Celebrated Winnipeg-born video game designer dies

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/08/2017 (3000 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Corey Gaspur’s parents bought him a Super Mario game and Nintendo game console at three years of age, they had no idea what they had sparked.

Gaspur not only played numerous video games on different gaming systems with his brother and friends in Winnipeg throughout the years, but after growing up, he went on to help create some of the world’s most popular video games, including the Mass Effect series, Dragon Age: Origins, Sonic Chronicles, and Star Wars Battlefront.

“What really bothers me is what would he have done in another 30 years?”–David Gaspur

Gaspur died accidentally in Edmonton on July 28. He was 33.

A statement from BioWare, a division of EA Sports, where Gaspur worked for more than nine years at its Edmonton location and was the lead designer on the game Anthem, said that “with great sadness we announce the passing of our friend and colleague.

“Corey was a talented designer and an even better person. We offer our condolences to Corey’s family and everyone that knew him.

“We will miss you.”

Gaspur’s parents, David and Kelly, said neither of them was surprised their son made his mark in video games.

“Looking back, he was always destined to do that,” David said on Thursday, noting his son was so prominent in the gaming design world that his death was written up by Rolling Stone magazine.

“He was working on Anthem — he was really working hard on that. He said he wanted people to have the best experience on that game.

“What really bothers me is what would he have done in another 30 years?”

‘He was always there for the players’

Gaspur was born in Winnipeg and studied at École LaVérendrye School and Grant Park High School before going to the University of Manitoba.

Kelly said their son was ready to follow his dream of becoming a game designer earlier, but, being parents, they sat him down and said they would never discourage him, but he should get a university degree first to have something to fall back on if it didn’t work out.

“He was somebody who had a dream, he was going to do it, he was going to be passionate about it — and he did it.”–David Gaspur

She said once her son graduated as a clinical psychologist, he returned the favour and sat his parents down for a discussion.

“I still remember it like yesterday — he said he found this school in Vancouver. He said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ And he made it. He made it with his tenacity, talent — and he was smart.”

Gaspur graduated from the Vancouver Film School in 2006 and was hired by Propaganda Games, a Walt Disney company, working on a reboot of the game Turok.

David said game designers like his son are treated like rock stars by gamers, but his son never let it go to his head, remaining humble to the end.

“He was always there for the players,” David said.

“He said he would go back to the other members of his team and tell them no, this (part of the game) has to be done this way. He was very passionate.

“He was somebody who had a dream, he was going to do it, he was going to be passionate about it — and he did it.”

Gaspur is survived by his parents, his wife, Laura, his three-year-old son, Cain, and a sister and brother.

Gaspur’s celebration of life will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Roblin Boulevard.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca