International Women’s Day is celebrated globally today to shine a light on women’s achievements.
One of these individuals who has worked their way up to top of their company is Judy Guan, gaming operations director at Salford-based Steamforged Games.
Judy, who has been at the firm for nearly five years, says women have an important role to play in the development of games.
Speaking about the storylines and genders, Judy says: “In the gaming world, women have always played a very important role in any story and how the story develops.”
The company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, during which time it has created games including Monster Hunter World, Runescape Kingdoms and Guild Ball.
The role of females within the industry has very much adapted and with different perspectives bring multiple angles to the table-top developer and publisher.
Speaking about the diversity of creating games, Judy says: “A lot of people contribute to the making of the games of female characters.
“There are many minority groups and if you don’t get your voices heard and your character is not portrayed, people don’t see you and you become invisible. Involvement is the best starting point for making things fair and creative.”
Being the only female board member in her office, Judy believes it’s a ‘starting point’ for equal contribution to the business between genders.
Speaking about mindset and thoughts, Judy says: “You come across some unconscious bias about your ability because of what you look like, what people perceive you to be and there is a beautiful learning curve of standing up for yourself.
“The future does look very bright and the progression between generations is notable especially in a creative industry coming with the right head being an important quality.”
Featured Image: An International Women’s Day banner outside Manchester Central Library. Picture: Oliver Dennett
