He became a writer and game publisher, proving that college can be very valuable if you don't let classes get in your way.
Steve's first professional design work was for Metagaming, which published his Ogre, G.E.V., Melee, Wizard, and several other games. In 1980, Steve bought The Space Gamer magazine from Metagaming and started his own company. One of his first games, Raid on Iran, was a critical and sales success. The next year, Steve Jackson Games released its first big hit, Car Wars . . . followed shortly by ''''Illuminati,'' and later by GURPS, the 'Generic Universal Roleplaying System.'
The company made national news in 1990 after the disastrous Secret Service intrusion, which nearly forced the company out of business by seizing hardware and data files. SJ Games filed suit against the Secret Service and the US government, and won more than $50,000 in damages.
He still writes, when he finds the time. He tried his hand at interactive books or ‘game novels’. His first, Scorpion Swamp, was published by Penguin and spent six months on the British children's bestseller list).