publisher dragon age
Speculative fiction is a broad umbrella genre denoting any narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements ; this encompasses the genres of science fiction , fantasy , horror , alternative history , magic realism , and superhero fiction , as well as combinations of the previous genres . It typically strays strongly from reality and so may feature fictional types of beings like mythical ___MASK93___ and supernatural entities , technologies that do not exist in real life like time machines and interstellar spaceships , or magical or otherwise scientifically inexplicable elements . The term ' s popularity is sometimes attributed to Robert Heinlein , who referenced it in 1947 in an editorial essay , although there are prior mentions of speculative fiction , or its variant " speculative literature ". Science fiction ( often shortened to SF , sci - fi or scifi ) is a genre of speculative fiction , typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology , space travel , time travel , ___MASK50___ travel , parallel universes , and extraterrestrial life . Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations , and has been called a " literature of ideas ." It usually avoids the supernatural , and unlike the related genre of fantasy , historically science fiction stories were intended to have a grounding in science - based fact or theory at the time the story was created , but this connection is now limited to hard science fiction . Gregory P . Zeschuk is a former VP at ___MASK24___ and General Manager at BioWare Austin . He co - founded BioWare in 1995 with Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip , after all three earned their medical degrees from the University of Alberta . Zeschuk announced his retirement from BioWare on September 18 , 2012 . He is currently involved in a number of projects related to the craft - beer industry , including the production of a web - based interview show known as " The Beer Diaries ." High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy , defined either by its setting in a fictional universe or by the epic stature of its characters , themes , and plot . The term " high fantasy " was coined by Lloyd Alexander in a 1971 essay , " High Fantasy and Heroic Romance ". ___MASK24___ Inc . ( EA ) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City , California . Founded and incorporated on May 28 , 1982 by Trip Hawkins , the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible for its games . As of 2014 , ___MASK24___ was the world ' s fourth - largest gaming company by revenue after Tencent , Sony and Microsoft The company sparked controversies over its advertising efforts , and acquisition of other studios . Dragon Age is a high fantasy role - playing video game series created by BioWare . The first game , Dragon Age : Origins , was released in 2009 . Dragon Age II , a sequel to Origins , was released in March 2011 . Dragon Age : Inquisition was released in November 2014 . The series ' fantasy setting has also been used by a variety of other media , including books and tabletop games , and the three main games have been joined by a variety of downloadable content ( DLC ) add - ons . A role - playing video game ( commonly referred to as role - playing game or RPG , and in the past was also known as computer role - playing game or CRPG ) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character ( and / or several party members ) immersed in some well - defined world . Many role - playing video games have origins in pen - and - paper role - playing games ( Including " Dungeons & Dragons ") and use much of the same , settings and game mechanics . Other major similarities with pen - and - paper games include developed story - telling and narrative elements , player character development , complexity , as well as replayability and immersion . The electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed . RPGs have evolved from simple text - based console - window games into visually rich 3D experiences . Since the 1980s , Role - playing is the most commercially viable video game genre in ___MASK34___ , and has more market share of any other genre in the japanese gaming industry , although in the 2010s first - person shooters and western iOS and ___MASK78___ games were becoming rapidly and increasingly popular in that country . BioWare is a video game developer located in Edmonton , Alberta , Canada . It was founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka , Greg Zeschuk , and Augustine Yip . BioWare is currently owned by American company ___MASK24___ . The company specializes in role - playing video games , and became famous for launching highly praised and successful licensed franchises , " Baldur ' s Gate ", " Neverwinter Nights ", and "". They proceeded to make several other successful games based on original intellectual property : " Jade Empire ", the " Mass Effect " series , and the " Dragon Age " series . In 2011 , BioWare launched their first massively multiplayer online role - playing game , "". The supernatural ( Medieval Latin : " superntrlis ": " supra " " above " + " ___MASK86___ " " natural ", first used : 1520  1530 AD ) includes all that cannot be explained by science or the laws of nature , including things characteristic of or relating to ghosts , gods , or other supernatural beings , or to things beyond nature . Ray Muzyka is a Canadian investor , entrepreneur and physician . Originally trained as a medical doctor and practicing as an emergency room and family physician after graduation , he is the co - founder of video game developer BioWare , and was CEO , senior vice president , and general manager of the BioWare label of ___MASK24___ ( comprising BioWare Edmonton , BioWare Austin , BioWare Montreal , BioWare Ireland , BioWare Victory , BioWare San Francisco , BioWare Sacramento and Mythic Entertainment ). In October 2012 he announced that he was embarking on a ' third career ' mentoring and investing in technology , new media , medical and social entrepreneurs , and impact investing at ThresholdImpact . Baldur ' s Gate is a fantasy role - playing video game developed by BioWare and published in 1998 by ___MASK14___ . It is the first game in the " Baldur ' s Gate " series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms , a high fantasy campaign setting , using a modified version of the " Advanced Dungeons & Dragons " (" AD & D ") 2nd edition rules . The game received critical acclaim and was credited for revitalizing the computer role - playing game genre . The game allows development of the player character through choice of companions , dialogue choices , exploration , and battle . " Baldur ' s Gate " uses a reputation system and rewards the player depending on the choices made in the game . Fantasy is a fiction genre set in an imaginary universe , often but not always without any locations , events , or people from the real world . Most fantasy uses magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element , theme , or setting . Magic and magical ___MASK93___ are common in many of these imaginary worlds . Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes , respectively , though there is a great deal of overlap between the three , all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction . Jade Empire is an action role - playing game developed by BioWare and published by ___MASK17___ Game Studios , originally released worldwide for the Xbox . A ___MASK69___ version , developed by LTI Gray Matter and published by ___MASK96___ , was released in North America on February 26 , 2007 , as a " Special Edition ". " Jade Empire " was released as an Xbox Original on ___MASK17___ ' s Xbox 360 on July 21 , 2008 . The " Special Edition " became available for Mac OS X on August 18 , 2008 . Mass Effect is a science fiction action role - playing third - person shooter video game series developed by the Canadian company BioWare and released for the Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , and ___MASK69___ , with the third installment also released on the Wii U . The fourth game is expected to release on Windows , PlayStation 4 and Xbox One . Neverwinter Nights is a third - person role - playing video game developed by BioWare . ___MASK14___ was originally set to publish the game , but financial difficulties led to it being taken over by Atari . It was released on Microsoft Windows on June 18 , 2002 . BioWare later released a free Linux client in June 2003 , requiring a purchased copy of the game to play . MacSoft released a Mac OS X port in August 2003 . Canada ( French : ) is a country in the northern half of ___MASK26___ . Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean , covering , making it the world ' s second - largest country by total area and the fourth - largest country by land area . Canada ' s border with the United States is the world ' s longest land border . The majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate , but southerly areas are warm in summer . Canada is sparsely populated , the majority of its land territory being dominated by forest and tundra and the Rocky Mountains . About four - fifths of the country ' s population of 36 million people is urbanized and live near the southern border . Its capital is Ottawa , its largest city is Toronto ; other major urban areas include Montreal , Vancouver , Calgary , Edmonton , Quebec City , Winnipeg and Hamilton .