What exactly do you do?
I'm a game designer and content manager. My role has changed greatly over the years, though contributing to design and game balance has remained a significant part of what I do even when I'm acting as temporary beta coordinator, or level builder, or whatever. Right now I spend a lot of time managing the content team ... which is to say I try to facilitate communication and keep the path clear for them to do their jobs.

How did you get started in the game industry?
Technically Turbine is my first real introduction to the game industry, though I've been playing games and writing different kinds of games off and on for quite a while.

What do you like most about your job? What is the hardest part?
I greatly value the creativity of the job, the people here, and the lessons I learn. All three combine to make what could be called a real "challenge," but it's a good kind of challenge.

The hardest part is twofold: Wanting to put in more and being unable to do so for monetary, resource, design, or (most commonly) time/schedule reasons, and also dealing with the inevitable player backlash because we are not superhuman and can't do everything we want to when we want to.

What was it about Turbine that made you want to work there?
First and foremost, the fact that it was a game company that was making a fascinating product, and just as importantly, the fact that it was a young start-up without bureaucracy, with people dedicated to a vision instead of their own egos, money, and power.

Is this something you have always wanted to do?
Yes and no. I never really took the idea of game design seriously as a kid, and I always thought I was headed for science ... until college, that is. There was a time when I wanted to work for Infocom, but even that was just sort of a "what if" kind of thing.

How many women work at Turbine right now and what has it been like for you, being one of the first?
There are currently I think about 8 women at Turbine, doing everything from art to programming. It's been mostly OK here, though there have been a few hints of what I've been calling "a lack of female perspective."

How does it feel to know you contributed to the development of a game as successful as Asheron's Call?
I'm still a little weirded out that so many people out there are playing, but I know darn well AC isn't perfect ... and I am still deeply involved in working on it ... so by no means can I lean back and consider the job done! I still have the "it's a work in progress" mentality.

I do feel very privileged to have been able to work with some remarkable and amazing people, from fellow designers, to programmers, artists, and company leaders. On the flip side of the coin are the occasional nasty experiences I (and others) have had here, but even these have so far worked (thank God) to make us a stronger, wiser company. Looking back, I see just how many mountains we've climbed ... but I know there are more ahead.

What's it like to play Asheron's Call now that it's gone retail, knowing that you helped put so much into it?
Play? I wish I had time to play more. :) But it's actually very nice to run around the world and just see other players having fun, and I very much appreciate the positive comments from our loyal fans.

What's the one thing you hope people get out of their experiences in AC?
I hope they find a place to be for as long as they need it. Whether what they need is just plain old fun, a chance to role-play, a chance to make friends or to grow and explore or all of the above -- I hope they find what they need.

We have found that there are quite a few women playing AC, including some who lead fairly large monarchies. Does that surprise you at all?
Not at all! I've always felt AC was a welcoming place for women.

On a side note, people seem to think it was a hard task to keep the game from turning into "babes in chainmail bikinis," but it wasn't like that at all, and what I think is the "right" kind of mentality has gone into developing AC from the start.

Do you think that women are an overlooked audience in the gaming industry? If so, what do you think can be done to remedy the situation?
Well... to an extent. It sure seems that the mainstream perception of gamers is still way off the mark, and it's a perception reflected in industry magazines, ads, and you name it. There is nothing that can be done aside from individuals making certain decisions in what they will buy, support, and expect from the industry ... and those within the industry acting and thinking responsibly. I think we're already seeing a lot of good things happening.

Do you think men and women look for different things in a game? What do you think women look for most in their gaming experiences?
I think it depends on the individual. There are surely some trends and generalities, but ultimately women make their own choices about what they want ... and those desires surely change as a person changes.

Where do you see yourself over the next 5 years, and what will you be doing? What does the future hold for you?
I have no idea what I will be doing in the next 5 years. I will go wherever I'm called, so to speak. However, it would be great if I'm still here and the company is just as cool as it is now, if not cooler.

What do you do to unwind at the end of the day? Do you have any hobbies or things that you enjoy doing?
I do gardening, play silly computer games, hang out at home, do spiritual study, etc..

Any words of advice you have to females out there who would love to be doing what you are doing for a career?
Learn, study, play games, design games! Get into programming, art, literature, science, math, history, games theory -- the more you know, the better. Read up on the industry. Get involved with teams of people engaged in complex, challenging projects; there is no better way to learn how to work closely with others. Play a lot of games, take notes, analyze, and keep writing, designing, or level building the games you want to make. And if you really want to make a difference, you should figure out what's truly important to you, and think long and hard about how to put that into the games you make. Hold on to those game ideals, even if it looks like you can't realize them immediately. Lastly, keep looking for opportunities -- they may crop up in unexpected ways -- and never give up.