Forget the Dos Equis guy–Dr. Richard Garriott de Cayeux is Austin’s most interesting man, at the very least. He invented the gaming phrase “avatar,” spent nearly his entire net worth to visit the International Space Station and is the only single person to own part of the moon. He also helped found the Google Lunar X Prize, which will award any privately-funded spaceflight team that can successfully launch a robotic spacecraft that can land and travel across the surface of the Moon while sending back to Earth specified images and other data. He joked: “If you can land on the part of the moon I own, I’ll pay you $1 million for finding it–then charge you $1 million for trespassing.” He created his wealth through the multiple gaming companies he started, beginning in the 1970s. He says his games are different because he ties in real social issues, such as racism. “I like to make games that are worthy of your time to play on a personal level. As a society, we are still struggling with equality issues on every level. Games are inclusive, but most gamemakers are white males. It’s really hard to find a woman who is a programmer. In my whole life, I’ve interviewed three, maybe four. And it’s the anonymity of games that allow people to act in their worst ways.” He is extremely interested in a variety of topics, and has the collections to prove it. One of his interests guided some of his investments. […]
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