As someone passionate about video games since she was little, it is no surprise that Tiffany Chin decided to pursue a career in the video game industry. She specializes in strategic planning and brand management for video games, anime, movies, and other types of entertainment. Currently, Tiffany works as the Global Brand Manager at PlayStation. She also serves as a mentor for the Academy of Interactive Arts, sits on the advisory board for South by Southwest, and is a Forbes 30 under 3 in the gaming industry.

In this episode, Tiffany talks about growing up in the Bay area, her experiences in UCSD, and how she got into an industry dominated by men. She also shares her reasons for coming to Haas, one of which is learning how to approach some of the nuanced and complicated problems of bringing more equity into the gaming space. We also hear about her role in PlayStation as a brand manager.

Finally, Tiffany also talks about Girls for Gaming, a program that helps empower and educate young women on the various roles within the gaming industry. 

Episode Quotes:

On how she got into the video game industry, and other ways to get in

“I feel like internship helped me get my foot in the door. At least expose me to a lot of the entertainment industry and a lot of contacts that helped me take those first steps into the industry. This was all before I really understood video games and what that industry entailed. Internship was a great way for me to get in.

There's so many other ways for people to get into the industry these days that haven't really been as tapped. IDGA stands for International Game Developers Association and they have a great mentorship program. I’m one of the mentors of that. And it's been such an experience reaching out to not only college students but people who, in general, are interested in joining the industry. Another group that's really great too is AIAS, which is the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. They have these scholarships that go out every year to help out not only game developers, but even people of color and women enter into this industry, which is quite hard to get in.”

What her experience being in Haas has been like so far

“Getting to Haas has been very enlightening in a lot of ways, not only from kind of the basics of business but getting so many more diverse perspectives of how to approach a problem. I think the fact that Haas focuses so much on DEI really drove me to come to Haas because a lot of what I see in my industry has driven me to want to learn how to approach some of these more nuanced and complicated problems of how do we bring more equity into the space, in a field that can often have some scarcity mentalities when we think about bringing other groups up or trying to bring more diverse people into our qualified groups.”

On bringing her passion for DEI in founding Games For Girls

“Games For Girls is largely focused on normalizing gaming for gender diversity. What that really means is kind of through three facets. One is through the professional route, being able to provide information to women in the industry on how to fight for equal pay or how to have some of those critical conversations that they need to have to bring a little bit more inclusion or sense of belonging into the workplace. The second thing is really highlighting the games that do diversity well. The third thing is around trying to normalize this within the community itself. I think that one's probably the hardest, but through some of the things that I've experienced and learned through different groups at Cal, to really facilitate this inclusive community of women and try to help bring people up and encourage gaming that is fun and lighthearted. It's not always about the performance aspects of video games, but really cultivating that community that lifts people up and has something as a focus to bring people together.”

On becoming a face and an influencer in the gaming industry

“It's been really incredible. I honestly would not have imagined being in this position five to ten years ago, but really I think it comes down to the network that I've built and the people who've really helped me along the way. I experienced having a great boss who encouraged me to take calculated risks, always advocated for me, or pushed for me to have exposure. Having allyship in that way of good management has really provided me with a lot of opportunities that could have taken me a lot longer to get where I am. In addition to that, some of the people that I’ve had the opportunity and been blessed to work with have been phenomenal in terms of pointing me in the right direction of who to talk to, to make the most impact.”

Advice for people who are passionate about gaming and would like to get into the industry

“Don't be discouraged. It is a tough industry to get into but definitely follow your passion. No matter what, the unique thing about video games is that we all come from very different backgrounds, but the one thing that unifies us is what we love, games.”

Show Links: 

• LinkedIn Profile
• International Game Developers Association
• Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences
• Girls for Gaming
• Girls For Gaming Scholarship

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