Warren Spector
Videogames: The Medium of the 21st Century
#1about 8 minutes
A veteran's journey through game development history
The speaker recounts his 42-year career, from tabletop RPGs to influential video games like Ultima Underworld, System Shock, and Deus Ex.
#2about 5 minutes
The massive cultural and business impact of games
Video games have surpassed movies, music, and television combined in revenue and now appeal to a broad, diverse global audience.
#3about 5 minutes
The four unique elements that define video games
Games are a unique medium because they transport players to other worlds, require active participation, and create a responsive two-way dialogue.
#4about 8 minutes
Shared authorship as a core design philosophy
Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of shared authorship empowers players to co-create the story through meaningful choices and consequences.
#5about 5 minutes
Defining the roles of the developer and the player
Developers create the context and boundaries of the experience, while players assess challenges, formulate plans, and execute them to create their unique story.
#6about 6 minutes
Why games are the defining medium of our time
Beyond entertainment, games provide joy, connection, and intellectual challenges while also driving major technological advancements in hardware and software.
Related jobs
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.
Matching moments
28:14 MIN
How games can explore complex real-world issues
Fireside Chat with Warren Spector & John Romero
23:43 MIN
How games create narrative and player-driven stories
The Story of Games
34:25 MIN
The future of gaming technology and design
A Lifetime in Games: The Past, Present and Future of the Industry
42:20 MIN
Q&A on modern game releases and industry advice
A Lifetime in Games: The Past, Present and Future of the Industry
37:57 MIN
Addressing the lack of diversity and representation in games
The Story of Games
29:56 MIN
Q&A on gamification, scaling, and the future of DevOps
We adopted DevOps and are Cloud-native, Now What?
28:49 MIN
Exploring the cultural crossover of gaming, modding, and metal music
WeAreDevelopers LIVE - "Fun and games - and all that comes with it", Back to BASIC & more
01:08 MIN
Defining the role and craft of a game designer
The Story of Games
Featured Partners
Related Videos
33:09Fireside Chat with Warren Spector & John Romero
John Romero, Christian Heilmann & Warren Spector
29:27The Future Past of Technology - A Game Developers POV
Johanna Pirker
56:37The Story of Games
Brenda Romero
28:28We are all part of the game
Johanna Pirker
47:36A Lifetime in Games: The Past, Present and Future of the Industry
John Romero
29:3730 Years of Rip and Tear: Doom’s development story
John Romero
23:12What AI Can, Can’t, and Shouldn’t do for Games
John Romero
44:49Wolfenstein 3D Postmortem
John Romero
Related Articles
View all articles
From learning to earning
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@context":"https://schema.org/","@type":"JobPosting","@id":"#jobPosting","title":"Functionality QA Video Games Tester
Universally Speaking
Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden, United Kingdom
JIRA
Microsoft Office
Gameplay programmer Unity
Agence Francaise pour le Jeu Vidéo
Canton of Montpellier-3, France
Intermediate
Unreal Game Developer
Productivity
Staphorst, Netherlands
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@context":"https://schema.org/","@type":"JobPosting","@id":"#jobPosting","title":"Advanced Software Engineer (Graphics)
Sports Interactive
Remote
Senior
API
iOS
C++
DirectX