Astra Ebonwing’s Post

What is "Cultural Interoperability" and how does it affect the #Metaverse, and other information spaces? Come to my talk at Reboot Develop and find out! So looking forward to returning to #Dubrovnik soon!

Wow, what an awesome time at #PAXEast2023, truly an unforgettable experience! 🎮🤩 The event showcased some of the industry's best and brightest, including amazing panelists who shared their insights and expertise. What stood out the most was the growing and diverse player base, which was evident in the incredible cosplay and talented players who were there. It was great to see that publishers and distributors are open to fresh ideas that create new engagement, increase the depth of gameplay, and reach to new players. This has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for developers to innovate and explore new territories. Moreover, the joy of being able to attend an IRL event again after a long period of virtual events was remarkable. It was amazing to connect with other players in-person and share our love for the industry. This expo was a testament to the power of gaming and the impact it has on so many people's lives. I would like to take this opportunity to thank ⭐️⭐️⭐️Tramell Isaac, Margaret Krohn, Linda "Brasse" Carlson, Richard Weil, Astra Ebonwing, Avori Henderson, Edward Kuo, Dylan Liu , and more …⭐️⭐️⭐️ Who shared their insights and expertise during the event. It was an honor to be a part of such a talented and diverse group of individuals who are passionate about the gaming industry. ✅Here are my four takeaways from Pax East: 1️⃣ The gaming industry is thriving, and the future looks bright with new and exciting developments. 2️⃣ While the player base is incredibly diverse and passionate, the industry itself has room for growth in terms of inclusivity and diversity. But, there are many people, including myself, who are actively working to make the industry more inclusive and welcoming for everyone. 3️⃣ The collegiate and pro player base is growing, and gaming is a legitimate career path. 4️⃣ Publishers and distributors are open to ideas that create new engagement, increase the depth of gameplay, and reach out to new players, which encourages innovation and creativity in the industry. #paxeast #gaming #web3 #ownership #cosplay #players #leaders #diversity #community #indiegames #AAAgames #meta 🕹️🎮👾🔆🚀🚀🚀

I wish GDC was more inspiring for my career, but instead I have had to focus almost entirely on keeping women and trans people safe. Every year, inboxes are flooded with this horrific words: “I was assaulted at GDC” Whisper networks only work so well but are so secret that women and trans people who are assaulted have no idea who to even go to. They don’t know who to talk to. Predators are protected by their companies and friends and are allowed into spaces, regardless of how many people scream that they’re dangerous people. Women and trans people are lured into places to pitch their games and are sexually assaulted. Women and trans people are roofied at parties where predators and past offenders were also invited. Women and trans people have to create escape plans and keep their mouths shut because their abusers will come for their careers. I’ve already said this privately to multiple people, but I’ll say this here again: My only goal in this industry is to keep people safe. I would never work in games again if it meant people were safe. I have and will continue to put my own career and well-being on the line in order to call out these disgusting people who do NOT deserve a space in our industry and keep people safe. And the worst part is that every year, I’m not surprised. I’m not taken aback that this happens. I’m not surprised of the messages I get asking for help. It will continue to happen as long as those in power continue to protect horrific people. We deserve to go to industry events and feel safe. We deserve to go to industry parties and not have to be defensive. We deserve to do our jobs and not feel fear.

Seeing quite a few post sending 'good vibes' and that everything will be 'okay' if you stick it out long enough -- Saying everyone is "amazing" and that "it'll only take time." That's the type of info and self-validation that keeps you complacent. Get a notebook, take a good self-evaluation, and update your goals. What are your weaknesses, what are your strengths? And most importantly, do I need to do more learning? (The answer is always yes). If you're failing multiple interviews, not getting contacted back, or simply getting no traction at all -- start asking for help. Look to YOURSELF to see what could be hindering you. Stop blaming "the sytem" for being unfair. It's always going to be unfair, that's life. The game industry is COMPETITIVE. What does that word mean? It means you are competing with hundreds of other people for the same job. How will you stand out...complain on LinkedIn that life is unfair? Good luck, nobody is hiring a complainer. Be competitive. Understand that every day you don't figure out the areas you lack and seek to improve them, you're falling behind. All this talk about "you just have to wait until the right moment" is b.s. if your skillset is lacking. Find out what you're lacking, and learn about how to get better in those areas. SEEK HELP. Reach out to people in the role that you want. Take their advice and apply it! If you're looking for a game design job or a level design job and you haven't cracked open Unreal Engine, Unity, or any other game engine in the last 3 months, or ever -- Why should they hire you? You want to get into the game industry but you're not even cracking open a game engine. What does that say to recruiters? Stop wasting time. The Game industry is one of the most competitive fields and you DO NOT have time to complacently drift and be indecisive about what you want to do. Being in a game engine will allow you to hopefully experiment with enough workflows that you have a good idea of which one you eventually want to specialize in. Skillset, Self-marketing, and Soft Skills are the 3 key areas you need to consider when finding areas that you are lacking in. Find the weakness, and then seek help to improve in those areas: Skillset: What you want to specialize in and how skillful you are within a certain discipline. game design, level design, art, narrative. DO NO STOP AT THESE CLASSIFICATIONS. Research job titles that fall under these classifications. Self-marketing: LinkedIn presence, Portfolio, Resume, Cover Letter, Professionalism. Also stop trying to list EVERYTHING you 'think' you're good at. Pick the ONE thing you want to sell your skills in, and then express your interest in the other areas. No more "I'm a level designer, game designer, narrative writer, audio designer, producer, leader, etc...." You cannot effectively do all of those. Soft Skills: Communication, Adaptability, Personality, Coherent Talker, Able to break complex topics down and explain them in simple terms.