My introduction to the Ultima series was a late one. Having missed numbers one through eight for a number of reasons (namely age, and the fact my dad had a bizarre and exclusive penchant for pinball games a genre which in turn commandeered our games library throughout my childhood), I decided to pick up the Ultima Collection in 1998 at the behest of some series worshipping mates. This would get me up to speed, I thought, and would also grant me a sneak peak at the then upcoming Ultima 9. With ten games to play with, this was sure to swallow my free time, but what I hadn't bargained for was how hard I'd fall for the Collection's seemingly novelty cloth maps.

They were beautiful and I became obsessed. I'd spend hours poring over each game's respective blueprint before every session, and then push myself to reach the far-flung corners of their digital incarnations. I'd invent imaginary treasure hunts and would spend entire evenings recreating my own crude interpretations of the game's vibrant, colourful cartography with crayons and felt pens and coloured pencils. I was an adventurer, an explorer, a keyboard trailblazer and there was as much fun, if not more, to be had with a physical map than the actual games themselves.

Later that same year, my friend lent me his big brother's copy of Grand Theft Auto and I discovered a whole new world of detail. The Manhattan-like homogenous grids of Liberty City, Vice, and San Andreas were masterful, and I'd delight in rallying between the Pay 'n' Spray in Brocklin, the bomb shop in North Hackenslash, the hospital in Eaglewood. The original GTA's 'open world' was ahead of its time, but its concrete playground felt far bigger as I traced each journey with my finger before and after each playthrough. The connection I made between what I had on paper and what I could see onscreen lent this boorishly visualised cityscape an extra layer of credibility.

And then of course every game needed a physical map even the ones that didn't have one. I made bird's eye view reconstructions of my Theme Parks, Theme Hospitals and SimCity 2000's which, given their topdown/isometric perspectives wasn't all too difficult to achieve. Crafting the likes of Tomb Raider's Atlantis, on the other hand, and thinking my use of protractors and steel rules and speed squares made one jot of difference towards their legibility, was a different story/mess entirely.

As games became more sophisticated, in-game maps gradually begun to emulate my hand-crafted creations. Silent Hill 2's map is one which stands to mind. As fumbling protagonist James Sunderland makes his way around the titular otherworldly town, road blocks appear from nowhere, interminable holes form as if by magic, and busted locks so many busted locks prevent him from accessing certain areas.

When James first happens upon maps for each zone in turn he starts with a clean slate, but as he discovers said insurmountable obstacles, he draws the obstructions on himself much similar to how I penned my masterpieces in my formative years. Towards the end of Silent Hill 3, without spoiling its plot, one area's in-game map mirrors that of a child's crayon drawing. It's a real flash of charm in an otherwise horrendous setting.

Like instruction manuals, physical maps are few and far between in today's games. I'm part of the problem I rarely buy physical games anymore. But if I ever catch wind that one is bundled with a real life, hold-in-yer-hand map, then I'll almost certainly be first in line to buy it. I might even stop for crayons, pencils and steel rules on the way home.

Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies, a producer on every Grand Theft Auto game since GTA 3 as well as Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire, and Max Payne 3, has left the studio. His departure was confirmed today in a statement sent to Kotaku, in which Rockstar said Benzies had been on an extended sabbatical and elected not to return.

We can confirm that Leslie Benzies went on sabbatical on September 1, 2014 and has decided not to return to work for the company. We are very grateful for Leslie s contributions to Rockstar over the last 15 years as we worked together to make some amazing games, the statement says. Leslie helped us build an incredible team that will continue to create great experiences for our fans. Leslie will always be a friend to the company and of course we are going to miss him but we wish him the absolute best for the future.

Benzies joined the studio in 1998, when it was still known as DMA Design, and worked as the lead programmer on the Nintendo 64/PlayStation release Space Station Silicon Valley. His name may not be as immediately recognizable as those of founders Sam and Dan Houser, but he was instrumental in the creation of Grand Theft Auto 3, the game that launched the series as we now know it, and for seeing it grow into its subsequent world-beating success as the president of Rockstar North. In 2005, he and Sam Houser were awarded a BAFTA Special Award for Games for their contribution to the videogame industry; in 2014, he, along with Dan and Sam Houser, were inducted in the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.

According to the Kotaku report, Rockstar North is now headed up by Aaron Garbut and Rob Nelson, who most recently shared art direction duties on Grand Theft Auto V.

There was a time when the name Jack Thompson inspired loathing, anger, and even fear in the hearts of gamers. He was the industry's number one enemy, a giant killer, relentless and indefatigable, who would stop at nothing to get his way. Until his antics in and out of the courtroom grew so bizarre and offensive, that is, that he was disbarred permanently, with no leave to apply for reinstatement. All of this is relevant because, back in the days when Thompson mattered, his number-one target was Grand Theft Auto, and that epic conflict forms the basis of an upcoming movie called The Game Changers, which is set to debut on BBC Two later this month.

A Beeb docu-drama may not sound like the most thrilling thing ever, but this one stands out because it stars Daniel Radcliffe as Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser, and Bill Paxton as Thompson. Radcliffe, of course, is famous for portraying Harry Potter, while Paxton is a Hollywood character actor stalwart who's been doing good things since the early '80s. Also, as the BBC explained in May, Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against it over the film, saying it wanted "to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC's pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games." Which probably only had the opposite desired effect of making people want to see it more.

The lawsuit doesn't appear to have had any impact on its release, however. The Gamechangers is slated to make its debut on BBC Two on September 15.

Thanks, GamesRadar.

The BBC are working on a high profile docu-drama about the making of, and legacy of, the Grand Theft Auto series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Radcliffe will be starring in it, playing the role of Rockstar founder Sam Houser. They're obviously spending a bit of money on it.

But according to some who worked on the first game, under the banner of Dundee's DMA Design, the documentary might not be entirely accurate.

I find it quite telling that no-one from DMA I ve spoken to so far seems to know anything about it," says former DMA writer Steve Hammond. "With Rockstar s famous reticence to talk to anyone, that makes the only behind the scenes source David Kushner s book Jacked, which frankly has me a bit worried."

He later adds: "I wonder if the GTA team will be portrayed as badasses and bad boys compared to the other teams, as per Kushner s book? In reality, no more or less bad/weird/outsider than any other team.

You can read more from these ex-DMA devs on GamesRadar. Will you watch when the drama is eventually released?

BBC has confirmed it is producing a TV movie based on the rise of Rockstar Games and Grand Theft Auto. 'Gamechanger' will tell the story of "arguably the greatest British coding success story since Bletchley Park," and is expected to start shooting on April 20.

New reports suggest that Harry Potter himself, better known as actual person Daniel Radcliffe, is in negotiations to star as Rockstar co-founder and president Sam Houser. Interestingly, GTA hater and serial pest Jack Thompson is in the script, suggesting the film will focus on the media outrage that followed GTA 3's release.

Reports of Radcliffe's potential involvement come via Hollywood Reporter. Jack Thompson's role hasn't been cast yet, but occasional Black Mirror director Owen Harris will direct the film. The 90 minute tele-movie arrives as part of a BBC initiative to "inspire a new generation with digital technology". Maybe that new generation can port Red Dead Redemption to PC? Who knows.

A drama "based on Grand Theft Auto" is being made for British TV by the BBC. It's part of the BBC's "Make It Digital" campaign, which hopes to "get the nation truly excited about digital creativity".

It's being co-developed by games and technology journalist Guy Cocker, who confirms on Twitter that it will be a drama "about the making of GTA", rather than a violent gangland adaptation of GTA's subject matter.

The BBC media centre describes it as a "special 90-minute drama" about "a bunch of British gaming geniuses who had known each other since their school days". The show will also dramatise the moral panic that erupted when the game was released, "from parents worried about children immersing themselves in such a violent world; from politicians, alarmed at the values it encourages; and above all from moral-campaigners, who have fought passionately to stop it."

No air date yet, or news about whether it'll find its way to international audiences, but we've reached a stage where a respected TV institution is hailing game developers as "geniuses", quite different from the mainstream media treatment games typically receive. Can't be a bad thing, can it?