution from educational software and simulation games to casual gaming, giving him experience across multiple genres and platforms.[^ref-1] He began with art and quality assurance roles on titles like [[1992 - Quarky & Quaysoo's Turbo Science\|Quarky & Quaysoo's Turbo Science]] before rising to designer positions on major franchises. His puzzle design work on the Incredible Machine series and programming contributions to the 3-D Ultra Pinball games helped establish these as enduring Sierra franchises.[^ref-4] Following Dynamix's closure in 2001, Tunnell continued his career in game development at GarageGames, the company founded by former Dynamix employees including his brother Jeff.[^ref-5] He later transitioned to social gaming at Playdom and eventually Zynga, where he served as Lead Game Designer, reflecting the broader evolution of the gaming industry from traditional PC games to social and mobile platforms.[^ref-6] ## Career ### Early Career Richard Tunnell began his game development career at Dynamix, the Eugene, Oregon-based studio co-founded by his brother Jeff Tunnell and Damon Slye in 1984.[^ref-7] His early work at the company included art production and quality assurance roles, allowing him to learn the development process while supporting the studio's growing catalog of games. His first credited role was as an artist on [[1992 - Quarky & Quaysoo's Turbo Science\|Quarky & Quaysoo's Turbo Science]] (1992), an educational title that demonstrated Dynamix's range beyond simulation and action games.[^ref-2] This hands-on approach to entering the industry was common during the era when game development teams were smaller and roles were less rigidly defined. Tunnell's willingness to contribute wherever needed—whether as artist, tester, manual writer, or designer—made him a valuable member of the Dynamix team as the studio expanded under Sierra's ownership.[^ref-3] ### Dynamix Years (1992–2001) During his tenure at Dynamix, Tunnell contributed to several of the studio's most commercially successful projects across multiple roles.[^ref-1] His breakthrough came with [[1993 - The Even More Incredible Machine\|The Even More! Incredible Machine]] (1993), where he served as one of the "Puzzlomaniacs"—designers who created the game's elaborate contraption puzzles.[^ref-4] He also wrote the game's manual, beginning a pattern of documentation work that continued across several Incredible Machine titles.[^ref-2] Tunnell's design contributions expanded significantly with [[1994 - The Incredible Machine 2\|The Incredible Machine 2]] (1994), where he served as Puzzle Director and designer in addition to contributing as artist and tester.[^ref-4] This multifaceted involvement continued with [[1994 - The Incredible Toon Machine\|The Incredible Toon Machine]] (1994), where he designed puzzles, created Head-2-Head content, and contributed to the Windows and Macintosh enhanced version.[^ref-2] As Dynamix transitioned toward casual gaming under Sierra's direction, Tunnell became increasingly involved in the 3-D Ultra series. His work on [[1995 - 3-D Ultra Pinball\|3-D Ultra Pinball]] (1995) saw him contribute both additional design help and programming—a dual role that showcased his technical versatility.[^ref-2] This combination of design and programming continued through several 3-D Ultra Pinball sequels, including [[1996 - 3-D Ultra Pinball - Creep Night\|Creep Night]] (1996), [[1997 - 3-D Ultra Pinball - The Lost Continent\|The Lost Continent]] (1997), and [[1999 - 3-D Ultra Pinball - Power\|Power!]] (1999), where he served as Game Logic Programmer.[^ref-3] Tunnell also contributed to Dynamix's outdoor sports line, working as a Quality Analyst on [[1995 - Trophy Bass\|Trophy Bass]] (1995)—one of Sierra Sports' biggest sellers—and later as Designer and Documentation writer on Field & Stream: Trophy Hunting 4 (2000).[^ref-2] His scripting work on [[1996 - Hunter Hunted\|Hunter Hunted]] (1996) demonstrated his range beyond puzzle and casual games.[^ref-3] His final major projects at Dynamix included lead design roles on [[1999 - 3-D Ultra Radio Control Racers\|3-D Ultra Radio Control Racers]] (1999) and its Deluxe edition (2000), as well as [[2000 - Return of The Incredible Machine - Contraptions\|Return of The Incredible Machine: Contraptions]] (2000) and [[2001 - The Incredible Machine - Even More Contraptions\|The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions]] (2001).[^ref-4] These titles represented his evolution from support roles to full game designer during his decade at Dynamix. ### Post-Sierra Career After Dynamix's closure in August 2001, Tunnell transitioned to GarageGames, the independent studio founded by former Dynamix employees including his brother Jeff Tunnell and other veterans like Tim Gift and Rick Overman.[^ref-5] GarageGames focused on developing the Torque Game Engine and creating indie-friendly development tools, representing a significant shift from the large-scale productions of the Sierra era. At GarageGames, Tunnell contributed to InstantAction, an ambitious browser-based gaming platform that launched in 2008.[^ref-8] He served as Level Designer on PlayLegions (2009), a browser-based game that showcased the Torque engine's web capabilities.[^ref-2] When InstantAction ceased operations in 2010, it marked the end of an era for the GarageGames team.[^ref-9] Tunnell subsequently moved into the social gaming space, joining Playdom before its acquisition by Disney in 2010.[^ref-6] He later joined Zynga, the dominant force in social gaming during the early 2010s, where he rose to the position of Lead Game Designer.[^ref-6] Based in Springfield, Oregon—near the original Dynamix headquarters in Eugene—Tunnell's career trajectory reflected the broader transformation of the gaming industry from boxed PC products to social and mobile platforms.[^ref-10] ## Notable Works ### The Incredible Machine 2 (1994) [[1994 - The Incredible Machine 2\|The Incredible Machine 2]] marked Tunnell's emergence as a lead designer after his supporting roles on earlier titles. Serving as Puzzle Director, he oversaw the creation of the game's intricate Rube Goldberg-style contraptions that challenged players to solve physics-based puzzles using an expanded toolkit of parts.[^ref-4] His additional contributions as artist and tester demonstrated the collaborative, multi-role approach common at Dynamix during this period. The game's success helped establish The Incredible Machine as one of Sierra's premier casual gaming franchises. ### 3-D Ultra Pinball (1995) [[1995 - 3-D Ultra Pinball\|3-D Ultra Pinball]] launched what would become one of Sierra's most successful casual gaming franchises, and Tunnell's dual role as designer and programmer set a pattern he would follow through multiple sequels.[^ref-2] The game combined realistic pinball physics with creative table designs, and Tunnell's programming work on game logic helped ensure responsive, satisfying gameplay. His continued involvement through Creep Night, The Lost Continent, NASCAR Pinball, and Power! contributed to the series' longevity and commercial success.[^ref-3] ### Return of The Incredible Machine: Contraptions (2000) [[2000 - Return of The Incredible Machine - Contraptions\|Return of The Incredible Machine: Contraptions]] revived the beloved puzzle series for a new generation of players, and Tunnell's contraption design work helped ensure the game maintained the creative spirit of the original while taking advantage of updated technology.[^ref-4] Released alongside the sequel Even More Contraptions (2001), these titles represented his final major contributions to the franchise that had defined much of his Dynamix career. ## Legacy Richard Tunnell's career represents a successful path through multiple eras of game development, from traditional PC gaming at Dynamix through the browser gaming experiments at GarageGames to the social gaming revolution at companies like Zynga.[^ref-6] His versatility—contributing as designer, programmer, artist, tester, and documentation writer across more than twenty games—exemplified the multidisciplinary approach that characterized successful developers during the industry's formative years.[^ref-3] His contributions to franchises like The Incredible Machine and 3-D Ultra Pinball helped establish these series as enduring classics of casual gaming.[^ref-1] The combination of creative puzzle design and technical programming skill that he brought to these projects reflected the collaborative, jack-of-all-trades culture that made Dynamix one of Sierra's most productive subsidiaries. As one of the designers who helped shape Sierra's transition from adventure games to casual entertainment during the 1990s, Tunnell's work contributed to the broader diversification of the computer gaming market.[^ref-4] His later career in social gaming demonstrated adaptability to changing industry conditions, carrying forward lessons learned during the golden age of PC gaming into new platforms and business models. ## Games ### Dynamix (1992–2001) | Year | Title | Role | |------|-------|------| | 1992 | [[1992 - Quarky & Quaysoo's Turbo Science\|Quarky & Quaysoo's Turbo Science]] | Artist | | 1993 | [[1993 - The Even More Incredible Machine\|The Even More! Incredible Machine]] | Puzzlomaniac, Manual Writing | | 1993 | [[1993 - Sid & Al's Incredible Toons\|Sid & Al's Incredible Toons]] | Puzzlomaniac, Manual Writing | | 1993 | [[1993 - Turbo Learning - Mega Math\|Turbo Learning: Mega Math]] | Production Art | | 1994 | [[1994 - The Incredible Machine 2\|The Incredible Machine 2]] | Puzzle Director, Designer, Artist, Tester | | 1994 | [[1994 - The Incredible Toon Machine\|The Incredible Toon Machine]] | Puzzlomaniac, Enhanced Design, Artist, Manual Writing | | 1994 | The Incredible Machine (3DO) | Puzzle Design | | 1995 | [[1995 - Trophy Bass\|Trophy Bass]] | Quality Analyst | | 1995 | [[1995 - 3-D Ultra Pinball\|3-D Ultra Pinball]] | Additional Design, Programmer | | 1996 | [[1996 - 3-D Ultra Pinball - Creep Night\|3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night]] | Additional Design, Additional Programming | | 1996 | [[1996 - Hunter Hunted\|Hunter Hunted]] | Scriptor | | 1997 | [[1997 - 3-D Ultra Pinball - The Lost Continent\|3-D Ultra Pinball: The Lost Continent]] | Game Logic Programmer | | 1998 | [[1998 - 3-D Ultra NASCAR Pinball\|3-D Ultra NASCAR Pinball]] | Game Logic Programmer | | 1999 | [[1999 - 3-D Ultra Pinball - Power\|3-D Ultra Pinball: Power!]] | Additional Design, Programmer | | 1999 | [[1999 - 3-D Ultra Radio Control Racers\|3-D Ultra Radio Control Racers]] | Game Designer | | 2000 | Field & Stream: Trophy Hunting 4 | Designer, Documentation | | 2000 | [[2000 - Return of The Incredible Machine - Contraptions\|Return of The Incredible Machine: Contraptions]] | Contraption Design | | 2000 | [[2000 - 3-D Ultra Radio Control Racers Deluxe - Traxxas Edition\|3-D Ultra Radio Control Racers Deluxe: Traxxas Edition]] | Game Designer | | 2001 | [[2001 - The Incredible Machine - Even More Contraptions\|The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions]] | Contraption Design | ### Post-Dynamix (2009) | Year | Title | Company | Role | |------|-------|---------|------| | 2009 | PlayLegions | GarageGames/InstantAction | Level Designer | ## References [^ref-1]: [Sierra Wiki - Richard Tunnell](https://wiki.sierrahelp.com/index.php/Richard_Tunnell) — Profile and game credits listing [^ref-2]: [MobyGames - Richard Tunnell](https://www.mobygames.com/person/16748/richard-tunnell/) — Complete game credits (21 games, 46 credits) [^ref-3]: [MobyGames - Richard Tunnell Credits](https://www.mobygames.com/person/16748/richard-tunnell/credits/) — Detailed role breakdown by category [^ref-4]: [MobyGames - The Incredible Machine 2 Credits](https://www.mobygames.com/game/1605/the-incredible-machine-2/credits/dos/) — TIM2 credits listing [^ref-5]: [Wikipedia - GarageGames](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GarageGames) — Company history and Dynamix connection [^ref-6]: [LinkedIn - Richard Tunnell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-tunnell-aa86b714/) — Career history including Zynga position [^ref-7]: [Wikipedia - Jeff Tunnell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Tunnell) — Dynamix founding and family connection [^ref-8]: [Wikipedia - InstantAction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InstantAction) — Browser gaming platform history [^ref-9]: [GameSpot - InstantAction out of action](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/instantaction-out-of-action/1100-6283937/) — InstantAction closure (November 2010) [^ref-10]: [Sierra Wiki - Dynamix Designers Category](https://wiki.sierrahelp.com/index.php/Category:Dynamix_Designers) — Dynamix team information