Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational individuals from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Nathaly Kalantar Cuellar, Game Designer & Assistant Producer at Mr. iO Games. She speaks about how her multicultural roots and passion for dance inspired “Peru Party” to preserve cultural heritage, her diverse roles in game development enhanced her leadership, and game jams fueled her creativity and love for the industry. Read more about Nathaly here: 

Hi Nathaly! ‘Peru Party’ has evolved from a thesis project into an award-winning IP, combining cultural heritage with innovative technology like virtual reality. How has this journey shaped your understanding of the power of games to preserve and share cultural stories, and what has been the most rewarding aspect of seeing this project come to life?

I come from a multicultural Peruvian-Iranian family, and since I was a child, I’ve loved dancing, so you can imagine I’m a huge fan of Just Dance. In the 2018 version, I found out they had included a song by an Iranian group, and you can’t imagine the scream of excitement I let out. For the first time, a mainstream video game included something from my culture, something that made me feel represented. I could go to my friends and say, “Hey, that song is in Farsi.” That feeling of pride in your culture was something I wanted to bring into future projects. After all, video games are a beautiful tool for sharing cultural heritage, because they are a universal language people from all ages can get to understand. 

Take games like Venba, Okami, or even some servers in Roblox that recreate cities from around the world… They all represent a culture and showcase it to others in a way that allows you to learn about and appreciate them. That is how the idea for Peru Party was born, a project that combines my two passions: video games and dance. 

When I was little, my school taught us about the traditional dances of my country, and I was completely fascinated by the incredible diversity we have. Being able to bring all that cultural richness into an innovative medium like virtual reality feels like watching a dream come true. At one of the recent events where we showcased the prototype, an eight-year-old girl came over to try it, and I’ll never forget the smile of excitement on her face as she danced. When she finished, she ran to her mom, super excited, telling her how amazing it was to see everything through the VR headset and asking if she could try it again. It is in moments like these that I realize all the effort was worth it.

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational individuals from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Mai Huyen Vo Dieu, Game Designer & Project Manager at Playing History. She speaks about balancing historical accuracy with engaging gameplay, using games to raise social awareness through creative storytelling. Read more about Mai here: 

Hi Mai! Your role at Playing History involves designing games that educate and inspire. What challenges and opportunities do you encounter when balancing the need for historical accuracy with the goal of creating an engaging, immersive gaming experience?

When developing a serious game, not just those in historical contexts, I often face the challenge of how to combine fact and fiction. Essentially, when we think about accuracy in historical games, we don’t view history as a fixed truth. There is even a lot that historians don’t know about the past. Instead, history is produced in the present — within the context of those who write and speak about it. And also, who is listened to (as a WoC with a colonial family background, it’s important for me to add that). This includes us, who make games. That’s why it’s important for us to collaborate closely with experts who develop the content together with us and take a critical look at the game ideas. It’s great that we even have a historian on the Playing History team.
One challenge with serious games is that we not only have a target audience, but also a communication goal in mind when we get creative. I often find that in many serious games, it becomes obvious when they try to force certain content into the game. In such cases, it’s worth considering whether the game is the right medium to achieve the communication goal.
Instead, it is an opportunity to set interesting focal points. We search for core motives from which we can develop a central game concept. One example from the games currently published by Playing History is Friedrich Ebert, about the first President of the Weimar Republic. During the research phase, the motive of “problem stagnation” came up, which led to the basic idea for the game mechanic: much like in a bubble shooter game, tasks for the politician come continuously, and you have to make decisions to win the game. Another example: I’m currently working on a game about refugees, and I’m asking myself what essential aspects and motives are part of refugee flights and what challenges refugees have faced that we can tell through our core mechanics and at the same time do their experiences justice.

Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational individuals from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Jeannie Odreman, Director Mobile Publishing at gamigo. She speaks about her diverse background led to her success as Director of Mobile Publishing at gamigo, and she envisions the future of mobile gaming driven by personalization, AI, AR, and blockchain, while advising newcomers to focus on both education and adaptability. Read more about Jeannie here: 

Hi Jeannie! Your career spans over 17 years in the gaming industry, from TV production to mobile game publishing. Can you share a pivotal moment in your journey that significantly shaped your professional direction and led you to your current role as Director of Mobile Publishing at gamigo? How did your diverse background contribute to your success in this field?

I wouldn’t say there was one specific pivotal moment that determined my professional direction toward my current role. Rather, it has been a collection of experiences over the years that have shaped my growth and prepared me for the challenges I face today as Director of Mobile Publishing at gamigo.

My diverse background has been a significant asset throughout my career. It has given me the flexibility, openness, and perseverance to navigate and overcome the many challenges I’ve encountered over the past 17 years. Working across different countries and in varied roles has allowed me to view the industry from multiple perspectives, which is crucial in my current role. I often wear many hats—business strategist, creative, manager, analyst, client, and customer—and my past experiences enable me to approach each of these facets with a well-rounded understanding.

For instance, my time in TV production taught me how to solve problems quickly and from all angles, regardless of the scale of the issue. My background in business development gave me a unique insight into both sides of the business equation, whether you’re serving as the client or catering to the user. Meanwhile, my work in brand and product management empowered my creativity and honed my understanding of customer personas—knowing how to package a product for the right audience while considering KPIs, feasibility, and customer-centric design.

In summary, I feel fortunate to have built my career path with a broad range of experiences that now allow me to view publishing through multiple lenses, giving me a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to succeed in this field.