54 INNOVATION&TECHTODAY|SUMMER^2019
The Women Behind Your
Favorite Video Games
An inside look at gaming from the women working behind the scenes.
ByPatriciaMiller
AmyScott
Producerat LucidGames,Ltd.
Doyouseeyourselfrepresented in the games
beingdevelopedtoday?
Notatall.I haveseencharacterssuchasEllieinThe
LastofUsandClementineinTheWalkingDead, who
couldbegoodrolemodelsforyoungergirls.There is
alsoLaraCroft,whosephysicalportrayalhas
progressedmassively!I rememberthedayI went
intothecomputerstorefora copyofCatzforthe
PCandbumpedintoLara’smannequin and nearly
hadbotheyestakenout.
I haven’tcomeacrossa characterwhoI think
representsme.Namea gamewitha short,quiteangry,Irishwomanwhodressesas
a childandI willeatmywickerhat.Seriouslythough,I canseegamestryingand
that’swhat’simportant.We might not be there yet, but there are definitive moves
intherightdirection.
Whatwouldyouconsideryourgreatestsuccessinthevideogameindustry?
Mygreatestsuccessinthevideogameindustryismytenacityandresilience.
WhenI wasstrongenoughtosay,“No,”toallthetimesI wasbeingtreated
unfairly,fortrusting my gut instinct, being patient, and by recognizing a good
opportunity...
I waseducatedina CatholicconventforgirlsandI wasveryinterestedinart,
math,andphysics.I wantedtoworkina creative industry but didn’t know what
theindustrieswereorhowtogoaboutit.
Unfortunately,mycareeradvisorwaspatheticallyignorant,soI wastoldartist
isn’ta lucrativecareer.I leftaftermyGCSEsandwenttoa sixthformcollege.The
careersadvisortheretoldmethata careerinmediawastoo competitive so not to
bother.I askedhim,“Whatif I amthecompetition?”
ThefactthatI amhere,andI haveworkedmywayupfromthefirstrungofthe
laddertobea producerfora companywhomakescontenttobeproudof,isa
success.I amlookingforwardtocontinuingmycareerwithLucidGamesforas
longasI can,fullofcreativetalentedpeople,and a place where I have the space
and positive energy to grow alongside them.MarinaDiezPereiro
FreelanceGameDesigner
Whataresomeofthechallengesyou’vefaced as a
womanina male-dominatedindustry?
I feelthatI constantlyneedtodemonstratethatI’m
talentedandvaluable.It’snotonlythatyouneedto
demonstratethatyouarea goodprofessional,butalsoyou
needtobesuccessfulinotherstuff,likesocialmedia,andof
coursebeinghotandpretty– everythingatthesametime.
Thisissomethingthatisnotopenlyaskedofwomen,but
it’simplicitinsocietyandnotonlyinthegamesindustry.
Doyouseeyourselfrepresented in the games being
developedtoday?
UndoubtedlyI feelmorerepresentednowthanwhenI
playedPokémonYellowforthefirsttimewhenI wasfive
yearsoldanddiscoveredthatmygenderwas“male”by
default.However,westillneedtoworkondiversityand
inclusion,notonlywithwomen,butalsowithminorities.
Whatadvicewouldyouofferotherwomen who are
interestedina careeringaming?
Myadviceforwomen,notonlyforthoseinterestedina
careeringamingbutingeneral,isthattheymustdo
whatevertheywantandwhatevermakesthemhappy
withoutlisteningtoothers’opinions.Itseemsverybasic,
butsocietyteacheswomenverywellthattheyneedtocare
about others while forgetting what they really want.Whileonewouldhopethegamingindustryincludesa diverseworkforceasvariedasthecharactersandworldsweseeonthescreen,
that’softennotthecase.Infact,accordingtoStatista,lessthan 21 percentofpeopleemployedinthegamingindustry identify as female.
Tolearnmoreabouttheuniquechallengesofbeinga womanina largely male field, we spoke with some of the
talented women working behind the scenes on your favorite games.