Don Daglow

Don Daglow (born circa 1953) is an American video game designer, programmer, and producer. He is best known for his role in the early history of video games, and is credited with many innovations in the field. This includes the first baseball game (Baseball, (1971), one of the first role-playing games (Dungeon, 1975), the first RTS or sim game (Utopia, 1981), and the first graphical MMORPG (Neverwinter Nights, 1991). Many individual elements of the language of video game design are also credited to Daglow, such as the use of a circle beneath a player to indicate the possession of the ball in sports games, first used in Tony La Russa's Ultimate Baseball (1991). He founded Stormfront Studios in 1988, which developed a number of his titles.

Daglow has received many accolades for his work in the field. In 2003 he was the recipient of the CGE Achievement Award for "groundbreaking accomplishments that shaped the Video Game Industry." In 2008 he was honored at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for Neverwinter Nights pioneering role in MMORPG development. Along with John Carmack of id Software and Mike Morhaime of Blizzard Entertainment, Daglow is one of only three game developers to accept awards at both the Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards and at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Interactive Achievement Awards. In 2026, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards.