[Beam Software: interview with Alfred Milgrom]

Beam Software produced a series of groundbreaking games in the 1980s, most notably the seminal games of ‘The Hobbit’, which allowed characters to direct other characters, and ‘The Way of the exploding fist’, one of the first one-on-one fighting games developed for the home computer. Beam was sold to Krome Studios in 2006 which, in turn, ceased operations in 2010. These unedited interviews with some of the key members of Beam Software were filmed at ACMI in April 2006.

Alfred Milgrom, with business partner and marketing expert Naomi Besen, launched Beam Software in 1980. From the company’s beginnings as UK publishing firm, Melbourne House, Milgrom and Besen moved to Australia and opened up their software programming arm with Beam. He reflects on his years in the software industry and the innovations Beam initiated, both in games design and corporate culture.