In 1984, Steve Wynn took me out to dinner with then-Warner Bros. chief Steve Ross, who was having all sorts of problems with Atari, which Warner owned at the time. Ross took me up and invited me to Atari. When it collapsed, I realized there was nobody filling that void. PCs did to some extent, but as multipurpose devices, not as something specialized.

Is there a key to Activision’s growth?

It’s about really being considerate of the culture in the game studios that Activision buys. That’s the biggest difference between us and any of our competitors. We built a model that celebrates entrepreneurial, opportunistic, independent values. It’s almost the opposite of Electronic Arts, which has commoditized development. It did a very good job of taking the soul out of a lot of the studios it acquired.

Do you get involved in game concepts?

I play the role of cheerleader and adviser. I don’t personally pick the game ideas or get too involved in that.

What do you worry about?

I’m a worrier, so that’s another hourlong discussion. But we have big and really well funded competitors—Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft. Our competitors have a natural advantage on their own platforms.

How about E.A.’s $2 billion offer to buy Take-Two, which makes the hugely successful Grand Theft Auto games?

I can’t comment on competitors’ deals.

Activision’s growth has been phenomenal—over 80 percent in the past quarter. Is that sustainable? Analysts are expecting it to slow down.

Historically, during the past 15 years, Activision has grown at rates greater than the market. I’m hopeful that our growth will continue to outpace market growth and that of our competitors.

Anything else in Activision’s way?

Figuring out how to make the game experience more fun than any one of a hundred Facebook applications is going to be a challenge.