Joel A. Billings
Joel A. Billings
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| Billings, Joel A. |
Career
Joel Billings is a trailblazing video game designer, producer, and entrepreneur best known as the founder of Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI)—a company that helped shape the early era of computer strategy and wargaming.
Billings’ passion for wargames began in childhood, sparked by his father’s gift of Tactics II from Avalon Hill in 1965. By age seven, he was recreating battles in his living room and founding school clubs to find fellow enthusiasts. His early dedication to wargaming ultimately planted the seeds for a revolutionary career in digital game development.
While preparing to attend business school in 1979, Billings encountered a TRS-80 personal computer. Instantly captivated by its potential to enhance the complexity and realism of strategy games, he made a bold decision: to postpone business school and pursue his dream of transforming traditional wargaming through software. With just $1,000 in personal savings, he founded Strategic Simulations, Inc. in the summer of 1979 from his small Silicon Valley apartment.
Billings’ first title, Computer Bismarck, co-developed with programmer John Lyon, became the first commercially published computer wargame. Released in 1980 for the Apple II, it introduced innovations such as solo AI opponents and fog of war mechanics, and it was packaged with unusually professional flair— borrowing visual and marketing sensibilities from board games. The game’s success, with nearly 8,000 units sold, laid the foundation for SSI’s reputation as a leader in computer strategy games.
From 1979 to 1995, Billings served as producer on over 60 titles and presided over the release of more than 150 games under the SSI banner, spanning historical wargames, fantasy role-playing games, and sports simulations. Although his first love remained historical wargames, Billings oversaw diverse genres and helped elevate SSI to the forefront of the industry.
A significant achievement came in 1987 when Billings secured the rights to publish computer adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons from TSR. This led to the launch of the Gold Box series, which became one of the most successful and beloved RPG franchises of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In 1994, SSI was acquired by Mindscape. Though he remained with the company for several years, Billings soon found that corporate leadership lacked the creative fulfillment of game production. In 2000, he returned to hands-on development by co-founding 2by3 Games with designers Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors— both of whom he first met during his SSI years. Together, they focused on producing sophisticated and historically accurate wargames for dedicated strategy fans.
Billings’ love of military history was deeply personal—shaped by a family legacy of World War II service. His father, Robert Billings, fought in Europe as an artillery forward observer and later published a novel based on his experiences. Several of Joel's uncles served with distinction across the European and Pacific theaters, further inspiring his lifelong interest in the subject matter.
In 2013, Billings demonstrated his dedication to preserving video game history by donating the source code and materials from early SSI games—including Computer Bismarck—to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG).
Joel Billings holds a degree in economics from Claremont McKenna College (Class of 1979) and continues to contribute to the gaming community through 2by3 Games. His pioneering work has left an indelible mark on the strategy game genre and helped usher in the era of computer wargaming.
- Strategic Simulations, Inc., 1979-1994, Founder and President
- 2by3 Games, 2000-Present, Founder and President
