Making games
I spent the afternoon in very good company. About a hundred of my bestest new friends got together to listen to what some of the women of Radical Entertainment had to say about working in the the game industry. The Women in Electronic Entertainment Panel Discussion was sponsored by Women in Leadership and focused on career development and life/work balances.

Danielle Michael, Vice President Business Development, moderated the panel, which was made up of Kirsten Forbes (Producer), Andrea Malloni (Talent Manager), Senta Jakobsen (Game Project Manager), and Sarah Meagher (Lead Environment Artist).

Panelists fielded questions about the stepping stones to their success, how they balanced work and life, what challenges they had faced in a male-dominated industry, who their mentors are, and some tips or tricks they had for people trying to break into the field.

Some notable points:
• don't disregard the importance of a classical education, including excellent communication skills
• showcase anything you've done that shows an ability to plan and deliver over the long term
• while at this time there are not many women in the industry (about 20 of Radical's 300 employees), there is a lot of opportunity for them and that is only going to increase
• the gaming industry has a lock on the young male demographic and is now in hot pursuit of the women, so they will need women to design and produce those new games
• everybody works hard, but you are not encouraged to do nothing but work; make sure you take time out for physical fitness, pleasure reading, and especially family.

Regrettably, none of the panelists shared their mentors' phone numbers with us.

After the panel discussion, there was time for individual questions and networking around the delicious and expansive spread of food. I had a particularly pleasant discussion with Senta about how a background in competitive sports helps shape a certain kind of personality that is suited to the kind of work she does and I aspire to.
- posted by Sandra Smith @ 11:44 PM