Abiotic Factor Director Finds Therapeutic Escape in Warcraft II
The game director shares a deep, long-standing emotional bond with the classic Blizzard title.
Jeff "Zag" Keene, the creator behind the recently released game Abiotic Factor, recently sat down with PC Gamer to discuss his personal gaming preferences and experiences.
Among his noted favorites, Keene highlighted spending over 1000 hours in PUBG: Battlegrounds. However, he reserved particular affection for Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, a game he cherished "long before he even considered making games."
For Keene, this iconic Blizzard strategy game holds a special place, being the first title that truly captivated him.
The developer continues to revisit Warcraft II even today, referring to it as a game he "will never uninstall":
"There's something special about games you played as a kid, isn't there? That nostalgia factor. Sometimes you just want to boot it up. I'll play a campaign level or a scenario, or just click around. There's something comforting about those sounds and the noise. Sometimes you launch the game just to hear the sounds again – it's like listening to an old favorite song."
Keene further emphasized that the game serves a vital role in helping him manage stress, almost acting as a unique form of therapy:
"Funnily enough, a couple of days before your email, I actually booted up [Warcraft II]. I'm trying to remember why. I think I was just totally drained from work. I probably thought, 'I just need this. Let it be my little escape.' I don't know. Maybe it's like a substitute for [psychotherapy] – guys just fire up Warcraft II."
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