From TRS-80 to Valve: The Career of Erik Wolpaw

Erik Wolpaw's first encounter with computer gaming occurred on a TRS-80 in his high-school library. He recalls playing a Scott Adams adventure, specifically a haunted mansion title. "They are very crude at this point, but at the time I couldn't believe it," Wolpaw says. That moment sparked a lifelong goal to own a computer.

His fascination with gaming eventually led him to a career in journalism. He wrote for Gamespot and co-founded the legendary website Old Man Murray alongside Chet Faliszek. In 2004, Erik Wolpaw joined Valve, where he helped pen iconic titles including Half-Life 2 episodes, Team Fortress 2, and the groundbreaking Portal series.

Finding the Perfect Level of Strategy in Slay the Spire 2

Recently, Wolpaw has been focusing his attention on the halls of Slay the Spire 2. He often plays the game solo or in co-op with his son, noting that while two-player mode may not be perfectly balanced yet, the experience remains highly engaging. They have even reached Ascension 10 together.

While he notes that the sequel has a novelty factor, he maintains deep trust in the developers. "I trust that they'll do it here," he says, referring to the developer's ability to balance the game as well as they did the original. For Wolpaw, the game hits a specific cognitive sweet spot.

"It's the exact, perfect level of decision making and cognitive load for my．brain," Wolpaw explains. "Games like Crusader Kings or something are too much for me... This is the perfect level of strategy." He finds that every run provides a sense of optimism, even when playing high-difficulty modes like Ascension 20.

Steam Playtime and Favorite Genres

Beyond card games, Wolpaw has a deep appreciation for the "soulslike" genre and classic dungeon crawlers. His Steam profile reveals some impressive dedication to certain titles:

  • Slay the Spire: 1,500 hours (a figure that undercounts his total due to mobile play)
  • Dark Souls 3: 571 hours
  • Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen: 450 hours

Before diving into Slay the Spire 2, he was playing Nioh 3, reaching about three-quarters of the way through. He considers Nioh his second favorite soulslike, trailing only the Dark Souls series. He particularly enjoys the ninja and samurai mechanics and the ability to switch characters on the fly.

His oldest installed game remains Myth 2. Although he has spent weekends attempting to run it on modern systems using various mods, he hasn't quite succeeded. However, the game stays on his system because he keeps hoping to finally figure it out. He also remains a "sucker" for the endless dungeon loops found in games like Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen.