Prof. Markus Hettlich ✝ – Cologne Game Lab

*16.09.1960 – † 03.06.2022

A physicist by training, pilot, and teacher, Prof. Markus Hettlich has been involved in the development of the Cologne Game Lab since the institute’s early beginnings in 2010 – first as a freelance lecturer, from 2016 as an interim professor, and from 2017 as a professor of game programming – he essentially designed the curriculum of this major.

Focusing on game informatics at the CGL, he covered a broad range of game-related technologies, such as game engine design, network programming, 3D programming, and mobile devices.

On June 3, 2022, our esteemed colleague and friend passed away. We miss him deeply, and in spirit, we will keep him in our midst.

Education and Professional Experience

Markus studied physics at the University of Cologne and completed a preclinical semester of medicine at the University of Hamburg. His field of work was atomic and molecular physics and his diploma thesis was the development of a time-of-flight spectrometer for a 150kV proton accelerator and the associated software. This spectrometer analyzed the masses of molecule fragments by the flight time over a specific distance in an electric field. The fragments were generated by a collision between a pulsed proton beam and a molecule target. The pulse generator for the proton beam was also part of the thesis. Markus has been with the Cologne Game Lab from the beginning in 2010, first as a lecturer, then as an interim professor in 2016, and as a full-time professor one year later.

Markus wrote his first commercial software application in 1977 on a Canon BX1 for a structural engineer. Starting in 1984, he began to work as a freelance professional, first part-time, and after the end of his studies full-time. In 1989 he co-founded Nano-comp Electronic GmbH, a small company focusing on selling hardware and developing software. Four years later, Markus realized that the business aspects of the company didn’t fit his passion for developing software-related solutions, and he decided to leave.

As a freelancer, Markus’ projects cover a broad range of applications, from large-scale media facades to mobile games. The list of past clients includes the Bundesministerien (Ministry of Berlin), TV stations, publishers, event agencies, the automobile industry, and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The following list of customers is only an excerpt: SONY, VW, Philipps, Opel, Mitsubishi, ZDF, WDR, RTL, superRTL, Bayer, MerckSerono, Pfizer, BASF, DHL, Festo, T-mobile, Lufthansa, SAP, Metro, BMAS, BMF, BMBF, Bosch, Fresenius, Bauknecht, ABB, EnBW.

Most of the projects mentioned before were based on gamification mechanics and were not released as standalone games. In parallel to these projects, Markus began developing continuously in the mid-1990s. Besides a few larger productions, his games generally focused on small to midsize-scaled projects for children between 8 and 12. Most of these were simple, fun games, educational games, or games related to TV series. His recent games primarily target mobile devices and the web.