Don Daglow: 'A business does not love you back' after 55 years in games

Don Daglow, a 55-year games industry innovator, urged developers to value craft as much as reward during a panel at the 2026 Game Developers Conference. He is set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and spoke on March 9 during GDC Masters: 50 Years in Games and a Legacy for Creators.

He warned that "Games are a business, and right now, for the last few years, it has not been a good time," and added, "First of all, with games, business does not love you back." A slide in his presentation read, "Games are a Business. A business does not love you back.*" with a footnote: "*Unless you are a business person whose craft is enabling games to be made." Daglow — who created the first baseball sim in 1971, was one of the five original Intellivision developers in 1980, and designed Neverwinter Nights, the first MMORPG to include graphics — said he has been laid off, gone bankrupt and faced other setbacks.

"I don't care what happens in the business... I'm not gonna let anybody take this away from me," he said. "This is our craft.

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