Warren Spector

Infobox Person
name = Warren Evan Spector


image_size = 200px
caption = Warren Spector in 1999
birth_date = October 2, 1955
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death_date =
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occupation = Video game designer
spouse = Caroline L. Skelley
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Warren Spector is a veteran computer game designer. He is known for having worked to merge elements of role-playing games and first-person shooters. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, fantasy writer Caroline L. Skelley.

Education

Spector earned his BSc in Communications at Northwestern University and MA in Radio-TV-Film at the University of Texas in Austin.

Career

Before entering the computer game industry, Spector worked for Steve Jackson Games producing role-playing games. Most notably, he developed "Toon" with colleague and high school buddy Greg Costikyan. In 1987 he was hired by TSR, Inc., where he spent some time in their R&D department, helping launch among other things, "Spelljammer". He is also credited with working on "Top Secret/S.I."

Subsequently he worked with Origin Systems and Looking Glass Studios. He worked on games including ' and ', "System Shock", and worked briefly on "Dark Camelot", which later became '. Later he founded Ion Storm Inc.'s Austin branch, which went on to develop "Deus Ex", ', and "" before being closed by owners Eidos Interactive in February 2005.cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/02/10/news_6118364.html|title=Ion Storm closes its doors | publisher=GameSpot | work=GameSpot | author=Tor Thorsen | accessdate=2007-05-05]

In 2004, Spector left Ion Storm to "pursue personal interests outside the company".cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11/08/news_6112661.html|title=Warren Spector exits Eidos | publisher=GameSpot | work=GameSpot | author=Tor Thorsen | accessdate=2007-05-04] In 2005, it was announced that he had established a new studio Junction Point Studioscite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/03/08/news_6119959.html|title=Warren Spector resurfaces at Junction Point | publisher=GameSpot | work=GameSpot | author=Curt Feldman & Tor Thorsen | accessdate=2007-05-05] , where he is working on an unspecified game to be built with Valve's Source engine and released through Valve's Steam digital distribution system.cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7274|title=Spector's Junction Point Working On Steam-Distributed Title | publisher=Gamasutra | work=Gamasutra | author=Simon Carless | accessdate=2007-05-05] A job advertisement for the studio called for artists for a game that has "classic Hollywood cartoons" featuring "cartoon mice, cats and wabbits". On July 13, 2007, it was announced that Disney Interactive had acquired Junction Point Studios.cite news | first=Matt | last=Martin | coauthors= | title=Disney swoops for Spector's Junction Point Studios | date=2007-07-13 | publisher=GamesIndustry.biz | url =http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=26712 | work =GamesIndustry.biz | pages = | accessdate = 2007-08-18 | language = ]

Cameo appearances

Warren Spector appears in many of the games which he helped design. In ' and ' he appears as the scientist Johann Schliemann Spector, alias Zipactriotl. In ' he appears as the corrupt treasurer Spektor. In the first ' title, he appears as "an upset specter named Warren". In "System Shock" he voices one of the log files. In "Deus Ex", the face of the character "Ford Schick" was modelled after him; in addition, "iamwarren" is one of the game's cheats (it causes electronic devices in the player's vicinity to malfunction spectacularly, a joke by the development team).

Credits

Video games

* "Wing Commander" (1990), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1990), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1990), ORIGIN Systems
* "Bad Blood" (1990), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1991), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1991), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1991), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1992), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1993), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1993), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1993), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1993), Electronic Arts
* "Wings of Glory" (1993), Electronic Arts
* "System Shock" (1994), Looking Glass Technologies
* "" (1995), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1995), ORIGIN Systems
* "" (1998), Looking Glass Studios
* "Deus Ex" (2000), Ion Storm Austin
* "" (2003), Ion Storm Austin
* "" (2004), Ion Storm Austin

Spector is usually credited as a producer, except for "Deus Ex" on which he is also credited as project director.

Role-playing games

* "Toon (role-playing game)" - Developer, (1984), Steve Jackson Games
* "Uncanny X-Men Boxed Set" - Editor, (1990), TSR, Inc.

Novels

* "Double Agent: Royal Pain/The Hollow Earth Affair" by Richard Merwin/Warren Spector ISBN 0-88038-551-0

References

External links

* [http://junctionpoint.wordpress.com/ Junction Point Studios developer blog (usually Warren Spector, but sometimes other team members)]
* [http://www.junctionpoint.com Junction Point Studios, Inc. official website]
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* [http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=613 RPGDot: "Ad Personam: Warren Spector, Ion Storm" (2003)]
* [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/6/3 Spector is interviewed on a variety of game industry related topics]
* [http://www.gamespot.com/news/6139443.html Spector on "Grand Theft Auto" and video game violence]
* [http://www.bootstrike.com/Ultima7si/Online/spec.html Interview with Warren Spector about Ultima VII: Serpents Isle]
* [http://www.dperry.com/articles/2006/06/warren-spector-veteran-game-designer/ Interview] at DPerry.com
* [http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=65751 Interview at EuroGamer]