Rebecca Ann Heineman (30 October 1963–17 November 2025), lovingly known as “Burger Becky,” was a prolific and foundational game designer and programmer credited on at least six dozen games. An inductee to the International Video Game Hall of Fame, she worked on design for multiple major corporations and was founder or co-founder of four video game companies, including Interplay Productions and Olde Sküül, where she was the CEO for twelve years.
Heineman’s contributions to gamewriting and design are as influential as they were a lifelong passion. As a child, she famously reverse engineered Atari 2600 code to build herself a game library. At age sixteen, she won the national Space Invaders championship, making her the first to ever win a national video game tournament in the U.S.A., after which she left high school to take a video game coding job, where she would continue to influence the field of game design, both video and table top, for the next forty-five years.
Her death follows the 2024 death of wife and also legendary game designer Jennell Jaquays. They both understood the importance of role-playing in exploring one’s one identity, and were strong advocates for fellow women, queer people, and trans people—in gaming and in life. Heineman was part of the advisory board for the Videogame History Museum, and on the board of directors for GLAAD. She was awarded the 2025 Gayming Icon award for her lifetime of contributions.
Heineman’s influence will continue. Through decades of mentorship and guidance, and her own connections between video and tabletop, much of the game design across the industry has been influenced by Heineman’s work, including her passion for narrative and character in design and her focus on accessibility.
Game designer Matt Forbeck says about Heineman, “Much like her wife Jennell, Becky was an inspiration and a legend as both a game designer and as a person, blazing trails in work and life.”
Rebecca Heineman lived 62 years.