Howard Scott Warshaw started 1982 by making Atari’s best-selling video game. In December of the same year, he released the worst game in history, had millions of his unsold cartridges buried in a landfill and catalyzed what is now called the "North American video game crash of 1983."

Most people would need a therapist after such a fall from virtual grace. Warshaw instead decided to become one.

Speaking at the Ottawa International Gaming Conference on Tuesday, the man now known as "the Silicon Valley Therapist" says he likes that people call his "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" video game the worst of all time.

"I really do prefer people identify it that way because I also did 'Yars' Revenge,' and that’s frequently cited as one of the best games in history," he says.

“Between those two games, I have the greatest range of any designer in history.”

And though Warshaw does motivational talks about bouncing back from personal failures in the tech industry, the blame can’t be placed entirely on his back. Atari only gave him five weeks to complete the game that would eventually drive the company into the ground.

"It’s still to this day, 30 years later, I believe, the fastest video game ever developed in history."

As a registered therapist in California, Warshaw has some tried and tested advice for anyone faced with failure in their own world.

"Stay inspired, stay passionate and be resilient."

With files from CTV Ottawa’s Eric Longley