Turning Gaming

Turning Gaming Into a Career: How Girls are Taking the Reins

Careers in the video game industry are highly desirable, and for good reason. Working for a video game company can be rewarding, and equally important, turns a favorite pastime into an exciting career. However, for tween and teen girl gamers, the prospect of one day working in the video game industry may seem daunting. While 46% of the U.S. gamer population is female, women account for only 22% of video game developers.

Women are taking the reins developing, designing and marketing video games. Lisa Wackenhuth Svanström, a 3D Artist at Star Stable Entertainment, a multiplayer game featuring horses, magic and adventure, offers career advice to young women who may want a career in the video game industry:

1. What inspired you to build a career in the video game industry? “I am a lifelong gamer, artist and digital creator and now, my official title at Star Stable is 3D Artist. Working for a company like this allows me to unite my interests and skills to create magic for girl gamers around the world. The artistic process of designing the 3D horses inspires me the most. It is so rewarding to have an idea in my mind, sketch out a new design and work with all the visuals such as 3D

GetRuralLeaderMag.com | March 2020 11 models, characters, textures, environments, props and ultimately release the final product for horse-loving girls who play our game every day.”

2. What are the types of jobs for women in the development studio?

“To build a game, artists (3D, 2D, VFX and animators), designers and programmers need to work closely together from start to finish. Artists work on the overall creative vision. Designers work with the mechanics and features. Then, programmers use their coding knowledge to bring it all to life. We work with producers to make sure that all tasks associated with the development process are completed on time and tracking with the overall vision of the project. As the industry continues to grow and evolve, developers focused on mobile and virtual/mixed reality are in high demand, as are tech animators, who use a combination of creative and animation skills to solve issues related to art production.”

3. What other types of jobs do women have in the industry outside the development studio? “It takes dozens of people with specific skillsets for a video game company to succeed. Community managers interact with players daily to ensure they are having