Game veteran Warren Spector raises awareness about working with bipolar condition | interview

Few game developers have been as successful and well known as Warren Spector. But in a recent LinkedIn post, Spector didn’t talk about his successes. Instead, he shared something more human and acknowledged for the first time to his peers that he is bipolar.

“What I’m about to tell you isn’t about games or game development. Not directly, anyway. Let me cut to the chase: I’m bipolar – Bipolar Disorder 2, not the more seriously life-affecting Bipolar 1. You might be more familiar with the term ‘manic-depression,’ a term which, for reasons I don’t understand, isn’t used much, if at all, anymore. To me it seems more descriptive than ‘bipolar,’ but what do I know? Bipolar it is…”

Spector said he resisted the diagnosis for years, and sometimes he still does. But he noted that three therapists, two psychiatrists and his wife all independently came to the same conclusion. So he acknowledged that the private diagnosis was real. On top of that, he told the whole world in a LinkedIn post.

He said, “So I’ve got it and I want to talk about it. Bipolar 2 may generally be less of an impediment to day-to-day living than Bipolar 1 but being bipolar at all has been both a curse and a blessing for me.”

Spector said the condition has caused him some problems over the years, but surprisingly, he added, “I truly think it’s also partly responsible for whatever success I’ve achieved. And I certainly wouldn’t trade my ‘condition’ for a more ‘normal life. This is who I am and, mostly, most of the time, I’m pretty happy with that.”

This revelation may be helpful to other people, and that’s one reason he has decided to speak about it at our GamesBeat Summit 2025 event in Los Angeles on May 19 to May 20, 2025. Kelli Dunlap, a clinical psychologist with Take This, the mental health nonprofit for game developers, will moderate the talk. In preparation for this session, I interviewed Spector and Dunlap together.

The reaction to the post

In our interview, Spector said it was a good time to do the post and he was really pleased with the response to it. It was liberating to talk about it.

“The most gratifying thing is people are comfortable talking about their their own issues. Lots of people coming forward and telling the world about what they’re they’re dealing with, and I’ve gotten a lot of private messages too, which is pretty incredible,” he said.

But he wants to hit a wider group of people, and it’s why he wants to speak at our GamesBeat Summit 2025 event.

“The big thing for me is just raising awareness that it is, in fact, a problem,” he said. “The number of people who responded and openly said it is important is the most gratifying thing to me.

He noted that many people take care of their physical health, but not everyone does the same for their mental health. He noted that the support of the parent company of Otherside Entertainment has been “astonishing.”

He expected some pushback but didn’t receive it.

“I expected pushback because it was the reason I kept this quiet for so long was, I mean, frankly, it, I’m at the point where I’m old enough, and at the point in my career where if people don’t want to work with me, that’s OK. I’m all right with that. And then, so I just want to raise awareness. Maybe suggest to the companies out there that have been ignoring this for the last 40 years — maybe they shouldn’t ignore it, because there are lots of people they employ who are dealing with it,” he said.

“I bring this up because over the last year or so I’ve heard from co-workers, friends and even strangers about difficulties they’re having dealing with emotional upheavals brought on by a variety of factors other than the “norms” of development — they talk about layoff anxiety… burgeoning budgets and growing team sizes… constraints on creativity due to risk aversion… Covid isolation… even brain chemistry,” Spector wrote. “I’ve been lucky on all of these fronts except the last one. That brain chemistry thing is something I can’t control, something I’ve kept secret for years. But recent events have encouraged me to do what I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ve wanted to go public for years but haven’t felt comfortable — or safe — doing so.”

Over the years, Spector said he looked around silently and saw colleagues who are dealing with mental health issues but don’t seek help that might alleviate some of their embarrassment and pain. He said he has worked with people who think differently in ways that aren’t understood or accommodated by employers with a narrow view of what constitutes “normal.” He said he has seen friends and coworkers suffering from anxiety and depression brought on by the difficulties of development and the lack of security in the business they (mostly) love.

Spector acknowledged he was afraid speaking up would affect his ability to raise funding or even to get work at all. He is still worried about that, but he said “keeping silent isn’t an option anymore.”

Given layoffs and the chaotic situation in the world, he said he believes too many people need help. He’s more comfortable about where he is in his life, and he can handle what comes his way.

“From now on, I’d like to advocate in whatever ways I can for paying more attention to mental health issues in game development…. I want to use whatever soapbox I have to make it okay for others who think and feel differently to be open about their situations. I’m not ashamed and neither should anyone else be,” Spector said.

What this means for Spector

Spector noted he can’t speak for others. But he said most of the time he is fine and his mood is at a center line. But he’s not there all of the time.

“If you’ve been on the receiving end of strange behavior on my part, I apologize. I’m usually pretty calm – at least I try to be – but there are times when I feel both invulnerable and angry and I get a little out of control,” Spector wrote. “A few of you may have seen me at my manic worst or, more accurately, my hypo-manic worst. (If I’ve had a full-blown manic episode, I can’t really say. I don’t think so.) What happens to me is I get all agitated in a way that expresses itself in ways that are to say the least, counter-productive.”

On the positive side, he can come up with ideas energetically at all hours of the day. There’s a side to his condition where he feels invulnerable. He can stay up late and get up early. Sometimes he is awakened by a dozen ideas — plans for everything from new game designs or systems, to books he will write, to ways to reorganize his boardgame room, to songs he is going to write, and more. The ideas sometimes come out all at once that his mouth can’t keep up with his mind.

He thinks of this crazy energy as a positive benefit, where he needs little sleep and has intense creativity. But the flip side is feeling the negative aspect of mania, which is still about crazy energy and little need for sleep. But it is also accompanied by extreme agitation, anxiety, sometimes anger and still with feelings of invulnerability.

“Needless to say, that doesn’t feel so hot. And, as I said, it can get me in trouble,” he wrote.

Then he makes an effort to slow down, usually successful. But sometimes he isn’t and that takes a toll on others. The mania lasts a few days to a week and isn’t frequent.

“Interestingly, unlike many bipolar people, who experience mania and depression seasonally, my manic cycles can also be triggered by events — a few days at a conference can set me off… visits from friends… even design discussions. But sometimes they just come for no reason at all. It’s unpredictable, even crazy,” Spector wrote.

The depression part of the bipolar disorder doesn’t have an upside.

“If you’ve interacted with me and found me dull, low energy, and speaking slowly, you’ve caught me in a depressive cycle,” he said. “You may not have noticed because I’ve become pretty good at acting not-depressed. At times, it’s an effort to get out of bed and exhausting to pretend to be happy and remain productive. Sadly, my depressive cycles last a lot longer than my manic ones — often weeks at a time.”

Those episodes are tough and scary, he said. Depression tends to hit him out of nowhere and there isn’t much he can do to stop it. He tries to push through. Sometimes the cycle goes fast, and that isn’t enjoyable either, he said.

“Whether high or low, manic or depressed, or something in between, I just have to hope I don’t do something stupid. And I have to hope those around me understand and, yes, indulge me, even if they don’t know why I’m acting strangely,” he wrote.

Therapy, Psychiatry, and Medication

Spector said he was diagnosed late in life and has been in therapy off and on, weekly, for about 15 years. Most of the time, his therapy is pretty ordinary.

“I talk about what’s going on in my life, how I became the person I am today, problems I’ve had and am having… Sometimes, when I’m especially high or low, my therapist helps talk me down (or up) and provides support I need to keep from doing the stupid things I said earlier I hope I won’t do,” he wrote..

In addition to a therapist, he has seen a psychiatrist for maybe 10 years — a “psychopharmacologist” (which is just a fancy way of saying they talk a little and prescribe a lot of meds.) He takes a couple of mood stabilizers, but also the occasional anti-anxiety and sleep medication.

The mood stabilizers make my brain a little fuzzier than he would like, which isn’t good for being creative. But his wife believes they help with his actual mood. He said he developed a tremor from one of the medications and it won’t go away.

“My hope is that if you think or feel differently, you accept who you are, even revel in it, as I do. Most of the time,” he wrote. “If you can’t, if you need help, as I do, some of the time, I hope I can encourage you to get it, one way or another, privately or publicly – however you feel comfortable doing so.”

If you know someone who needs help, he said he hopes you can help them see that there’s strength in asking for that help and encourage them to get it.

And if you employ people who need help, he hopes you’ll support them and help them find it, taking mental health as seriously as you do the physical health of your staffers. Insurance can help, but so can internal programs in mindfulness and well-being.

“The situation of those in game development who are suffering or even just living with difference can only benefit from public discussion. If you feel comfortable joining in a public discussion, welcome aboard. If you don’t, that’s okay, too. I get it. But take care of yourself,” he said.

Spector said he wants to do research and find more ways to support those who need help.

“I want to advocate for mental health issues in game development, and for myself, frankly, in whatever ways I can. I hope you’ll come along with me on this journey of life-long learning, self-acceptance, and self-care,” he concluded.

Resources for help

Kelli Dunlap, executive director of Take This, provided a list of resources at takethis.org.

He recommended them because one of their specific areas of interest is games for mental health, focusing on players, but also on challenges faced by game developers in the world of game development.

Bipolar Resources

Crisis Resources

General Mental Health Resources

Vibrant Emotional Health (https://www.vibrant.org/)

National Alliance on Mental Illness (nami.org)

Mental Health America (mha.org)

Speaking more about it

About 60,000 people read the post on LinkedIn.

“I want to get the word out about why now, and that’s there are two reasons. We’ve had how [35,000] people laid off in the last two years. And I don’t want to get into the the sense of that, or lack of sense in that, but that’s got to raise anxiety. That’s got to turn what may be a minor problem into a major.”

He noted game development has always been stressful. At Origin, some of us used to talk about the Origin divorce because we were working people so hard, or they chose to work so hard, or both,” he said.

He said that he has had people show up at the office naked at 11 o’clock at night and scare the security guards. He said he has had people disappear without telling anybody what was going on.

“People flip over desks and storm out. I’ve had at least three people show up in the office with guns, and throw in [35,000] people getting laid off.”

He added that some people told him about their suicide attempts and how stressed out they are. Dunlap noted that we’ll take written questions during the roundtable so she can filter the questions and make sure they’re appropriate for the group discussion.

Spector said that he also suffers from imposter syndrome, and what drove him to therapy was that there were moments in his life when he was not in control and professionals told him that. He said he is glad that he came out and talked about it as it has been liberating and amazing to have people share their own stories with him. But he noted this may not be suitable for everyone, as there is stigma associated with being bipolar and some workplaces are not as understanding.

Spector said that it’s important for companies to provide support for employees who have mental health conditions, and that help can be expensive.

“But what is more important than taking care of your staff? They’re the people who make you the money that you say you’re not making. Taking care of people is important, because if they’re not taking care of themselves, they’re not operating in peak efficiency.”