Former BioWare founder felt 'emasculated' after departure

Greg Zeschuk's career path has been a bit bizarre, by his own admission. He's gone from successful doctor to prominent videogame developer to beer connoisseur. But after he left BioWare, Zeschuk said he didn't realize "how much of my identity was tied up in my career."

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Greg Zeschuk's career path has been a bit bizarre, by his own admission. He's gone from successful doctor to prominent videogame developer to beer connoisseur. But after he left BioWare, Zeschuk said he didn't realize "how much of my identity was tied up in my career."

"When people asked what I did after I left BioWare, I really didn't know what to say," he said in a column for for Askmen. "I couldn't say I was a doctor, or a VP at a multinational corporation/founder of well-known video game company. Those lives were gone."

He said he really didn't think through how his departure from the game studio would affect him. "It's emasculating to say you used to be a contender and now are a nobody," he wrote. "In time I accepted that I run a beer website and YouTube channel you've never heard of. This lack of clear identity was a brutal side effect of my most recent career change, and it would have terrified me if I had anticipated its impact."

The column, which he said he was asked to do because of the strange path his career has taken, is designed to give people insight into changing careers. "Over the long term, we shouldn't be afraid of pursuing the goals that make us happy even if it causes us some short-term pain. It'll be worth it in the end. Trust me, I used to be a doctor."

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  • reply
    April 22, 2013 10:00 AM

    John Keefer posted a new article, Former BioWare founder felt 'emasculated' after departure.

    Greg Zeschuk's career path has been a bit bizarre, by his own admission. He's gone from successful doctor to prominent videogame developer to beer connoisseur. But after he left BioWare, Zeschuk said he didn't realize "how much of my identity was tied up in my career."

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      April 22, 2013 10:23 AM

      He couldn't come to terms with retirement and being fucking rich?

      Damn, play the smallest violin for the guy.

      (Nothing against the guy, but just need to point out this is a pretty silly statement to make)

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        April 22, 2013 10:25 AM

        Why is it silly? He's just saying how he felt.

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          April 22, 2013 10:33 AM

          Nothing wrong with saying how you feel, unless it's to the press.

          He's no longer in games, he admited to now being a "nobody" why is this news, why say anything to the media?

          Talk to your wife, friends, or therapist, dude.

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            April 22, 2013 10:34 AM

            thanks for sharing your opinion its very important to the community

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            April 22, 2013 10:43 AM

            Basically you're jealous and resent his success.

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            April 22, 2013 10:47 AM

            The column, which he said he was asked to do because of the strange path his career has taken, is designed to give people insight into changing careers.

            READING IS HARD.

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              April 22, 2013 10:49 AM

              uh maybe you are the one who cant read, because sephiras has granted Zeschuk permission to feel however he likes

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        April 22, 2013 10:27 AM

        You obviously don't get how guys like Greg Zeschuk work. Some people don't do it for the money. Many people--myself included--are defined by what they DO. There are jobs, and then there are careers.

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          April 22, 2013 10:32 AM

          Buffett sitting at his desk at 6 AM on Monday morning and all that.

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          April 22, 2013 10:34 AM

          I'm not questioning how he feels, he can feel anyway he wants; I'm saying its a silly statement to make to the press.

          Deal with it, move on, or start another company; his options are pretty limitless.

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            April 22, 2013 10:37 AM

            The article dealt with the fear some men experience during turbulent phases of their professional lives, such as retiring from a company you built from the ground up. Where would you prefer Zeschuk pour his heart out about that subject, if not in an article... about that subject?

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            April 22, 2013 10:42 AM

            [deleted]

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          April 23, 2013 3:47 AM

          **gravelly voice**

          "It's not who I am underneath.

          It's what I do that defines me."

          **jumps off rooftop**

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      April 22, 2013 10:40 AM

      [deleted]

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        April 22, 2013 11:29 AM

        Both he and Muzyka are that way. They dealt with all the EA bullshit because they had to, but I occasionally got the feeling they wanted to go back to the way things were in the Baldur's Gate or even Shattered Steel days.

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          April 22, 2013 11:48 AM

          [deleted]

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          April 22, 2013 1:15 PM

          My guess is they accepted the buyout/merger (however that works in this business) more for their peeps and not for themselves. I don't think anyone regrets it more than the customer though.

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          April 22, 2013 6:56 PM

          Had to? No. They could have kept the company private. They could have, if they were tired of running it, handed the reins to someone else while keeping it private. They could do many things aside from sell themselves to EA and abandon everything that was good about Bioware.

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            April 22, 2013 7:28 PM

            I think that they're privy to more details than we outsiders are and that their decisions was not one made in a vacuum.

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            April 22, 2013 7:29 PM

            You are pretty clueless here. They got investment from Elevation Partners and Elevation sold the company to EA. They took investment to expand the company because they wanted to make their own IP and that is a risky venture and it means you may have to operate for a long while without a stable income stream.

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          April 22, 2013 7:27 PM

          It was always a battle. Being EA gave them resources they didn't have, but it came at a big cost.

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        April 22, 2013 7:27 PM

        Yup, Greg is a cool guy. Ray is a little more stiff, but still a decent bloke. Not at all stuck up.

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          April 23, 2013 9:34 AM

          When I was in high school, I went down to BioWare (which was right behind my school) to check out what they were doing with NWN. A former employee (Stanley Woo, also an amazing dude) offered to give me a tour. Ray happened to be there, and he was gracious as all hell to a nerdy high school student. I'll never forget how awesome it was to visit them and have them be super open and kind.

          *Sigh.* I miss those days.

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      April 22, 2013 12:18 PM

      [deleted]

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