Spector confirmed for keynote address

The Mensa Foundation is proud to announce the keynote speaker for Colloquium 2012.2: Warren Spector, Vice President and Creative Director for Disney Interactive Studios' Junction Point.

Spector has worked in the game industry for more than 20 years. After six years at Steve Jackson Games and TSR creating pen-and-paper games including TOON: The Cartoon Role-Playing Game and Top Secret/SI Espionage role-playing game, Spector spent seven years at Origin Systems producing several addictive games including Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds, System Shock, Serpent Isle, Wings of Glory, Bad Blood, Martian Dreams, Cybermage and many more. After founding Ion Storm’s Austin studio in 1997, he directed the development of its genre-bending, award-winning game, Deus Ex. He later oversaw development of Ion Storm’s Deus Ex: Invisible War and Thief: Deadly Shadows. He left Ion Storm to found Junction Point Studios, Inc., which was acquired by Disney Interactive Studios.

Spector’s most recent accomplishment within the video game industry was the release of Disney Epic Mickey in November 2010. Featuring his hallmark style of choice and consequence gameplay known as “Playstyle Matters,” the game is a story of redemption where Mickey Mouse becomes a true video game hero and reunites with his long-lost half-brother, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The game marked the first time that Oswald was seen in a new Disney story since 1928. It was also the fastest-selling game in the history of Disney Interactive Studios.

In addition to making games, Spector is a published novelist and the author of numerous magazine and newspaper articles on topics ranging from film and television to tabletop and electronic games. He recently authored the DuckTales comic book series and has also worked as a film reviewer for The Austin Chronicle. He served as an instructor for film and television studies and taught a Master Class in Video Games and Interactive Media at the University of Texas at Austin. From 2000-2002, he served on the board of directors of the International Game Developers Association (IDGA) and was chairman of the IGDA’s education committee.

Spector received his master's degree in radio-television-film from UT Austin, with his thesis focusing on the ways in which cartoon characters evolve over time. He then pursued a Ph.D. in communications until the game business lured him away from academia just a dissertation short of a degree. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Caroline, and far too many animals. He is also a member of American Mensa.