Richard Tunnell

Last updated: January 14, 2026

Overview

Richard Tunnell is a video game designer who worked extensively at Dynamix during the company’s most productive years under Sierra On-Line ownership.¹ As the brother of Dynamix co-founder Jeff Tunnell, Richard contributed to many of the studio’s most successful franchises including The Incredible Machine series, 3-D Ultra Pinball, and Trophy Bass.² His career at Dynamix spanned the company’s evolution from simulation games to casual gaming, giving him experience across multiple genres and platforms.

Following his time at Dynamix, Tunnell continued his career in game development at GarageGames, Playdom, and eventually Zynga, where he served as Lead Game Designer.³ His progression from quality assurance and additional design roles at Dynamix to lead designer positions at major social gaming companies reflects the broader evolution of the gaming industry from traditional PC games to social and mobile platforms.

Career

Early Career

Richard Tunnell began his game development career at Dynamix, the Eugene, Oregon-based studio co-founded by his brother Jeff Tunnell and Damon Slye in 1984.⁴ His early work at the company included quality assurance and additional design contributions, allowing him to learn the development process while supporting the studio’s growing catalog of games. This hands-on approach to entering the industry was common during the era when game development teams were smaller and roles were less rigidly defined.

Dynamix Years

During his tenure at Dynamix, Tunnell contributed to several of the studio’s most commercially successful projects.¹ His work on The Incredible Machine 2 (1994) and The Incredible Toon Machine (1994) helped extend one of Jeff Tunnell Productions’ most beloved franchises. He also contributed to 3-D Ultra Pinball (1995), which launched another successful Sierra casual gaming series.⁵

Tunnell’s credits at Dynamix spanned both the company’s simulation era and its transition to casual gaming under Sierra’s ownership.² His involvement with Trophy Bass (1995) as a quality analyst demonstrated his versatility, contributing to a fishing simulation that became one of Sierra Sports’ biggest sellers. Later entries in The Incredible Machine series, including Return of The Incredible Machine: Contraptions (2000) and The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions (2001), featured his continued design contributions.⁶

Later Career

After Dynamix’s closure, Tunnell transitioned to new opportunities in the evolving game industry.³ He worked at GarageGames, continuing his connection to the indie and casual gaming space. His subsequent move to Playdom and then Zynga marked his entry into social gaming, where he rose to the position of Lead Game Designer. This career trajectory reflected the industry’s shift toward social and mobile platforms during the 2010s.

Notable Works

The Incredible Machine 2 (1994)

The Incredible Machine 2 expanded upon the original game’s physics-based puzzle gameplay, offering new contraptions and challenges.⁵ Tunnell’s contributions helped maintain the series’ quality while adding new content for fans of the original.

3-D Ultra Pinball (1995)

3-D Ultra Pinball launched what would become one of Sierra’s most successful casual gaming franchises.² The game’s combination of realistic pinball physics with creative table designs established a template that subsequent entries would follow.

Return of The Incredible Machine: Contraptions (2000)

Return of The Incredible Machine: Contraptions revived the beloved puzzle series for a new generation of players.⁶ Tunnell’s design work helped ensure the game maintained the creative spirit of the original while taking advantage of updated technology.

Legacy

Richard Tunnell’s career represents a successful path through multiple eras of game development, from traditional PC gaming at Dynamix through the social gaming revolution at companies like Zynga.³ His contributions to franchises like The Incredible Machine helped establish these series as enduring classics, while his later work in social gaming demonstrated adaptability to changing industry conditions.

Games

Year	Game	Role
1993	The Even More! Incredible Machine	Contributor
1994	The Incredible Machine 2	Designer
1994	The Incredible Toon Machine	Designer
1995	3-D Ultra Pinball	Additional Design
1995	Trophy Bass	Quality Analyst
1999	3-D Ultra Radio Control Racers	Designer
2000	3-D Ultra Radio Control Racers Deluxe	Designer
2000	Return of The Incredible Machine: Contraptions	Designer
2001	The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions	Designer

References

Footnotes

1. Sierra Wiki - Richard Tunnell — Dynamix career and game credits ↩ ↩²

2. MobyGames - Richard Tunnell — Complete game credits (21 games) ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. RocketReach - Richard Tunnell — Post-Dynamix career at GarageGames, Playdom, Zynga ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Wikipedia - Jeff Tunnell — Dynamix founding and family connection ↩

5. MobyGames - The Incredible Machine 2 Credits — TIM2 credits listing ↩ ↩²

6. Sierra Wiki - Dynamix Designers — Dynamix team information ↩ ↩²