Interview date:
February 9, 2021
Sly Emenike is a game developer and producer working for a small gaming studio in the Netherlands. With a university degree in game design, he has worked as a game coder and now as a producer who manages teams and projects. Although the gaming industry is mostly white and male, Sly is optimistic about the future. He says the next generation of gaming students and professionals is diverse and inclusive and includes women and people of color like him.
To him, game design knowledge and skills aren't only useful for the gaming industry. Many industries are using game design principles and gamification to engage customers with their products, services and processes. This makes game design skills important in the 21st century.
"I've heard of psychologists actually doing game design because they know how our brains work, what tickles the fun side of your brain. I also actually know an architect who wants to move into the game industry because he has the technical skills to make the visual side of games...In a way, it's the same to make these [3D] models. Like 'How do you make a bottle, a building or a character?' There are several studies which intertwine with each other in game development."
