Alex Seropian, a University of Chicago alumnus and influential figure in the video game industry, recently returned to his alma mater to deliver the opening keynote at the Year of Games symposium. The event marked the start of a year-long initiative at UChicago focused on game study, design, and fandom.
Seropian, who graduated in 1991 with a degree in mathematics, co-founded Bungie Studios with classmate Jason Jones. Together they released several notable games including Myth, Marathon, and Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo launched alongside Microsoft’s original Xbox console and quickly became a major franchise in the gaming world. Following his time at Bungie, Seropian worked for Microsoft and Disney before founding additional studios such as Wideload Games, Industrial Toys, and Look North World.
Reflecting on his return to campus during the keynote—recorded live for the podcast My Perfect Console—Seropian said: “The idea that there are folks who are academically thinking about video games as craft, something that was a basement hobby back in the '80s and '90s, is mind-blowing. Now it’s being celebrated and studied. Being able to come back here and talk about it is awesome.”
He described his ongoing passion for games: “I love games because play tickles some part of the human brain,” Seropian said. “As a player, they can transport you somewhere else. As a maker, there’s no more interesting, creative, technical, hard to do, rewarding craft in the world.”
Seropian shared stories from his student days at UChicago when he started printing and selling chemistry notes using an early Macintosh computer. He credited his university experience with giving him confidence: “Through my years here, I learned to see myself differently. I never would have thought in a million years that I would major in math,” he said. “This place gave me enough confidence to feel like I could figure it out.”
He also recounted how he met Jones while taking computing classes—at a time when UChicago did not yet offer a formal computer science program—and how their partnership led to forming Bungie Software Products Corporation from their apartment near campus.
Advising current students interested in entrepreneurship or creative work, Seropian said: “If you’re one puzzle piece on a campus, find the other puzzle pieces to create something.” He added: “If you're really into something, you figure it out. That was my mindset then; it's my mindset now.”
Seropian discussed pivotal moments for Bungie leading up to Halo’s debut at MacWorld 1999—a presentation introduced by Steve Jobs after overcoming technical setbacks—and how Microsoft later acquired Bungie so Halo could launch with Xbox.
After leaving Microsoft post-Halo success—which saw over four million copies sold within five years—he founded Wideload Games aiming for sustainable game development models. Later ventures included making family-friendly titles with fellow UChicago alumni and developing mobile games through Industrial Toys.
Currently heading Look North World—a studio publishing content within Fortnite—Seropian commented on changes within gaming creation: “The people who are playing the games are the ones who are building them,” he said.
Looking ahead at industry trends and opportunities for students interested in game development today compared with earlier decades when resources were limited at universities like UChicago (which now offers robust programs in computer science and media arts), Seropian noted: “If you’re young and in college, there’s no better time to make things,” he said. “The tools are so good right now… My advice is to make stuff, play stuff, learn stuff.”
He emphasized networking as another key benefit of college life: “The people that you meet in college can be pretty important in life. I met my wife here; I met my business partners here,” he said.
Concluding his remarks on gaming’s future longevity he stated: “Play in general; games in particular have been part of the human experience longer than written language,” Seropian said. “I think games might be forever.”