National Women's Equality Day at Pipeworks

Today, August 26th, is National Women's Equality Day, which celebrates the importance of the women's suffrage movement and the fight to expand equal rights. In honor, Pipeworks' studio is closed today, and we're spotlighting a few of the incredible women at Pipeworks in this article. We asked them to share their passions in and out of the gaming industry, and this is what they wrote:

Hi, My name is Monica. My pronouns are She/They. I am a game designer at Pipeworks. I was born in China, where I was never allowed to play video games growing up. I picked up my first video game after suffering a severe concussion when I was 21 after an accident that left me bedridden for a year. I was immediately charmed by video games as a medium; it not only helped me pass difficult times but also played a significant role in my recovering from traumas, both physically and mentally. Since then, I have been working towards my dream of becoming a game designer, and after a few years of hard work, I feel lucky to be able to make my dream career at Pipeworks. I am passionate about designing gameplay and system from an empathic perspective and making video games more accessible for people with different backgrounds. I am proud of my experience tackling game design challenges across different genres and platforms, and telling stories through interactive experiences. When I am not designing games, I am playing with my cat or doing volunteer work to help make the games industry a more inclusive space for people with marginalized identities like me.

I've been with Pipeworks a little more than a year now as an associate game designer and I feel like I've grown a lot from when I graduated with my master's, especially in the past couple months. I was originally going to go into medicine, but I eventually found myself following my dreams to work in video games and am extremely proud of how far I've come. These days, I've been using a dream project of mine to help me learn C# among many other side projects. I really love JRPGs and feel most at home with them, so I've decided to start making my own. It's a long and arduous process, but I think it will be worth it in the end. One day, I hope to stand (figuratively) in the same (metaphorical) room as some of my idols in the industry.

Hi there! I'm Kate. I love drawing, reading, and hanging out with my dog, Maggie. While I was in school I did an internship at Pipeworks - was hired after graduating, and now it's been a wonderful 3 years!

I am passionate about being kind, accepting, and unafraid to call out injustice when I see it.

Creating art for games is my passion and being able to do that at Pipeworks has been a dream come true. I have learned so much in the short time I have been here, and I am so excited to continue growing. Outside of work I keep myself busy with the abundance of different hobbies I cycle through while I chase whichever one gives me the most dopamine. It is difficult to pick just one thing that I love to do because I am constantly doing different things to try and focus my brain. Some things that I love include reading (novels and webcomics), hiking, drinking tea, creating 3D art, collecting hats, playing games, sketching, working out, bullet journaling, painting, cooking, and watching true crime. All in all, I am a creative at heart and almost everything I do is a way for me to express that creativity. It is exhausting at times, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

I think the rapid increase of powerhouse women in tech has a lot to do with the feeling of needing to overcompensate in the this field. Society does not tend to associate femininity with technological competence.

My passions lie in great stories. Most of my favorite things revolve around being entranced by a story: books, movies, television, and, of course, games. That's a big part of the reason I'm in marketing, I get to help tell the stories of Pipeworks, our people, and the behind-the-scenes of making great games.

Some of my other hobbies include ice hockey, being a beer snob, and spending lots of time outside with my dog, Ahsoka.

As a creative throughout the years I have had a passion for painting and the entertainment industry. There is interconnectedness between user experience and my thinking behind my artwork.

It has been a pleasure to work on projects such as Magic The Gathering: Arena and Eternal strategy card game with DireWolf Digital. It was individuals on the team that made the achievements and struggles worth the push to make stellar games. Still newly started at Pipeworks, I’m excited to grow and see where the coming projects take us.

My art practice consists of fine art illustrations working in oil paints and mixed media. Themes centered around haunting women and the occult. In the before times, I was working as an independent artist. Having a successful Kickstarter, selling my work at conventions and showing in galleries. Much of that was trial and error. Mostly error for years working on my practice in tandem with full time jobs. My relationship with my art practice is ever evolving. I'm excited to share a new body of work.

Each hardship encountered has been there to teach me a lesson, which in turn prepares me for the next lesson. “The obstacle is the way.” - Ryan Holiday

As we move through our careers, seek balance. To perform well and show up for our peers we must first show up for ourselves.

Here are a few things I do to seek balance: dedication to weight lifting, hiking in the forest, a ritual of yoga, CrossFit, learning something new, community feedback on what I'm working on, journaling, reading my favorite fantasy novel on a rainy day, travel to live another life, fill my sketchbook up - show no one, play The Witcher three times, spoil my cats, laugh with friends and loved ones.

No passion or career is worth the sacrifice of that which makes us whole. Consistency and slowing down is the true hustle. Putting the time in what truly matters, discovering what those things are and letting go of the rest.

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become." -James Clear, Atomic Habits.