From the PET to the iPhone: the gamer who helped build Silicon Spa
Sitting in a beautiful kitchen, the sun shining bright through a large window, David Darling turns his head away from his screen and, for the first time during our conversation, looks a tad uncomfortable. I’ve just reminded him that Matt Western, the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, recently drew a comparison between his family and the endeavours of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
“I wouldn’t compare myself to Steve Jobs,” he said, wincing slightly. “But he was somebody who inspired me; somebody who carried on fighting. He was such a determined and visionary character.”
It’s easy to see where Western was coming from as Darling co-founded the video game company Codemasters 35 years ago along with his brother Richard, and father James. While at the helm, Codemasters published a host of iconic titles such as Dizzy, Brian Lara Cricket, Colin McRae Rally, Micro Machines, Operation Flashpoint and TOCA.
More than that, the company helped establish the picturesque regency town of Leamington Spa as an unlikely yet booming tech hub – named as one of the five happiest places to live in Great Britain last year.
Darling still lives in the area, having upgraded to an
