Stephen Gillmurphy

Stephen Gillmurphy, known professionally as thecatamites, is an Irish independent video game developer noted for his prolific career of publishing short independent freeware games, including Space Funeral. His games are typified by the use of self-drawn, mixed-media graphics and offbeat, satirical tone. Described as publishing "weird outsider games",[1] Gillmurphy has received positive reception from independent game outlets.

Stephen Gillurphy
Born
Dublin, Ireland
Years active2009 – present
Known forCreating the video game Space Funeral
Websiteharmonyzone.org

Career

Gillmurphy first started making games in 2008 using RPG Maker after exposure to the software in secondary school.[2] He cites the independent games Wilfred The Hero by Brandon Abley and Psychosomnium by Jonatan Söderström as major influences to create his own art in video games, which are often composed of diverse handmade materials including Lego, paper cutouts, clay figurines, and scanned drawings.[3] He has worked with a preference to developing short-form games, as illustrated by his 2014 compilation 50 Short Games, due to the shortness "giving (the games) a larger range" and reflecting the "practical impulse to compress and avoid unnecessary work." Gillmurphy states this approach was influenced by his experience with game jams, stating positive experiences with "shared constraints that kind of sync you up with other people".[4]

Gillmurphy has distributed his games on several websites, including under the names Games 4 Schools,[5] Mystery Zone,[6] and Harmony Zone,[7] the latter of which he has used to publish commercial titles including 50 Short Games. He has also published critical essays on Tumblr under the handle My Friend Pokey.[8]

In 2020, Gillmurphy began publishing the Strange Town/Of The Killer comedic horror series on GameJolt under the name garmentdistrict.[9]

Acclaim

Gillmurphy has received praise for his work from several outlets for its unique method of composition and unusual tone. Game Jolt praised Gillmurphy as possessing "one of the most exciting and original bodies of work in gaming", describing his games as "funny, surreal, boundary-pushing, and full of wonder over the possibilities of videogames and the worlds they can create."[3] Brendan Caldwell of Rock Paper Shotgun praised Gillmurphy's writing, stating that it possesses an odd humor...that lies somewhere between absurdity and academia," and complimented his worldbuilding as "self-contained asylums of weirdness."[10] Writing for Game Developer, Mike Rose stated that he "isn't like other developers," noting "the underlying mechanics of play will often force you into the sort of silly and sometimes uncomfortable territory that video games simply don't explore."[2]

Personal life

Gillmurphy was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland,[3] and studied as a mathematics student.[11] In 2012, Gillmurphy briefly worked in a full-time role as an insurance broker in Dublin.[2] He is noted as being reticent to discuss his personal life on the Internet, preferring to "stay in the shadows."[11]

Works

Under the names thecatamites, Harmony Zone, and garmentdistrict, Gillmurphy has self-published several independent games, listed below:

Year Title
2009 Biggles on Mars
2009 Paul Moose in Space World
2009 Bubsy The Bobcat in "RIP Van Bubsy" Starring Bubsy
2009 Twenties Flappers Vs The Mummy
2009 Ghost Voyage
2010 Veggie Tales 3D
2010 Too Many Kittens
2010 The New Adventures of Billy The Kid
2010 The Astonishing Captain Skull
2010 Space Funeral
2011 Murder Dog IV: Trial of the Murder Dog
2011 Crime Zone
2011 Drill Killer
2012 Super Eagle
2012 Jungle Max
2012 Goblet Grotto
2013 Mystery Channel
2014 50 Short Games
2014 Harmony Summer Hardpack Tape 11-in-1
2017 Mouse Corp
2017 Magic Wand
2019 10 Beautiful Postcards
2020 Voice of the Killer
2020 Hands of the Killer
2021 Drool of the Killer
2021 Eyes of the Killer
2021 Flesh of the Killer
2021 Blood of the Killer
2022 Ears of the Killer
2023 Heart of the Killer

References

  1. Carroll, Nilson (2021). "thecatamites' Magic Wand". Fence Digital.
  2. Rose, Mike (January 28, 2014). "Just who is 'thecatamites' anyway?". Game Developer.
  3. "Interview - The Catamites". GameJolt. June 5, 2013. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013.
  4. Cox, James Earl (January 14, 2018). "Game Jams with James: A Fireside with thecatamites". Game Curator.
  5. Gillmurphy, Stephen (2010). "Games 4 Schools dot com". Games 4 Schools.
  6. Gillmurphy, Stephen (2011). "Games". Mystery Zone.
  7. Gillmurphy, Stephen (2013). "Harmony Zone". Harmony Zone.
  8. Gillmurphy, Stephen. "My Friend Pokey". Tumblr.
  9. "Anthology of the Killer by thecatamites". itch.io. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  10. Caldwell, Brendan (June 14, 2016). "The Indie Devs You Won't Hear About At E3". Rock Paper Shotgun.
  11. Hardy, Igor (January 16, 2011). "I was lying in bed with my catamite... - Interview with thecatamites". A Hardy Developer's Journal. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011.
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