John Hopson

Bungie
Dr. John Hopson is the head of user research at Bungie, creators of the popular Halo series of video games. In the past, Dr. Hopson was the lead researcher for a wide variety of games ranging from AAA blockbusters (Halo, Age of Empires) to small indie games (Trials HD, Crimson: Steam Pirates). He also is the author of a number of articles on the intersection of psychology and games, including the infamous “Behavioral Game Design.” Dr. Hopson holds a Ph.D. in behavioral and brain sciences from Duke University and is the former chair of the International Game Developers Association’s Games User Research Special Interest Group. He is currently at work on Bungie’s upcoming game, Destiny.