“You Can Be Anything!”

So this week has been crazy.  For some of you, this is your first visit to this site.  For other’s this is just another weekly post.  This post will be a bit different than post from the previous weeks.

So, last week I “made” my wife a gift.  I posted the finished product online.  And… well, the rest is kinda of crazy.  There have been many articles released about this gift.  Here are a few of my favorites:

ABC News

The Root

Buzzfeed

The doll I created for my wife, was about representation not emulation.  I wasn’t trying to create a version of my wife, as much as give her a doll that represented the idea of a game developer of color.  The standard Game Developer Barbie represents the idea a young girl can choose a profession in game development.

This site emphasizes representation.  There are diverse people in the game industry doing their jobs every day.  Without visibility, one might think they do not exist.  This site strives to illuminate them.

It’s hard to be what you can’t see.

I really hope you find inspiration here.  I hope you find insight.  I hope you find a familiar face.  I hope you find the confidence to pursue a job in the game industry.

And to welcome you to the site, I have a short interview with the woman of the hour, Game Developer Barbie.

Enjoy.

Marcus Montgomery

Founder of We Are Game Devs

Hey Barbie, very happy to have you on the site!

Extremely happy to be here.

What is your current job title and where do you work?

Well, I’m a game developer, and I’m currently working with Mattel.

Barbie: Groom and Glam Pups

What game titles have you worked on previously?

Well, my list of game titles is pretty long.  I’ve been doing this for awhile.  Let’s see, there was: Barbie, Barbie:Vacation Adventure, Barbie: Game Girl, Barbie as the Island Princess, Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp, Barbie: Groom and Glam Pups, and many others.

That’s a pretty large list of  games across so many different platforms.

Yeah, I was doing more creative direction on those titles.  Other people were making the games.  I’m ready to start making my own now.

Barbie: Game Girl

You’ve had a lot of careers before this one, right?  Over 100 different jobs? 

Too true.  I’ve been a veterinarian, a teacher, a pilot, a film director, astronaut, and even a term or two as President of the United States!  But now as  game designer, I feel it gives me a chance to exercise all the expertise I’ve learned in my other careers.

Really, how is that?

Game development involves story-telling, art & graphic design, audio design, and computer programming.  Because there are so many aspects to creating a game, team work is important.  Game developers are creative and understand technology, math, story-telling, and art.*

Barbie: Vacation Adventure

That’s very true.  I find game development incorporates both the left and right sides of my brain.  

Exactly!  It allows me to exercise all aspects of my personality and rolls all my interests into one.  It’s really exciting.

If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?  What is your tagline?

You Can Be Anything!

If people wanted to contact you where can they reach you?

You can find me on Twitter @Barbie.

You can also get some of my merchandise here.

I really enjoyed talking with you today.  Thanks for your time.  Can’t wait to see what games you create next!

Me too!  Have a great day!

*Taken from the back of the Game Developer Barbie box.