Aside from founding & running the Game Production Community and organising my own events, I try to stay up to date and network through regular event participation. As a student and early industry professional, I attended quite a few conferences already by offering my services as a helping hand, and have regularly been asked for special events. An overview can be found below.
Summary
- Game Production Community Discord, Founder & Director
- GameDev Summit, Advisory Board
- Pathful Connect, Industry Professional Volunteer
- gamescom latam Awards 2024, Judge
- Dutch Game Awards 2023, Judge
- Dutch Game Awards 2021, Judge
- GRUX Online 2020, Volunteer
- IGDA Scholars GDC EU 2016, Ground Lead Chaperone
- IGDA Scholars GDC EU 2015, Chaperone
- Control Conference 2014, Volunteer
- GDC Europe & Gamescom 2014, IGDA Scholar
- Casual Connect 2014, Volunteer
- Control Conference 2013, Volunteer
- “TRIP!” Magazine, Editorial Coordinator
- Level Up! GDC Cologne, Scholar
- Study Trip Dublin 2013
- Creative Game Challenge, Judge
Game Production Community Discord Founder & Director
2020, July – Present ^
The Game Production Community Discord launched in July 2020 & together with the support of several fantastic community members, we’ve since grown it to a group of 5.000+ game production, project management, etc., professionals exchanging experiences, insights and best practices.
We regularly organise book clubs, casual networking events, and panels & talks with industry professionals on a wide range of topics, from production methodologies to entrepreneurship, and from Q&A’s with Valve and ID@Xbox to a peek behind the curtain of the various disciplines that make up our industry. Recordings for a selection of these sessions can be found on the Game Production Podcast.
Join us on a quest to plan better, lead better, and improve team health and happiness, through building a community of knowledge, discourse and support.
GameDev Summit Advisory Board
2024, October – Present ^
Honoured to support the growing GameDev Summit conference reach its high potential but underserved audience. GameDev Summit’s organisers and its advisory board embody the spirit of local SEA devs breaking through and claiming a foothold internationally, and go above and beyond in enabling their peers to do likewise. I admire and applaud Andro Baluyut, Alexis-Mae Geronga and their team so far, and intend to cheer & support from the sidelines in any way I can.
Pathful Connect Industry Professional Volunteer
2020, October – Present ^
Pathful Connect connects educators and learners with a network of industry professionals, virtually, bringing real-world relevance and career exposure to all students. Pathful Connect also provides a skills-based volunteering platform for organizations to extend education outreach, and build their brand among the future workforce.
As an Industry Professional Volunteer, I started doing AMA Q&A sessions with middle schools from all over the USA in Q4 2020, to shed some light on what it’s like to work in the game industry.
gamescom latam Awards 2024 Judge
2024, May – June ^
I enjoyed being part of the inaugural gamescom latam Awards 2024 jury team! For the 2024 edition, I judged the inaugural “Best Game” Award.
Dutch Game Awards 2023 Judge
2023, September – October ^
I was once again humbled to be asked to be part of the Dutch Game Awards jury team! For the 2023 edition, I judged 4 special awards: Best Studio, Career Achievement, Awesome Achievement and Inclusion Award.
The Dutch Game Awards aim to promote, highlight and celebrate Dutch games, its 575(+) game companies, its 3800+ professionals, and educational institutes and students.
The Dutch Game Awards are an acknowledgement of creativity, skill and business insight of the dutch game developers. The Awards will be handed out to game companies and entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves (inter-)nationally the past year.
Dutch Game Awards 2021 Judge
2021, August – October ^
I was asked to be part of the jury team of 10 to determine 10 regular award & 3 special award winners for the 2021 edition of the Dutch Game Awards.
The Dutch Game Awards aim to promote, highlight and celebrate Dutch games, its 575(+) game companies, its 3800+ professionals, and educational institutes and students.
The Dutch Game Awards are an acknowledgement of creativity, skill and business insight of the dutch game developers. The Awards will be handed out to game companies and entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves (inter-)nationally the past year.
GRUX Online 2020 Volunteer
2020, November ^
At GRUX Online 2020, I supported the organisation with talk curation, live chat moderation and assorted other tasks as needed. As Games User Research is a personal passion, and organiser Emma Varjo is an all-round amazing human, I was stoked to support!
IGDA Scholars GDC EU 2016 Ground Lead Chaperone
2016, August ^
As the ground lead chaperone, I assisted Molly with organising and planning the Scholar itinerary, and helped select and reach out to mentors for individual Scholars. We also developed a contingency plan in case of emergency to be paired with the increased security at the venue. During the event I was the on-site go to contact for any Scholar who needed assistance.
IGDA Scholars GDC EU 2015 Chaperone
2015, August ^
I suppose it was inevitable — Having once been an IGDA Scholar, I was
absolutely willing to ‘give back’, albeit only in a small & modest way. The IGDA Foundation noticed I live close to the GDC Europe conference center and asked me to volunteer as a chaperone for the next batch of GDC Europe IGDA Scholars. It was a wonderful experience to take a peek ‘on the other side’ of the Scholar program, suggesting mentors, setting up Q&A appointments and scheduling events for the Scholars to meet and attend. I can hardly take any credit, however, as Molly and Rebecca did all the heavy lifting — but I was honoured to be along for the ride!
Control Conference 2014 Volunteer
2014, November ^
It is a wonderful feeling to experience the growth of a new conference, and the Control guys certainly know how to deliver. Requesting my help for the management of the badge and dinner pass distribution, I attended an amazing event filled with professionals and students alike, visiting the Netherlands from all over the world. I learned a lot, made many new acquaintances and used the inspiration to stimulate multiple of my friends in their work.
GDC Europe & Gamescom 2014 IGDA Scholar
2014, August ^
Having sent in an application around April, I was surprised to find myself amongst those 
fortunate enough to be selected for an IGDA Scholarship to GDC Europe & Gamescom 2014. I met a lot of wonderful and inspiring people, particularly my fellow IGDA Scholars, and attended a bunch of educative and interesting lectures and events. I can’t wait to watch back the lectures I missed in the GDC Vault, and start applying the things I’ve learned both to Mycena Cave and Indievelopment! Thank you so much, IGDA!
Casual Connect 2014 Amsterdam Volunteer
2014, March ^
Casual Connect came back to Amsterdam, and
I wasn’t going to miss it! With fairly steep entry prices, I signed up as a volunteer and made myself useful so I could attend a bunch of lectures. This conference had a very different atmosphere and purpose than others I’ve attended, and I was able to connect with a lot of new companies. See you next year, CC!
Control Conference 2013 Volunteer
2013, November ^
Control Magazine is the Dutch b2b game development magazine, providing the scene with news & updates, interesting perspectives and witty articles. Control Conference, hosted for the first time in 2013, focused on useful, in-depth lectures by professionals from the field. I was asked to volunteer and brought a team of student volunteers with me to man the lecture halls and be jacks-of-all-trades running around the conference. I can’t wait for the next edition!
“TRIP!” Magazine Editorial Coordinator
2013, August – September ^
“TRIP!”, a government-funded publication created by Control Magazin
e, asked me to be their editorial coordinator for the Level Up! GDC Cologne Scholars trip; The magazine includes columns from a variety of students that were chosen to be GDC Cologne scholars (of whom I was one) and my job was to find and obtain interesting, varied stories to publish in the magazine.
One of the published articles is my own, and the magazine was consequently sent and distributed amongst all game dev schools of whom students had been picked for the GDC Cologne scholars trip.
The full magazine is available online!
Level Up! GDC Cologne Scholar
2013, August ^
Level Up!, a government-fu
nded project to stimulate game development students, offered 47 students from 14 schools the chance to visit GDC Cologne as a scholar. We received All Access tickets and were allowed to go wherever and whenever we pleased. I used the opportunity to attend two back-to-back days of lectures, and spend another two days at appointments with a lot of game development companies I’d never thought to meet. Many of these contacts led to fruitful relations for Indievelopment, my own conference, and inspired me to convince as many fellow students as I can to attend conferences as well.
Study Trip Dublin 2013
2013, March ^
In March 2013, I had
the opportunity to go with the study society that serves as a mother society to DGDARC when they went on a study trip to Dublin, Ireland, in order to visit a series of (to me) very impressive companies. We visited Google, Microsoft, SAP, LinkedIN and, the one most interesting to me, Riot Games. We were the first student group to visit the Dublin HQ, too! The trip taught me to open my mouth and connect to developers; Something I’d already been doing on my home turf, but that I had been too much of a scaredy cat to do elsewhere.
Creative Game Challenge Judge
2010, 2011 ^
As a DGDARC board member, and girl studying game dev, I was asked to be a student judge for the Creative Game Challenge twice. The CGC is a game development competition for secondary school students (grades 7 through 12) and awards reasonably sized cash prizes to the winners to hopefully stimulate their interest in pursuing a game dev degree.
Assorted
1997 – present ^
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- Control (B2B Magazine & Website, Dutch only!) interviewed me to reflect on my first year at Paradox Interactive.
- Georgia Harding interviewed me to inquire how (and why!) I ended up in the game industry (original).
- For as long as I can remember, I’ve volunteered at local initiatives such as our no-kill animal shelter Crailo, playground & community center De Zoutkeet, branche of the Red Cross, community center de Koepel, and a variety of other recurring charity & community events.