In light of the second edition of Womenize! on October 12+13, 2018, we’re bringing back our Womenize! Wednesday Weekly feature! WWW – for short – is our weekly series featuring inspirational women from games and tech. This week, we’re thrilled to speak to Johanna Janiszewski, indie game developer (Monkey Swag), founder of Tiny Crocodile Studios and recent winner of Deutscher Computerspielpreis 2018. Read more about what Johanna is up to now:

Hi Johanna and congratulations on winning the Deutscher Computerspielpreis for your mobile game Monkey Swag this year! What’s the next steps your going to be taking from here?
Johanna: Thanks! With the Deutscher Computerspielpreis, we can work independently on new ideas. We are developing a concept for a new game right now. The game’s focus will be narration, and maybe we will go on another journey with the monkeys. However, since we are very early in the concept phase, we don’t want to give away too much information yet. Also, we engage with social issues. For example, we are organizing a game jam with the topic “peace” right now. Follow us on Twitter @Treasure_Monkeys to stay tuned!

In 2016, you founded Tiny Crocodile Studios. Looking back, what was the easiest and hardest part about becoming an entrepreneur?

Surprisingly, the easiest part was the paperwork. I assumed that this would be harder, but I got support from the company firma.de, who helps entrepreneurs step by step to accomplish the founding process. The hardest part was and still is the management of all the stuff you have to do as an entrepreneur. My work is 80% organizational, and I am delighted when I can find some time to work on a game myself.

Before your own game development studio, you quit your job at another games company. What advice can you give other women in the business who are unhappy with their workplace?
Try to improve your situation actively. If that does not work: invest in yourself. Apply to other companies. Learn as much as you can, put money on the side and build on becoming the person that you want to be. Work towards the moment when you can afford to part from your current workplace – no matter if you’re going to work for someone else, be self-employed or an entrepreneur. Gain knowledge and experience even from your current unhappy situation. Do not hold any grudge against your boss. It does not improve the situation, and it makes it worse. Say to yourself: this situation is not right for me so I will find the right way for me to leave it.

Thank you for your time!

Interested in more inspirational women? Come to Womenize! Games and Tech Cologne Edition and connect with an abundance of incredible talents from the industry!

Johanna’s links:

Twitter: @Johanna_Jacob
Website: Tiny Crocodile Studios
Facebook: Tiny Crocodile Studios