Q: Tell us a bit about your current project(s), what are you doing now and in the near future?
A: No current game or computer projects strictly for myself, although, I am helping my husband, Ken Williams, get his start-up internet company, WorldStream Communications, up and running - though, more from a board/advisory/investment partner position rather than from a hands-on/manager position. I have decided at this point in my career to take some time off and think about the future and to take a 'breather' after having worked very hard in the computer game industry for almost 20 years. Next year, I may 'come back' - although, I need to think of something cool to do!
Q: You are one of the first women in the gaming industry. Describe what that was like, the positives and negatives of being in that role.
A: It had its pros and cons - as does everything in life. I, personally, never felt any disrespect or resentment from any of the other 'guys' in the computer game industry with my being a woman. I was never held back and, generally speaking, my ideas were well received. Oh…I suppose there was an odd guy now and then who might have felt that I didn't know what I was talking about, or resented the fact that I was who I was, had so much clout, or - horrors! - was married to the CEO of the company, but…overall, I didn't have any problems. I think my main problem was being married to the CEO of the company, not the fact that I was a woman. Some people, over the years, thought that I only achieved what I had achieved because of my husband, but, I always countered those people that the company was started because of a game that I wrote…not something my husband wrote. Therefore, it could be argued that he was there because of ME, not vice versa:>)
Also, in working with people, men as well as women, I have few chips on my shoulder, I stay pretty cool under pressure, and I let things slide off my back. I think those are good qualities for people in order to succeed. If somebody says something negative, generally, I ignore it, and then just work even harder in order to prove them wrong. It's very satisfying to prove someone wrong and then see the egg on their face - especially, if you had done it in a very calm, cool, and professional way, and not ever gave them the satisfaction that they had ever rattled you.
Q: How well do you believe the gaming industry is taking the female market into account? Is there anything that the industry could be doing to cater to the female market that has not been done thus far, or that has been done poorly, in your opinion?
A: I think that the gaming industry will be catering to the male market pretty strongly for awhile. I actually don't see any change in the near future. Obviously, I worked in the adventure game category, which was very popular with women - as well as men. While the adventure game genre was popular, women were getting a toehold in the industry. The problem is that right now, the adventure game category is pretty dead. Until somebody comes up with a gaming category that women really like in droves - and don't expect those guy game computer designers/programmers out there to do that! - I don’t see much change there. It might be up to women to figure that one out. I think that if you wait around for the 'industry' to do something about it, you’ll be waiting a long time. I think, though, that this rather 'unfortunate predicament' could also be an opportunity for some entrepreneurial women! There was no such thing as a female presence in the computer industry until I came along and made the adventure game category a big and important thing. It may now be up to some other enterprising and creative woman to come up with another big idea to capture all of those women out there who would just LOVE to play a computer game!
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