Women who are gainfully employed in the games industry are becoming more and more common. The assumption that video games are a man's domain is finally becoming outdated. Women are playing and working with video games in astounding numbers. According to the ESA in 2006, 38% of game players are women. While the percentage of women working in the industry is still small, these women are paving the way for equality in this environment as well. More and more young women are going to technical schools and getting hired by game developers who see the value of a female perspective when creating video games.

So, how did these women get started and why do they do it? Those are the questions I want answers to, so I ask. This will be a continuing series of profiles of the women who have broken stereotypes and taken jobs in the video game industry.

Cricket works for NCsoft as a Community Coordinator for City of Heroes/City of Villains. Here's what she had to say:

Name: Cricket
Title: Community Coordinator for City of Heroes/City of Villains
Company: NCsoft

What's your earliest memory of video games? Did you grow up on games or did you find them later in your life?

Some of my earliest memories in general involve the Intellivision – I think I was four when we first got it. I don’t remember much about life when I was four, but I do remember playing Kool-Aid Man. (Oh yeah!)

I’ve always had a love for computer games. When I was in elementary school my parents got a Commodore 128: that thing kept me occupied for hours. At the time I was living in a military base in West Germany…there wasn’t much else to do. Sure, I played outside with the other kids, but we didn’t have Chucky Cheese or any places like that. So I played all sorts of games at home, so many I can’t remember them all. A schoolmate lived in the building and I caught the competitive spirit of gaming from him…without him rainy days wouldn’t have been so much fun.

My father is also really into playing video games (and he still is!) so it really has always just been a part of my life. We used to figure out all sorts of adventure game puzzles together. At the time I didn’t realize that these puzzles were making me think – learning can’t be fun, right? But honestly, I think they made me a little bit sharper in the logic dept.

What kind of education do you have and has it prepared you well for this industry?

I earned an associate’s degree but I never graduated from a four-year college. I actually stayed in college until my senior year – that is something I kind of kick myself for. They all told me “if you don’t go back now you may never go back” and I didn’t believe them. Transferring to another school out of state is a lot harder than I originally thought.

My college work focused on the social sciences. History, geography, and my fav - political science. I had no idea I could actually land a job in the gaming industry. It just never crossed my mind.

What type of work did you do before you got into the industry and what jobs in the industry have you held?

During my high school and college summer breaks I would work at an amusement park. I didn’t have many jobs I really liked back before joining the gaming industry, but I really enjoyed working in an amusement park. Perhaps it was the fun atmosphere and the gang I worked with, but it really was exciting and enjoyable. I felt very important operating all those big rides – sitting at a control panel with a mic in front of you isn’t so bad.

Besides working in community I also have a few years of GM experience under my belt. I started out in the industry by working as an Ultima Online GM. That is how I found City of Heroes…the game was in beta and they needed more GMs. In just a few months I was a Senior GM, and now here I am in community.

I don’t have any technical experience whatsoever. I have a lot of gaming knowledge and I have a lot of customer service under my belt…that is what got me in the door. However, I must say that email support is VERY different from in-person customer service, or even the kind of customer service you’d provide via telephone. People treat you differently via email, and you have to be very careful with that. You have to remain professional BUT you cannot sound like a robot. That may sound easy, but that is a lot harder than it sounds. I also think it is very important that all responses remain plainly worded. Some people think that is a no-no, but really, people don’t like to try to figure out what you are really saying. Jumping around the issue can agitate players really fast.

Was your entry into working with video games planned or chance? What initiated your interest in working in this industry? How did you get started in the industry?

By chance…I just moved to Austin, TX and I actually saw an ad to work for EA. When I applied I had no idea it was even for a UO GM position – the ad just said it involved customer service.

I was lucky to even get an interview…I’m sure a lot of people applied for it. In my interview I discussed my customer service and gaming background. I must have done really well, because that afternoon I got the call saying I was hired.