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Barry Reich

From M:TG Archive, a library of Magic: The Gathering information

Barry "Bit" Reich holds the honor of being the first person to ever play the game of Magic: The Gathering. When Richard Garfield was still a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, he showed Reich the initial version of the game. Reich's input earned him design contribution credit and he is listed in the original rulebook. After Alpha, he continued as a playtester for Ice Age and Mirage.

In 1993, Reich, who enjoyed multi-color play, designed a set called Spectral Chaos. Years later, Barry's set was the starting point for work on the expansion which would come to be known as Invasion. Many of Reich's original ideas made their way into that set, as well as Planeshift and Apocalypse. The "domain" mechanic was nicknamed the "Barry mechanic" during the design stage, as a tribute.

Reich is the Founder, President, and CEO of the The Imp Lair Group – a group of individuals "who are dedicated to using game theory and mechanics to solve real life corporate problems". He previously also co-founded Dill Pixels, Inc., in 1996. Dill Pixels produced CD-ROMs, web sites, visual interfaces for software, and games for children.

Barry holds a Ph.D. and an M.S.E. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Maryland.