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Pilots!
As part of our recogniztion of Women's Apprecation Month, we spoke to a few of our female staff at Wargaming headquarters, and who are involved in World of Warplanes' development. Here's what they had to say about their roles in the gaming industry and their valued contributions to the team.
Q: How did you get into video game development?
I love to play video games and know how to draw. After graduation, when I was thinking what job I wanted, my husband advised me to try the game industry.
Q: Did you face any obstacles as a female in the industry? If so, how did you overcome them?
I never encountered any problems related to my sex. I'm sure that there will be no problems if you put your soul into your work and always try to improve your skills.
Q: What are some challenges you faced during the development stages of World of Warplanes, or now?
Before joining the development team, I had been working as a texture and concept artist. But in World of Warplanes, I create maps, so I had to learn a lot of new tools and invent new approaches and algorithms in my work, and it was a very interesting challenge. Right now, I still am improving my skills and trying to help others do the same.
Q: How have the amazing women of the past inspired your process in creating games?
It's mainly my passion for video games that inspires my work.
Q: How did you get into video game development? 
I test the quality of the graphics for Wargaming projects. Eight years ago, a friend of mine offered me a job at a company that makes computer games. He couldn't explain what I would be doing, and said only that I would be checking something. At the time, I didn't know anything about 2D or 3D modeling, but I really wanted to do something non-standard. At that time, the Art QA department just began its work. Many of the of quality control technologies we invented on our own. Work was sometimes very hard, but it has always been very interesting and varied. My longest workday lasted 26 hours, but looking back, I realize that every hour of my work brings joy to someone, and that inspires me.
Q: Did you face any obstacles as a female in the industry? If so, how did you overcome them?
Obviously, my work is connected with the world of military equipment. Girls usually think about dresses and shoes, not so much wing fairings and tail empennage. And I don't believe the scientific explanations and still think planes fly due to levitation.
No, in all seriousness, I had to learn and read a lot of literature to understand the terminology theory of designing aircraft. When you inspect a new aircraft, you "feel" its character, and you see how it differs from its predecessor. To see how much work and sleepless nights its creators put in allows you to envision something alive, something real, among the blueprints and drawings. People's love for beautiful and powerful aircraft is what gives me strength to overcome any obstacles.
Q: What are some challenges you faced during the development stages of World of Warplanes, or now?
The most difficult thing was to live in a world of changes. In search of the best solutions that would satisfy our players, we change things all the time. My work is very dependent on specifications. When I inspect aircraft, it must match the specification. Now imagine that the specification is changing every day, and it can get very frustrating. The main challenge is the pursuit of truth. In our game, it is very important that the plane is fully consistent with historical analogues. And when we have only three old photos, for example, that's when the fight for each technical hatch begins.
Q: How have the amazing women of the past inspired your process in creating games?
For me, they are an example of courage. The great women pilots went against public opinion and flew into the sky because of their unmatched love for it. In my case, the only way to do amazing work is to love what I do. Fly because you love it.
Q: How did you get into video game development?
I started as a regular player, then got interested in supertesting. I joined the World of Tanks supertest, became an active tester, and also started to help with the supertest coordination and support. Later, I was recommended to become a supertest manager for the World of Warplanes project. And here I am.
Q: Did you face any obstacles as a female in the industry? If so, how did you overcome them?
Well, I can't say that there were serious obstacles, other than some very technical issues at times. The only thing that is uncomfortable for me sometimes is the language my male counterparts use. It can be... not so nice, let's say. But sometimes, I find myself using it to make myself clear when time is short and work needs doing!
Q: What are some challenges you faced during the development stages of World of Warplanes, or now?
I am a person of order and rules. I like things to be done right according to the workflow and time. So the biggest challenge for me was to get my male coworkers to understand I’m not going to compromise, and the fact that I am a woman will not give them the chance to avoid following the workflow.
Q: How have the amazing women of the past inspired your process in creating games?
If we're talking about things that inspire me, I would say that I try to notice all the good parts of every person I meet in life, and I try to add those qualities to my own character. I’m idealistic to a huge extent, so I have my own ideal “image" of me, which I try to polish every day. So the main message here would be: You can be inspired by every single person you meet in life, and all people are amazing when you get to know them better.
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March is Women's Appreciation Month. All month long, we recognize the achievements of exceptional women throughout history. We are hosting a charity drive with Grace After Fire, a great women's veterans organization. Not only will we be supporting this charity by having all donations go directly to it, but we'll also match your donations dollar-for-dollar! |
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