February 2024 - Womenize! Action Program

Monthly Archives: February 2024

28. February 2024

Stefanie Curth – Womenize! – Inspiring Stories

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational women from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Stefanie Curth, UI Artist at InnoGames. She speaks about the importance of adapting and learning new skills, overcoming mental health struggles, and encouraging others not to give up on their passions. Read more about Stefanie in this interview:

Hi Stefanie! How did your background in digital media and games, combined with your journey in the industry, contribute to your unique approach as a UI Artist?

I was the artsy kid growing up. If you do something everyday for years you get better at it and people noticed my “talent”. I was also a super awkward child in social situations and drawing was something where I could connect with people. They started talking to me and gave me compliments. Appreciation was something I was not used to so it encouraged me.
I always knew that I wanted to work as an artist – also I thought this was the only thing I was good at. In my teens I discovered my love for games and I have wanted to work on them since. I never thought of myself as an UI artist though. If you think of game art you think of concept art, especially character design and illustrations. That’s what I wanted to do and started looking for a university to study games. Back in 2009 the only public university advertising “games” was in Trier so I moved 8h away from my hometown. In the end it turned out to be only one course of character design and storyboard in one semester. The whole “study games” part was greatly exaggerated and seemed like more of a hobby to some professors. What I found instead though was an extremely diverse degree program. Suddenly I had a ton of different directions I could develop myself into. It broadened my mind to all the possible working fields in design and art.

Even though I loved to do all the different courses I still had only one goal. In 2013 I moved to Hamburg to study the first public games master I could find back then. This actually turned out to be exactly what I wanted to do – developing a prototype in a team over the course of one year. The education part was lacking but I gathered my first actual development experiences during this project and many Game Jam’s.
I wanted to gather experience at an actual games company as well. Making a livelihood with the thing I love instead of random service jobs and also getting my foot in the door. Since I had to gather some of my university credits through an internship as well, I started applying for open positions.

It so happened that at the same time some friends of mine started their own games studio and began development on their first game, “Sir Eatsalot”. They were looking for someone to help with concept art and 2d animation. While not a paid position, there was a profit sharing model and I could gather my missing university credits. In the end I worked on this project for almost 3 years, staying until the game was finished. I discovered my love for 2d frame by frame animation and finally did character design for a “real” game.
During the same time a group of people I knew from my university also started a company and were looking for an illustrator for their game “Orwell”. This project was actually paid and the style was really lovely so I applied and got a part time position. It was another step in the right direction. This project was so successful that I worked as a freelancer on the sequel one year later.

I had a small team of talented people for the Game Jam’s I participated in. They started a company during this time as well and I began to work as jack of all trades for them. At some point we wanted to actually publish one of the Jam games “Doki Doki Ragnarok” on a bigger scale on Steam and mobile. This was the first published game where I did the art direction and worked on everything art related, from concept to advertisement and also UI.

With “Sir Eatsalot” and both “Orwell” games coming to an end in 2018 and finishing my master’s thesis in 2019 I started to look for a full time position intensely. After working in 4 different teams I learnt one thing about myself: I love to work broadly diversified. I appreciate doing concept art, illustration, 2d animation, 3d, getting into various art styles but also advertisement and print – in the end it boils down to learning new things constantly.
In the same sentiment I started to apply for different jobs. My portfolio was a reflection of my diverse work. Looking back now I understand why it was so difficult to find a job in a bigger company where you need specialized people.
I applied to all major studios in Hamburg. This didn’t work out so I tried in other parts of Germany and even Europe.

At some point a friend asked me why I’m not looking for UI positions. Up to this point I had never seen myself as a UI artist. Sure I had done UI before but more as a “needs to be done” subject where I always felt like I lacked the knowledge and deep understanding to be good at it. I also had the feeling that it’s not working on the “actual” game anymore. In my head it was pure conceptual work, menu design and placing buttons, even after my fully illustrated UI in “Doki Doki Ragnarok”.
Nonetheless I started to apply for UI positions and to my surprise I got invited to multiple trial works and interviews in a short amount of time.

How your daily work looks like as an UI artist totally depends on the project you are working on. In my case my wide spread portfolio and interests as well as my strong focus on illustration got me the job I’m in now. Yes, I do my fair share of conceptual work, mockups and placing buttons but they are actually fun to do. I mostly work on event games inside of the big game, almost like a lot of big Game Jams. I don’t have to commit to one thing and I can still do concept art, illustration and 2D animation and most importantly I learn new things every day.

Could you share a specific project or experience that had a significant impact on your growth as an artist and game developer?

While I love doing the actual development work the main reason for me to do games is to give people experiences. When I started gaming it was a whole new world for me where I could be whatever I wanted to be and have awesome moments and experiences. Most impactful for me is the moment when the game is actually released and I can see how people react to it. Their emotions, whether good or bad, are what drives me.

As mentioned before, I love learning new things. So key moments for me are those where I feel like I’ve acquired a new skill. In my master project I learned 3D rigging and animation as well as motion capturing. During “Sir Eatsalot” I learned frame by frame animation. During Orwell I learned their super unique vector style and how nice it feels to get paid regularly ;D. During “Doki Doki Ragnarok” I learned how to be responsible for a whole game and what it’s like to push through even when things get tough.
Now at my current job I have learned a lot about UX and UI and yet there is still so much more to learn. Since my employer is a much bigger company than the ones I have worked at before, I am also learning a lot about communication and workflow within a large team of people.
Those are all impactful experiences that shape me and what I want in the future.

Mental health is a crucial aspect of one’s journey, and you mentioned overcoming existential and mental health crises. Can you elaborate on how you managed to overcome these crises and do you have any advice for other fellow artists struggling in their quest for opportunities and well-being – especially in such a demanding industry?

I started applying for jobs during my master’s study. Getting in contact with people from the industry during events like Game City or Indie Treff here in Hamburg made it clear that the industry is repleted. I knew it would be hard. A lot of my applications got rejected or not even answered at all. It felt devastating.
“The only thing I’m good at is not good enough.”

Financially and mentally this time was super draining. All the games I worked on didn’t pay well. Indie development is awesome because you have a lot of freedom but more so often there is no job security and low or no financial compensation.
Additionally I worked in a service-industry job, took on illustration gigs and had to write my master’s thesis. The latter would require 4 years as well as therapy to finish.

The thing with making your passion into a job is that you put something really personal out into the world for others to judge. I was raised to believe that only work that pays well is worth something. Not having a full time position and living from paycheck to paycheck, even needing financial support from family or the government took its toll on my self worth. I felt stuck even though I worked a lot and on really cool games. I got lost in self doubt and distanced myself from friends and family. Some of it was self protection but mostly I was ashamed of not succeeding. It felt like drowning. If you are stuck in a depression everything gets tremendously harder. I couldn’t do my work properly, I couldn’t do daily chores and I couldn’t write my master’s thesis. The thesis was especially frightening because it meant there would be no excuse anymore for not working a “real” job.
My grandma and best friend told me how much I’ve changed and that I should look into professional help. I had already thought about going to therapy but getting reassurance from outside was the last straw to finally getting active. I probably had the biggest luck ever with my therapist. I called 2 or 3 places and my first interview was with a tiny elderly woman. We clicked instantly. She didn’t have the capacity but still wanted to help me. Even after she went into retirement I had a few more sessions that she didn’t charge for since she knew of my financial situation. My therapy never ended properly due to her retirement but it was still enough to get me out of the hole. I could finally write my thesis.

The time afterwards was a lot of ups and downs mentally and it still is. Stabilizing my financial situation was not the everlasting cure – who would have thought. Depression and all its accompanying symptoms have a tendency to come back. What I got on my hands is a guideline on what I can do to keep control though.

I know there are a lot of people that are struggling mentally out there:
If you can relate to my story I want to encourage you to seek help. Yes, the mental health care situation is really bad and finding a therapy place can feel like an overwhelming task. It’s still worth putting in the effort. In the end we all have to live within our own heads our whole life so it’s worth healing. Aside from therapy it’s always a first step to seek out comforting and safe people and talk about your problems. Your problems are not minor or silly and you are not weak because they pull you down.

Regarding job struggles as an artist I can only say everyone has to decide for themselves if it’s worth it. For me it’s still a big yes. For you it can be a no and both are absolutely ok. If you want to work in the games industry as an artist it can take years until you are in a stable position. If you are the type of person you can always try freelancing. I still freelance now and then but it’s a whole different feeling when it’s not connected to existential struggles.

Here are some points that I think will help whether you are looking to be a freelancer or work at a games studio:

Seek out industry gatherings even if you are a socially awkward couch potato like me. You will meet like-minded people and make connections that will be beneficial in the future. Most of my jobs I got through knowing people, sad as it is.
Join Game Jams. There are online Jams almost every week as well as Discord servers where people talk about them and are looking for team members. Maybe you even find some Jams hosted near your location. You won’t be alone. I found my best friend because he asked me to join his team.
If it’s financially possible for you, look into game studies. You won’t be the top employee everyone wants to have afterwards but you’ll probably never have such a long intensive time with like-minded people ever again. The connections you build here will help you on the way.
Look for work outside of your comfort zone, especially as an artist. I never thought UI would be something I could really appreciate but here I am. A lot of jobs in games really depend on the project. You have to fit the project but it also has to fit you.
Don’t give up. If you really want to make it happen you will.

Thanks for this interview, Stefanie!

Stefanie’s links: LinkedIn

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories Feature by Madeleine Egger

21. February 2024

Annina Melissa – Womenize! – Inspiring Stories

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational women from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Annina Melissa, Music Designer & Composer for Games. Annina speaks about transitioning from a gaming-centric upbringing to translating games, leading her to discover a passion for creating music for the gaming industry. She emphasizes the collaborative nature of game music, discusses challenges in non-linear composition, and advises aspiring game composers to prioritize collaboration over ego. Read more about Annina in this interview:

Hi Annina! Your career spans across both the music and gaming industries. Could you share a pivotal moment in your journey where you realized your passion for merging music with gaming, and how did that influence your career path?  

I grew up in a big family and we had a lot of different consoles, so I’ve always loved playing games. Even when I was a child I paid special attention to game music and would replay certain chapters if it contained a piece I loved.  Fast forward, I came back from a bigger tour and needed a job to bridge the gap until the next tour. I found work translating games and from then on I thought ‘I could do music for games’. So I learnt as much as I could and worked in different studios, which exposed me to a variety of methods and workflows. Game tech develops so quickly, and every project is different, so the learning never really stops.  Whereas I’m full-time employed at a studio, I still write music in my spare time too. One of my songs is actually playing in the finale of the new season of BBC’s Silent Witness.

Your music is described as a blend of ambient, electronic, and orchestral elements with haunting vocals. Can you tell us about the creative process behind composing music that complements the gaming experience, and how your unique style contributes to the gaming world?  

  The music I contribute to games is quite different than the music I write for my solo work or for my other projects.  For my solo work I can write whatever I want – there are no limitations. It’s an inherently selfish endeavour, because the only aim is to process something musically that I went through. It’s a very introspective, intimate endeavour, where no one else’s opinion matters. Writing for games is the exact opposite. Not only is the purpose of the music different (to enhance the gaming experience, perhaps underscore a narrative, reinforce certain emotions/events), the process is also highly collaborative. Whereas I present ideas, a project or game director usually signs those off, and if they don’t like something, I’ll have to be able to adapt. I sometimes talk to people, who think that’s a negative, but I actually love that about making games. It’s a highly creative environment with sometimes hundreds of creative people working on the same game, often multiple people composing too – and games take years to develop, which means they change a lot, and so do the direction and requirements for the music. That in turn means that I get to try a lot of new things and work with styles and genres that wouldn’t potentially be my first choice. It can be a true creative playground. So in the end personal style doesn’t really matter. What matters is to inject the game with the music it needs.  And when players tell me that a cue I worked on was especially immersive for them – that’s a win for me.  

Can you share some insights into the challenges and rewards of creating music and voiceovers specifically tailored to enhance the gaming narrative and player experience? And what piece of advice you would give to someone aspiring to follow a similar career path?

As opposed to music for linear mediums such as albums or film, game music is non-linear and thus has certain limitations by default. Depending on the game, we don’t actually know all the different scenarios a player can find themselves in. We can take educated guesses but the music and the music tech has to work in all sorts of game instances – even the ones we don’t think of. That’s a challenge in itself.  Writing a song is straightforward but how do you arrange for interactivity? How do you ensure the music sits well between SFX and dialogue if these are triggered at random times? How do you keep transitions seamless and elegant to not disrupt the immersion? How do you write a loop that could play for an entire hour without it becoming boring or annoying?  It can become quite complex as every problem is unique to the project, and needs bespoke solutions. So it’s necessary to think outside of the box and use your creative muscles differently.  To me that’s what’s fascinating and fun – the journey to those solutions is the reward for me. Everything after that is a bonus.

 The biggest piece of advice is one you’ll hear a lot in the games (and even film) industry: Leave your ego at the door.  It really couldn’t be more essential. If an idea gets rejected, you don’t have to bin it, but don’t defend it relentlessly. Put it aside and focus on another. It can be hard, cause we’re all passionate about what we do, we have to be. But passion is no excuse for poor collaboration. This is what’s going to build a strong creative muscle – the reassurance that even if an idea you loved didn’t make it, you can come up with an even better one, and another one, and another one. I believe it’s a true art to manage one’s creativity this way.

Thanks for this interview, Annina!

Annina’s links: LinkedIn, Youtube, Spotify, Website

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories Feature by Madeleine Egger

14. February 2024

Sophie Baker – Womenize! – Inspiring Stories

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational women from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Sophie Baker, Head of Operations at Lessmore. Sophie discusses how global experiences shaped her management approach, emphasizes empathy and communication for diverse teams, highlights the inclusive environment at Lessmore, and advises aspiring talents to align career choices with personal goals. Read more about Sophie in this interview:

Hi Sophie! Your career has led you to diverse locations, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and the US. How have these international experiences influenced your perspective on the gaming industry, and have they shaped your approach to managing diverse teams in a global setting?

Getting the chance to working with teams all over the world definitely had an impact on how I view the games industry. There are many differences between work ethics, expectations and requirements per country. In Germany, most people (not all) try to have clear boundaries between job and private life. This means they are happy to do their hours, but then aim to spend quality time with their families and friends when done. The labour laws do support this approach and thus it’s a vital part of understanding how to manage teams in Germany. In other countries, e.g. the social security systems might not be made to allow this idea, therefore employees may be more dependent on their jobs, or a certain proficiency level has to be reached to ensure a good reputation within the village. I’d say in order to manage diverse teams globally, empathy for the person’s/team’s individual circumstances and communication are main factors for success. Once you got the information on how things tick, and what motivational motives and goals are, you can manage more efficiently.

As a Mental Health First Aider and an advocate for diversity in the gaming industry, how do you incorporate these aspects into your leadership style in your current position, fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment?

The team at Lessmore is very diverse in itself, a broad variety of experience levels and cultures, and we’re based in many different countries. So it’s not one or two people, who are trying to support an inclusion program, it’s everyone creating a safe environment together. This is one of the aspects I personally value a lot about this job, being treated with respect and being given an equally worthy voice as everyone else. Day-to-day we all do listen to each others thoughts and feedback, and openly speak about any topics. As part of my role, I have additional regular chats with the team members and ask if they have everything they need, open questions, or require any support. This also includes visa and paperwork help, or talking through personal struggles.

Based on your rich and varied experience, what advice would you offer to aspiring talents looking to build a successful career in the gaming industry, especially those aiming for roles in operations, project leadership, or game evaluation?

As general advice, start thinking about where you’d like to go, what you need, what you can accept. Would you like to work in a company that gives you a solid safe job where you do nine to five and focus on potentially having a family? Do you want the crazy adventure and take risks or travel? Do you aim to go big on money and status? All approaches are perfectly valid and might change over time, it really depends what you’re looking for. Every employer has its pros and cons and only you can find out what works for you and what doesn’t.

A good start to determining the role/area of profession is always to look at your personal interests. If you like organising things and juggling a lot of different tasks around, maybe operations or project work could be great for you. If that’s not your thing but you love testing games and providing feedback, maybe game eval or quality assurance are worth checking out. My personal take on this question is to find what you’re passionate about and which path feels right for you. It makes every day at work more interesting and fun, than getting stuck in a job you don’t enjoy.

Do feel free to reach out via Linkedin or Booster Space if you don’t know where to start or would like to have a chat 🙂

Thanks for this interview, Sophie!

Sophie’s links: LinkedIn

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories Feature by Madeleine Egger

7. February 2024

Narin Yousef – Womenize! – Inspiring Stories

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational women from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Narin Yousef, Co-Founder & Game Designer at Aftnareld. She speaks about transitioning from a Laboratory Technician to Co-Founder & Game Designer and highlights the impact she hopes their games will have on fostering connections and empathy. Read more about Narin in this interview:

Hi Narin! Transitioning from a Laboratory Technician to a Co-Founder & Game Designer is quite a shift. Do you see an intersection of science and art in game design, and how has this unique blend of skills contributed to the distinctiveness of Aftnareld’s game projects?

There is definitely some intersection! Chemistry and other forms of science can definitely need a type of creativity to figure out new solutions and methods. But what I mostly took with me from that world into my game design work is the methodical and structured way of working. Through my studies and the laboratory work I’ve learned to be meticulous and organised, and I think our Game Design Doc and other design sheets reflect that. The same analysing mindset I used for working at the lab sets in while designing as well, as I like to think through all possibilities I can think of before deciding upon a certain design choice. It may have led to a bit of a slower development time for us, but it’s been an important learning curve for us to experiment with different ideas and angels, also test our game with other people early and a lot, to find and polish the unique and fun parts of our game.

With your interest in world-building and connecting with people, how do you envision the impact of your games on a broader scale, and what role does storytelling play in creating meaningful connections with your audience?

My biggest hope with our games is that we create something that brings people closer to each other. Both in terms of personal connections, as I believe that when people spend more time doing something fun together, they have opportunities to bond and build memories with the person or people they play with. But I also hope we can encourage, through our story and world-building, people to be a bit more empathetic towards each other in both the gaming sphere but also in society as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I like to do a bit of competitive gaming sometimes, but I feel that if people took time to play more purely cooperative games, maybe we could have a bit of a less toxic gaming environment, and learn to be a bit more encouraging and kind to each other.

Having met Valle, your co-founder, during your studies at Linköping University, how did that collaboration shape your perspective on game development, and what key lessons did you learn from working on projects together??

Before meeting Valle, I felt like video game development was a bit like magic. I had no idea how to actually make games and I had never been “exposed” to it before. Valle already had game development as a hobby, and the more he showed me, the more intrigued I was and wanted to join in. Although we both saw it as a hobby and fun project just for ourselves at first, it grew on us more and more. Valle was the one who introduced me, but then I started pushing us to actually start a company and aim for making commercial games. I think that learning how to balance being kind and supportive of each other (and the other people we work with), with giving negative feedback/critique has been a very important part of us sticking together. We’ve also realised how valuable it has been to be a part of a community, the one that we have here in Linköping called East Sweden Game has always been a great place for both help with both business and game development, but also for well-needed social breaks. Especially when being a small studio, I think being open and making connections and collaborations with all kinds of people can help you a lot along the way!

Thanks for this interview, Narin!

Narin’s links: LinkedIn

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories Feature by Madeleine Egger

Hi Stefanie! How did your background in digital media and games, combined with your journey in the industry, contribute to your unique approach as a UI Artist?

Could you share a specific project or experience that had a significant impact on your growth as an artist and game developer?

Thanks for this interview, Stefanie!

Hi Annina! Your career spans across both the music and gaming industries. Could you share a pivotal moment in your journey where you realized your passion for merging music with gaming, and how did that influence your career path?

Your music is described as a blend of ambient, electronic, and orchestral elements with haunting vocals. Can you tell us about the creative process behind composing music that complements the gaming experience, and how your unique style contributes to the gaming world?

Can you share some insights into the challenges and rewards of creating music and voiceovers specifically tailored to enhance the gaming narrative and player experience? And what piece of advice you would give to someone aspiring to follow a similar career path?

Thanks for this interview, Annina!

Hi Sophie! Your career has led you to diverse locations, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and the US. How have these international experiences influenced your perspective on the gaming industry, and have they shaped your approach to managing diverse teams in a global setting?

As a Mental Health First Aider and an advocate for diversity in the gaming industry, how do you incorporate these aspects into your leadership style in your current position, fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment?

Based on your rich and varied experience, what advice would you offer to aspiring talents looking to build a successful career in the gaming industry, especially those aiming for roles in operations, project leadership, or game evaluation?

Thanks for this interview, Sophie!

Hi Narin! Transitioning from a Laboratory Technician to a Co-Founder & Game Designer is quite a shift. Do you see an intersection of science and art in game design, and how has this unique blend of skills contributed to the distinctiveness of Aftnareld’s game projects?

With your interest in world-building and connecting with people, how do you envision the impact of your games on a broader scale, and what role does storytelling play in creating meaningful connections with your audience?

Having met Valle, your co-founder, during your studies at Linköping University, how did that collaboration shape your perspective on game development, and what key lessons did you learn from working on projects together??

Thanks for this interview, Narin!

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Hi Annina! Your career spans across both the music and gaming industries. Could you share a pivotal moment in your journey where you realized your passion for merging music with gaming, and how did that influence your career path?  

Your music is described as a blend of ambient, electronic, and orchestral elements with haunting vocals. Can you tell us about the creative process behind composing music that complements the gaming experience, and how your unique style contributes to the gaming world?  