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 The assumption that video games are a man's domain is finally becoming outdated.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.

Jennifer Bullard works for Aspyr Media, a company originally started to bring quality games to the Macintosh, but has recently branched into the PC market. She is a Producer working on an unnamed project. Here's what she had to say:

Name: Jennifer Bullard
Title: Producer
Company: Aspyr Media

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

I was about 11 or 12 when my dad got a Commodore 64. I played Lode Runner to level 68 before my much younger sister used it as a Frisbee. Whenever there was a computer around I played games.

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

I have a BA in Psychology & Industrial Labor Relations. I believe both prepared me well for the management work that I now do.

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

Before I was in the industry I worked as a Technical Recruiter. Inside the industry I worked starting in QA, moving to Design and eventually into Production.

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?

Definitely chance, sort of a lark really. My husband had just gotten a job at New World Computing in LA and we had moved from the Boston area. While looking for a ‘real job’ I took an opening in the QA department and became Lead within a month and Associate Designer in two months.

How long have you been working in the industry?

Since August 1998

What does your job entail? What is an average day like?

My job entails managing and scheduling a team of around 20. I also get to dabble in contracts, negotiate between development needs and publishing requirements. There are peaks and valleys with Production. One week you are frantically putting out all of the fires and the next few days no one needs you and it’s quiet. Enjoy the quiet moments because they don’t last long.

Tell us about the most interesting or exciting moment for you in your job.

Most interesting was the press event for Backyard Wrestling. Not only had I never seen a wrestling match up close, but I got to see it ICP style. What an eye opener. Quite literally Babes, Blood and Barbed Wire in the ring, but the stark contrast was how nice those young men were outside of the ring. If you ever get a chance to meet me in real life ask to see the pictures.

What is your least favorite thing about working in the industry?

Lack of management training and “not invented here” converge horrendously on our management and business landscapes. Too many companies fail because they lack basic management or business skills. No company can truly operate without legal, HR, accounting, sales & marketing. Even if that is outsourced, you still need those support services for your business to run. A two man operation is going to need an accountant at the end of the year, a lawyer to protect their intellectual property and someone to move their product.

There is this underlying belief that other industries have nothing of value to offer our industry, or that we’ll invent a better way. Fact is we could learn a lot from people who have been successfully managing companies, large and small. On the same note companies could look at success stories in our industry and pick and choose what has worked for them. Not every company is going to want to use every technique or style, but there is something out there for you.

What is the one misconception you feel people have about working in the industry in your type of position?

People believe just anyone can jump into the role of Producer, or that it only requires some limited on the job training. That isn’t true at all; you need to understand the basic management principles in order to do this job, and having a strong mentor for a couple of years is beyond value. There is a lot of training and education that goes into being a good Producer, and with the amount of authority a Producer has each company should carefully choose someone who can actually do the job.