Christopher Vincent Metzen is born in the United States. Specific location details from his early childhood are limited, but his upbringing played a significant role in his creative development.

Growing up, Metzen showed a strong interest in art, drawing, and storytelling. He was particularly drawn to fantasy and science fiction genres, which would later heavily influence his work at Blizzard.

Metzen became deeply involved in tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. This experience honed his skills in world-building, character development, and collaborative storytelling, crucial elements in his later game design career.

Comic books, particularly superhero comics, had a major influence on Metzen's artistic style and narrative approach. The dynamic action, larger-than-life characters, and epic scope of comics are evident in his work on Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft.