From dance floors and game stores – to game design!

Futuregames Q&A

We sat down with Cecilia and Isabelle to explore what inspired their leap into game design, the challenges and rewards of the program, and the big dreams they’re building – one game at a time.

Isabelle: I have been working as a store manager for 10 years. I started my path at GameStop and worked there over a period of 9 years. I have always loved to play games, and I can’t remember a time where I didn’t. Even when going to Spain or Greece with the family, me and my cousin played Pokémon on Gameboy Colour at the beach.

Cecilia: I’ve been a professional dancer and choreographer for the past 20 years, working both in institutional theatres and dance companies as well as freelancing and creating my own projects from founding to performing. Crafting and delivering experiences has been my centre of gravity for as long as I can remember. Games was a huge part of my youth and finding my way back into this world has been such a beautiful discovery.

What inspired you to apply for the Game Designer program at Futuregames?

Isabelle: I have been doing game programming and game design about 2 years before I started Futuregames. I felt that I needed a better understanding and a good education to be able to make my dream come true. After hearing a lot of good things and having some friends that were going to Futuregames I decided to apply.

Cecilia: I’m a curious being by nature and as a dancer I knew the time would eventually come to re-educate. Being back in gaming and seeing the vast possibilities got my curiosity going. The decision to cancel my contract with my employer, the dance company Cullberg before even knowing if I was accepted into Futuregames might seem like a crazy thing to do, but once the idea of being able to make games was planted into me I simply couldn’t resist. I’m a dancer, it’s more than a profession, it’s the way I perceive and interact with the world now bringing everything I am with me and seeing the parallels withing game development is so exciting.

“The most rewarding is to have teachers from the industry”

What has been the most rewarding aspect of the program so far?

Isabelle: I have loved everything about it so far. But the most rewarding is to have teachers from the industry. You get new connections but also the real-life experience and workflow.

Cecilia: It’s hard to pick any specific aspect. I love everything about my new life. But the day to day most rewarding thing is creating and crafting together with people who are just as curious and ready to push boundaries as I am. And of course, the super inspiring industry professionals coming in to teach us, playtest our games and helping us to build a network.

How would you describe your overall experience at Futuregames?

Isabelle: Educational and fun combined. That is what drives me everyday, we get to learn in a fun and creative way. 

Cecilia: Its a fast paced but very well-structured education. As a student with no prior tech knowledge, having worked my entire life analogue, it’s hard work to keep up. I’m thanking the dancer in me for my high work ethic, my go-getter-enduring-persisting-curious-practice based way of going about things. Treating it as a job is crucial and so rewarding.

What have been the highlights of working on game projects during the program?

Isabelle: The highlights of the game projects have been to get to know the programmers and get to work with industry standard programs like Perforce etc. It has also been a good learning curve to work on a game in bigger teams.

Cecilia: I love seeing the way a product of collaboration grows into something much greater than the sum of each individual’s contributions. Being able to work within that place of trust and allowing the unknown to unfold is so beautiful. It’s been amazing working together with my fellow students, Designers, Programmers, 3D Artists, Visual Effect Artists and Immersive Experience Creators and to see how all discipline complement and inspire each other.

“Trusting in each other and the project”

What makes your team collaborations so successful?

Isabelle: Communication is what has made the best projects in my opinion. When there is an honest and open communication that’s when we have done the best games. When the communication has been unclear that’s when the game hasn’t felt as polished and cohesive.

Cecilia: A safe working environment, where each member has agency and creative space as well as taking and carrying the responsibility for the project together is crucial. Throughout my career I led numerous creations with both small and large groups and somethings will always stay the same no matter what you are crafting:

•            Sharing a common goal

•            Trusting in each other and the project

•            Understanding your own responsibilities and possibilities

•            Having fun!

What are your future goals or dreams in the game design industry?

Isabelle: I would love to work in a studio like Hazelight or Dice as a Technical Designer. Right now, I am looking forward to work in Unreal Engine in Game Project 3 and to work together with the Project Management class. This will be a new experience and a new learning curve which I am really looking forward to.

Cecilia: I want to create games. I want it to be more than a profession, a way I can perceive and interact with the world.  I want to be creative. I want to become a part of this community. My eyes are wide open looking for opportunities and I know they will come if I keep working hard, keep dreaming, keep wanting to do this. Exactly how these opportunities will look like, I don’t know and for me that’s what’s so exciting. Maybe it’s even my own game dev studio.