Katya Dolgova, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Redhill Games, a game developer based in Helsinki, Finland is on the podcast this week! In a fun nod to Dolly Parton (intentional or unintentional), Katya's team just put out their first game, an FPS called Nine to Five. We talk about the startup environment vs. larger publishers, what is missing in the digital economy, and why it's fun to build a shooter game.

Episode Resources:

https://www.redhillgames.com/

https://www.ninetofive.game/

https://www.theesa.com/resource/2021-essential-facts-about-the-video-game-industry/

Joining me this week is Julievette Jefferson, who started a non-profit called Kick the Day to provide kids with a space to play, learn, and move through gaming and other activities. Julievette's experience in the education world combined with a drive to keep kids sane and happy during the pandemic lead to Kick the Day, which now services her community in and around Philadelphia. We talk about community organizations, the importance of after school activities, and more.

Julievette's orgaization is currently doing a fundraiser for this year's programming. If you would like to support the mission, please visit: https://icaniwillktd.com/donate

Episode Resources:

https://icaniwillktd.com/

This week's episode features the first-ever enterprise level conversation. Join Lindsay as she discusses marketing, tech, and breaking barriers with Catherine Valiquette, Go-to-Market Manager and Marketing Strategy and Daniella Guio, AMS Marketing Manager, for PageWide Web Presses for a little known company, HP. Catherine and Daniella share their passions for using tech in marketing, building a more equitable world, and how advertising fits into the whole puzzle.

Episode Resources:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/industrial-printers/indigo-digital-presses.html - HP Indigo

https://www.hp.com/us-en/commercial-industrial-printing/pagewide-web-press.html?jumpid=ps_9ce7964152&gclid=CjwKCAjw_tWRBhAwEiwALxFPobaErB9UQBixcNqMqpGseO97W6Hsin3zjVfVoelHDnebvcPwPx4KfRoC-mgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds – HP PageWide

https://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetPDF.aspx/4AA6-4597EEW.pdf- Personalization and Brand Experiences

*Major Episode Alert* This week features two incredible leaders in the gaming industry: Dr. Mitu Khandaker (CEO) and Latoya Peterson (CXO) join me from Glow Up Games. In its own words, “Glow Up Games is a game studio centering innovative storytelling about black and brown joy.” Mitu and Latoya walk me through what it was like developing a mobile game based on the hit HBO series Insecure (by amazing creator Issa Rae). Join us for a conversation on race, fundraising, company building, and what it's like to meet your heroes.

Episode Resources:

http://glowup.games/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kemberliespivey/2021/11/29/hbo-and-glow-up-games-launches-a-insecure-mobile-game-called-the-come-up/?sh=659eee11515c 

https://igda-website.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/18113901/IGDA-DSS-2021_SummaryReport_2021.pdf 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kemberliespivey/2021/11/29/hbo-and-glow-up-games-launches-a-insecure-mobile-game-called-the-come-up/?sh=659eee11515c 

https://www.dbltap.com/posts/latoya-peterson-diversity-in-games-01f4wcm7jexg 

https://www.publicbooks.org/ai-rap-synthesis-tools-black-hip-hop/

For this special bonus episode, I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Jacquelyn Thomas, Founder and CEO, Kids In Technology, Curriculum Developer- Beauty of STEM Series (BOSS), and the Founder of Girls Pursuing Science. Dr. Jacquelyn's career and outlook lead us to having an important discussion on the different standards for men and women, how race fits in, and why it's important to get more diverse voices into science and tech. Listen for a timely and relevant conversation on the gaming industry, tech, and how we can get more women and people of color into the industry.

Episode Resources

https://girlspursuingscience.com/

https://thestoryexchange.org/jacquelyn-thomas/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/02/forget-law-school-these-kids-want-to-be-a-youtube-star.html

We're back with an episode on mental health and wellness, or as the guest this week calls the combination, mental fitness. Sarah Hill, CEO and Founder of Healium, joins me to chat how emerging tech will change the mental health field. Sarah's own journey with PTSD and the struggles of journalism lead her to creating Healium, an app that uses AR/VR technology to teach good practices and address mental health issues. Join me as I learn about mental fitness, media diets, and what's happening on the Silicon Prairie.

Episode Resources:

https://www.tryhealium.com/

https://www.startlandnews.com/2022/05/healium-nfl/

Joining me this week is May Mahboob, Co-Founder of MBD Financials, a photo-realistic metaverse banking solution aimed at helping people all over the world engage in financial activities on blockchain based technologies. May describes what banking in the metaverse looks like, how it can help people in developing countries, and what it means for international development. As an international policy nerd, this episode really spoke to what's happening in developing countries and how blockchain may help solve problems. Also, if you've been wondering what a DAO is, this is the podcast for you!

Episode Resources:

https://globalfindex.worldbank.org/sites/globalfindex/files/chapters/2017%20Findex%20full%20report_chapter2.pdf

http://mbdfinancials.com/

https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/meta-bank-defi-described-as-worlds-first-decentralized-360-solution-bank-in-the-metaverse-2022-03-02

We are continuing our mental health chats! Joining me this week is Eve Crevoshay, the Executive Director of Take This. The mission of Take This, in its own words, is “decrease the stigma, and increase the support for, mental health in the game enthusiast community and inside the game industry.” Our discussion is wide ranging, from why building a healthy community is so important to why being a helicopter parent may not be a bad thing.

Episode Resources:

https://www.takethis.org/

https://www.healthygamer.gg/blog/video-games-and-mental-health-explained

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2021/10/05/heres-how-instagram-harms-young-women-according-to-research/?sh=b0058fb255ae

https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=jade

https://gameshotline.org/

The past few years have been difficult for so many reasons, and prioritizing mental health has become important. This week, we welcome Summer Scott. Summer is the Director of Team Operations at Counter Logic Gaming, where she incorporates all kinds of programs and initiatives to help players with their mental and physical wellbeing in and out of gameplay. Our conversation was a breath of fresh air about mental health, what we can do to treat ourselves better, and why this is all important in gaming.

Episode Resources:

https://dotesports.com/general/news/razer-launches-esports-wellness-program-for-players

https://digiday.com/marketing/the-protector-how-summer-scott-has-helped-coach-an-esports-industry-into-taking-care-of-itself/

https://dotesports.com/general/news/razer-launches-esports-wellness-program-for-players

This episode is for the people out there who want to learn more about investing in crypto, but have no idea where to begin. I'm joined by Jennifer Tonge, who not only works in gaming and is an entrepreneur with her own business, but has gotten her start in crypto investing. Join me as Jennifer details what made her interested in crypto, how she chooses to invest, what sources she follows, and more.

Episode Resources:

https://cointelegraph.com/news/women-s-interest-in-crypto-grows-but-education-gap-persists-study

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/30/cryptocurrency-has-a-big-gender-problem.htmll