Curator of The Week: Elaine Gómez
1. How did you get started in Gaming? What's been your career road map?
My path into games was very untraditional. I always enjoyed playing games but I never thought to make a career making them. My aim was set on studying engineering and medicine because that’s what my parents wanted me to pursue. While I was in college and started taking courses to start that path, I realized that it wasn’t for me. I changed majors and was very fortunate to get seen by a Latino professor who encouraged me to enroll in a research institute he was a part of. From there, I discovered the world of game development and decided to go after it. Once I graduated with a bachelor’s, I went on to graduate school to study game design across the country in Los Angeles, California. I learned the craft, build a network, and took any opportunity that came my way to attend events, conferences, and workshops. When it came time to apply for a job, I started in games education and worked my way into a full time game design position.
2. What has been an important, perhaps the most important, lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
The most important lesson I have learned is that failure is not a bad thing. Failing molds you and it is what makes you become better at something. If we always got everything perfect the first time, we wouldn’t strive to be better. Don’t give up because you failed at something the first or third time you tried. Keep learning and trying until you get what you want from it.
3. What inspires your creativity? What is your creative process like?
I’m inspired by the world around me - games others make, music from other countries, books, friends, family, my surroundings…literally everything. My creative process adapts depending on what I want to make but when it comes to designing games, it all starts with an idea. I take that idea or concept and start dissecting and analyzing it - finding the purpose, what I want to say as a creator, setting goals, scoping what I can achieve over a period of time, and creating a plan to implement it. I use a combination of sticky notes and collages to collect thoughts and references. I chat with close friends or coworkers to bounce my ideas and get feedback. I even play games or watch videos of games that have similar designs to what I’m designing so that I can better understand how others’ were able to achieve what they wanted.
4. If you could go back in time, what would you have told your younger self?
I would have told myself not to compare myself to others and that it’s okay to have different interests, passions, and likes than the people around me because it makes me uniquely me.
5. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
I really enjoy history, especially unusual facts and stories. This week, I read articles and watched videos on the Fugate Family of Kentucky. They were a family that had blue skin due to a recessive gene.
6. Any closing thoughts you want to share with the ThinkLA Members?
Be kind and stay humble.
Want to know where you can follow Elaine on social media?
Twitter: @chulatastic