ChickSpeak

It’s a typical Friday night, and while you might be getting ready to go out to dinner or a movie, one woman is designing the last level of a video game. Cara Ely is a double anomaly within video game space: a female producer (there aren’t many) who is creating one of the most popular series of games for women (not many of these either).

However, all of that is beginning to change as women continue to dominate the lucrative online casual games industry and as companies are now specifically creating games for women. The online gaming industry, just for those of us not in the loop, is expected to exceed a whopping $650 million by 2008.

A perfect example of this trend is Cara’s latest title, Oberon Game’s Dream Day Honeymoon, a seek-and-find puzzle game that has just been released for download on major games portals. With it’s intricate details and challenging levels, it’s a fast favorite among female gamers and regular women just wanting to unwind and get creative after a long day.

We were intrigued by Cara’s high-level position within an area that we admittedly don’t know much about, but see value in, and recently got to interview this tech maven.

CS: What led you to get into game development and how has your background (either educational or personal) helped you in this industry?  Did your major in college help prepare you for your career?

CE: I knew of the game industry because I have an older brother, Michael, who worked in hardcore games (for Firaxis and Microprose, primarily). I had been working as a talent agent and casting director and I wanted a change; I pursued an Associate Producer position at Sierra Online. They were looking for someone who had experience hiring and directing actors and writers, so it was a perfect fit. On a more personal level, my brother and I agree that our upbringing made us uniquely suited for game development. First of all, we moved every three years or so (Germany, Virginia, Hawaii, Washington…), so we can adapt pretty easily to new things. Our father is a (retired) engineer, and our mother was a ballet teacher (she’s now an actress and historical interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg); that balance of logic and creativity has been a big plus in the game industry. I received my B.A. from a small liberal arts college (Whitman), so my college education was fairly broad; I majored in theater, which absolutely prepared me for working with all types of people under incredibly tight deadlines. I think the theater also prepared me for the challenges and rewards of seeing a creative project through from start to finish.

CS: What is a typical day at work like for you?

CE:The nature of game development means that every day is different - it’s not often that my day goes as planned. But, for example, on a Monday morning I start by checking email and preparing for our Dream Day team meeting. I put together a list of priorities for the week based on our project schedule, and any new research or development tasks that might have popped up during the previous week. We meet to review the list, and it’s my responsibility to make sure everyone knows what to work on and when; we also bring up questions, issues, worries, anything that might impact our plan. I go straight into a much longer meeting with other producers and executives at the studio, where we bring each other up to date on our current projects. The rest of my day might be spent in brainstorming meetings (for game design or new concepts), reviewing art deliveries, working with our lead engineer on features and prototypes, writing story text or design documents, meeting with our marketing team, and doing game research. I work from nine to 12 hours per day, five days a week; during “crunch time,” the team works some weekends as well, but we try to keep that to a minimum.

CS:  As a female in a male dominated industry, do you feel that you’ve had more opportunities or more challenges as you’ve grown in your career?

CE: I’d have to say more opportunities. I have made a point of working on games that I actually like to play; that’s been challenging at times (and some of them were a stretch, I’ll admit that) but that choice has allowed me to stay excited and passionate about games, and my work, and I think it shows. I’ve also been able to cultivate a sense of my own likes and dislikes when it comes to gameplay and design. I don’t try to be “all things to all people;” instead, I play to my strengths and try to consistently expand my skill set, all the while focusing on games that I feel strongly about. So far, so good. 

CS:  Did anyone ever tell you that you couldn’t or shouldn’t go into the gaming industry? If so, how did you respond?

CE: Happily, no one ever told me that - at least not to my face! I did have some surprised reactions from people outside the industry (when they found out what I did for a living), but that never bothered me.

CS:  The game you’re working on now is Dream Day Honeymoon with a 30+ targeted demographic. Do you think that the game has appeal for the younger 18-34 crowd, as well? What would the ChickSpeak audience be excited about or surprised by as they play this game?

I absolutely think that the Dream Day games have appeal to a younger female audience. Weddings and honeymoons impact all kinds of people, not just the bride and groom. Whether or not a woman is thinking about her own wedding, she might have friends, coworkers, or family members who have a wedding on the horizon. The seek-and-find gameplay is quite addictive and we really focused on making the graphics beautiful; the storyline is also interesting and (we hope) humorous.

CS: What can the gaming industry do to attract more female gamers and programmers?

CE: Most people still associate the gaming industry with hardcore games, which typically have a large male audience; I think the first step is making sure men and women realize that the game industry offers all kinds of opportunities (in both casual and hardcore games), and the business is growing every day. We have a real need for talented, passionate people to make games that appeal to different audiences (such as your Chick Speak readers!). Many women may not realize how many opportunities are available in the industry, so the first step is getting the word out.

CS:  For our members who are interested in your line of work, what is one piece of advice you can share about being successful in this business as a woman?

CE: Only one piece of advice? First and foremost, work hard. Don’t phone it in. Game developers are the most dedicated people I’ve ever worked with, and if you aren’t willing to roll up your sleeves and dive in, you’ll never be able to gel with a team.

A big ChickSpeak thank you to Cara Ely of Oberon Games and Jackie Nolan & Sheree Johnson of HIghwater Group