Welcome to a new series of interviews from LadiesGamers, Inclusive Gaming. Paula and I are currently Woman in Games (WIGJ)Most of the games we play now have a gender option, and the days of games where there was only one option to play as a man are pretty much over. Some games add that to the table, so we thought of creating an interview-based, inclusiveness-focused game.

This interview Benoit Fries by Luanagames, The studio behind WoMen in Science. Mina reviewed her version of the game Early Her Access and concluded: And I’m a big fan. There is a problem with the game. For example, the skill tree is a bit short on how to get and use all of them, but WoMen in Science is still in early access. The bones built in this game are amazing and we can’t wait to see more.

prologue

First, can you tell us about yourself and your studio?

Well, I’m a 45 year old guy from Belgium who immigrated to Canada 20 years ago. I’m new to game development. Prior to that, he was a software engineer, full-stack developer, and science writer. I am the only full-time employee at LuanaGames, with the help of Irene Chan, who composed the music, and Daniel Thomas, who created most of the graphics and animation.

You started your studio four years ago, and before that you were a science writer. What made you start developing games?

Making games has always been my dream.Prior to this, I worked on a physical card game about a female scientist who didn’t get the recognition she deserved. WebGL version Show how it plays.

The game was a huge success in schools and science museums around the world, but international shipping was very expensive and very unreliable. With low profit margins, having to resend many decks of cards due to being lost in the mail can quickly become unsustainable. We’ve had a lot of requests for free decks, but our margins rarely allowed us to meet them.

So I thought video games would solve these two problems. Delivery is easy and free. Giving away free keys for charity costs nothing. A card game had to be multiplayer and that was a challenge. Because you need a player base first. It doesn’t work if you don’t have someone to play with. We also wanted the game to be popular with women and girls, and farm sims were the most popular genre for that demographic. It’s also great for telling longer, more detailed stories.

female scientist

WoMen in Science has Stardew Valley, a game that helped popularize farming sims. Did you come up with the farming game from Stardew, or was there another source?

I’ve been a gamer since the Spectrum ZX81 in the early 1980’s and must have played thousands of games since then. So there are so many sources of inspiration, both conscious and unconscious. Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, and Stardew Valley have defined the farm sim genre, and are clearly major influences. But it also borrowed elements from Baldur’s Gate II’s dialogue system, Fallout’s hacking mini-games, Scratch, and Wordle. And not surprisingly, the dialogue and Easter eggs include dozens of references to your favorite games.

I love how this game puts a scientific twist on everything that sets it apart from other farming sims. Is this your original profession shining through?

Yes, science has always been important to me. Before studying computer science, I studied biotechnology and agriculture to become a farmer. In fact, the game university is a replica of Gembloux Agro-Bio-Tech, where I briefly studied. Many of the techniques shown in the game I have used in real life and some of which I still use today. After a day at WoMen in Science, I went outside to feed the animals and participate in the plants in the greenhouse and the hydroponics in the garage. I don’t have a robot dog yet!

According to your website, WoMen in Science was inspired by a desire to “show not only ethnic diversity but also neurodiversity and non-binary gender in a positive and family-friendly way.” What was your inspiration for making the game so inclusive?

At first, it was only for female scientists. Of course, when trying to right an injustice, it makes sense to exclude other groups of people and not repeat it. I realized the importance.

As soon as the page went online with just the title and some pictures of the early stages of the project, an army of trolls began attacking it because it had “women” in the title. They assumed I was a woman, called me by name, told me they didn’t like men, threatened to buy the game just to leave a negative review, and demanded my money back (some of them didn’t). did).

What Happens When You Publish an Inclusive Game #vapor,thread. 🧵

It started shortly after I created my Steam page, promising to buy games just to post bad reviews, thus making the algorithm less noticeable. #gamedev #indiedev

1/ pic.twitter.com/Blz2ABvwlw

— LuanaGames – Wishlist WoMen in Science on Steam! (@LuanaGames) June 11, 2022

For someone who has always lived with the privilege of being a white man, it was quite an eye opener. So I doubled down and made inclusiveness central to the game.

inclusive industry

How important is it to you that the gaming industry is representative and inclusive?

It took AI researchers years to realize that computer vision doesn’t work well for people of color, and even in 2022, most phones still struggle to take portraits with darker skin tones. We do. Diversity makes everything better and prevents the narrow vision that leads to these situations.

In nature, play is learning. Kittens chase each other to learn to catch prey. We are much more complex, but games are still the first way to learn and build expressions of our common culture and world. Only a society can be created. That’s why inclusivity is so important, both in games and in entertainment in general.

I think it’s the same with violence in games. It’s okay to play violent games. It’s fun. But if every game tells us that having bigger guns is the best way to solve our problems, what kind of society, exactly, are we building? We need games of all kinds, just like .

WoMen in Science features 20 characters based on real female scientists. What made you choose a particular woman?

It wasn’t easy, and the selection certainly wasn’t perfect, but it had to be done.At one point, I had a list of over 300 female scientists. Some were excluded simply because they could not find sufficient information in French, English, or Spanish. difficult toThankfully, the works of Dr. Marta Macho Stadler When Dale DeBuccy was there to help.

We tried to have as much diversity as possible in all categories, such as scientific fields, origins, gender, and neurodiversity, but at the same time we tried to satisfy the three personality directions that fit the game: community and empathy. Those who prioritize, those who prioritize the environment, and those who prioritize industry and pragmatism. We believe all three of these directions are valid and positive.

Women have made many contributions to science over the centuries. Who is your favorite lesser-known female scientist?

I spent a lot of time working on the 50+ women presented in both games, so it’s really hard to choose, but I think it will be Temple Grandin. She highly recommends the HBO movies about her life and her talking about her life with autism. I’m on the spectrum myself, so her story was especially inspiring to me.

Luana Games has also created a free Women in Science card game. Could you tell us a little more about that project?

Yes, it all started when my daughter (age 7 or 8 at the time) asked me if it was okay for a girl to like math. The consensus at her school was that mathematics was for boys and she wasn’t sure if she liked mathematics anymore. I had trouble naming a few female mathematicians.

So, with Anouk Charles and Francis Collie, I decided to create a deck of cards to promote notable female scientists. Crowdfunding Her campaign raised money for the game, allowing 3000 decks to be printed and distributed everywhere. We also provided a print & play (PDF) version available for free in English, French and Spanish on LuanaGames.com.

women in STEM fields

Do you have any advice for young women pursuing STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) like the scientists at WoMen in Science?

I think the most important tool is a growth mindset. It’s okay to struggle, it’s okay to fail, it’s all part of the learning experience. But if you’re in the minority, it’s tempting to conclude that you’re not where you should be. But the truth is, everyone struggles and sometimes fails. Be kind to yourself and keep working and you will succeed.

Are there any plans for future projects to further promote young women professionals in STEM fields?

The game isn’t making sustainable sales right now, so food needs to be a priority on the table. However, we are always open to providing free or very cheap game keys to fund crowdfunding campaigns and raffles that help with gender equality.

One of my favorite things to do is be part of a small bundle that benefits a great cause.

Are there any other video games with female protagonists that you admire?

I have to admit that I haven’t played much. Tomb Raider comes to mind because it was so unique in 1996. I loved the female protagonists of Dishonored, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, and The Witcher. But I honestly believe this industry can do better. In other words, the best is yet to come.