Brenda Romero: "Start coding tonight. Start making games. Don’t wait for college"

pcgamesinsider.biz:

Today - Friday, March 8th - is International Women's Day and to mark the occasion, we have decided to highlight some of the incredible women working in the games industry.

We are very fortunate to have a true industry legend with us today as Brenda Romero shares her own journey into the games industry and tells us what you need to do to get into game design

Can you tell us about your current role and what it entails?

I am the CEO of Romero Games, and lead designer on my own - not yet announced - game.

What did you study (if anything) that helped you get into games? What courses would you advise for aspiring professionals interested in your areas of expertise?

In college, I studied writing and programming, which is about as good a mix as you can get for a game designer, I suppose. However, in general, I just studied. I am ridiculously curious and will research anything that I find interesting long past the point of usefulness. That curiosity often turns into games.

Where did you get your start in games and how did you progress into what you're doing now? Is this something you ever imagined yourself doing?

I started making games when I was very young, probably around 5. They were board games at the time, however. I got my first job in the industry when I was 15, and I never left. Throughout those years, I kept learning and progressing, and it was a very clear path to here. While I can’t say that imagined myself doing this, because I was completely unaware one could actually do this for a living, I don’t think I could have done anything else.

What part of your role do you find most fulfilling?

Seeing the various pieces of the game come to life. Nothing beats that.

Do you think there are any misconceptions, public or