Meet the SGS&C Committee

What inspired you to get involved with Serious Games Showcase & Challenge?
“I first became involved in the SGS&C because I felt the event’s early focus on indie developed games was too narrow to demonstrate the amazing impact possible from serious games. So, I told the director and industry lead at the time what I thought, and they said, “Great, join us and help us change and grow it!” And as is true with many great volunteer stories, the rest brought us to today. And this spirit is alive today within our committee, we still invite new individuals passionate about the impact of games on learning to bring their perspectives and roll up their sleeves to contribute to shaping future challenges.” 

If you could be a character in any game—serious or not—who would you be and why?
“If I could be any character in a game, I’d be Pauline. I’m a huge fan of the playful gameplay and experience focus Nintendo brings to their games. The Intellivision was my first console as a child, and she was there in Donkey Kong and has appeared on and off throughout the Mario franchise games. Starting as the original damsel in distress she’s reappeared and reinvented as the mayor of the most urban environment Mario tackled, in my opinion changing up the franchise when it was most needed. Strong female representation matters in all games, and I am a leader and city girl at heart. Guess I’ll have to start shopping for a fabulous red dress for I/ITSEC this year.“

What’s a surprising skill you’ve gained from volunteering with SGS&C?
“A surprising skill I have learned from volunteering with SGS&C… wow, there are so many over the years, trade show booth design, website development, even advanced capabilities of the Google and Microsoft 365 suites to automate as many steps in the administration of the challenge as possible. But more than the skills, I have appreciated how much I have developed through interacting with the other members of the SGS&C team and our finalists. It is such a collection of talented, interesting, and caring people.”