The Elder Scrolls is a series of action role-playing open world fantasy video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series is known for its elaborate and richly detailed open worlds and its focus on free-form gameplay. Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim all won Game of the Year awards from multiple outlets. The series has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
Prior to working on The Elder Scrolls series, Bethesda had worked predominantly with sports and action games. In the six years from its founding to Arena's 1994 release, Bethesda had released ten games, six of them sports games, with such titles as Hockey League Simulator, NCAA Basketball: Road to the Final Four ('91/'92 Edition), and Wayne Gretzky Hockey, and the remaining four adaptations from other media, primarily the Terminator series. Bethesda's course changed abruptly when it began its first action role-playing venture. Designer Ted Peterson recalls: "I remember talking to the guys at Sir-Tech who were doing Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant at the time, and them literally laughing at us for thinking we could do it." Ted Peterson worked alongside Vijay Lakshman as one of the initial designers of what was then simply Arena, a "medieval-style gladiator game."
In archaeology a blade is a type of stone tool created by striking a long narrow flake from a stone core.
Blades are defined as being flakes that are at least twice as long as they are wide and that have parallel or subparallel sides and at least two ridges on the dorsal (outer) side. Additionally, a tool must be part of an intentional blade industry in order to properly be considered a blade; tools which show the characteristics of blades through variation but are not intentionally produced with those characteristics are not considered true blades. Blades became the favoured technology of the Upper Palaeolithic era, although they are occasionally found in earlier periods. A soft punch or hammerstone is necessary in creating a blade and their long sharp edges made them useful for a variety of purposes. They were often worked to create scrapers or burins.
Cores from which blades have been struck are called blade cores and the tools created from single blades are called blade tools. Small examples (under 12 mm) are called microblades and were used in the Mesolithic as elements of composite tools. Blades with one edge blunted by removal of tiny flakes are called backed blade.
Blade is a British rapper. His first single, "Lyrical Maniac (Raw Bass)", was recorded in 1989 and brought Blade to prominence in the then-fledgling British rap scene.
Born in the Armenian quarter of Iran, Blade came to London when he was 7. Because of the Iranian Revolution his family became unable to send money to support him. He remained in London, schooled in Blackheath, and spent a summer holiday in Hove with his brother and cousins who were studying there.
Blade started out as a break dancer and graffiti artist using the name Electron, before he was named "Blade" by a friend. The friend was later killed while painting graffiti on the underground, and Blade kept the name as a mark of respect.
His first contact with hip hop came in 1979. He began to write down the lyrics of songs he heard and performed them at school. The release of the Wild Style film made him realize hip hop's potential influence and made him determined to become part of the movement.
In 1986, he moved to New Cross. Unable to afford furniture or a social life, he spent time at home, writing lyrics and perfecting his style. During this time, that he wrote the track "Lyrical Maniac".