Welcome a special Into Games Twitter Q&A which we hosted last Thursday with Robin Milton from Women in Games as part of the Women in Games Global Festival.

In our chat, Robin discussed the route she took into the games industry, what working with Women in Games has meant to her, and tips for anyone considering joining the industry.

Having gone to Norwich University for Games Art and Design, what inspired you to get into games?

I was originally looking at the Norwich University's  Fine Art course when I attended the open day talk for Games Art and fell in love. Working on games means you can bring all of your interests to it, music, history, art, science, psychology - I could go on!

You’ve started a new role recently with Women in Games as the Awards Project Manager. How has it been so far and what has it meant working for an organisation like Women in Games?

Working with Marie Claire +team has been fantastic. I'm inspired by the phenomenal people+organisations nominated for our awards. It's a natural progression from being a teacher. If they can see it, they can be it - so I'm trying to be as visible as I can for the next generation.

As the Awards Project Manager for WIGJ, right now must be a busy time with the Women in Games Festival now underway! What exciting things does Women in Games have planned for the next two weeks?

Oh indeed it is! This year we have 2 wks of events; 15th/16th is 2 day conference with fantastic speakers from right across the world (a benefit of it being virtual) AAAND of course, there is the WIG Global Awards Ceremony on 18th Sept at 7pm BST - livestreamed online + GINX TV.

✰taiga✰ - Any tips for women wanting to get into the industry who can't go to university?

So I would definitely recommend getting involved in game jams and joining community groups wherever you can (discord groups like Women Making Games + Into Games are awesome) and then attending events like @developconf when you are able to help too! :)

Through your career as well you’ve done a lot to help students developing curricula for Level 2 Games Development and the Level 3 Games Art, Games Tech, and ESports and so on. In your experience, what makes a successful curriculum?

Independently-led projects, teamwork where students support one another, external incentives (such as public events to showcase at) & giving them a safety net to experiment and get things wrong (without it affecting their grades). Having a purpose and an end product to each task.

You’re now working with us at Into Games helping us with our research, what is your approach when it comes to finding new information and applying it to your work?

I love research and looking for where information threads together, overlaps or is entirely different. After years of teaching, I present my work is in Slides as it helps me structure and disseminate information easier, but a lot of my initial work will be in Miro / spreadsheets!

As a Co-organizer for Norfolk Game Devs, what can game developers expect by joining the community?

We are a welcoming community for developers (of all expertise), students and enthusiasts that aims to support, encourage and grow the games industry in Norfolk. We want people who are interested in / are already making games to feel like they have a friendly group there for them.

Working with so many great initiatives, how do you keep yourself organized with everything you need to do?

Google Sheets, Google Calendar, Asana, Time-blocking and wearing a lot of different hats! I am a visual person so everything needs to be colour coded to help me keep track and I love a good spreadsheet formula. Though I am definitely still getting to grips with it all! :)

What has been your proudest moment in your career thus far?

When student teams from my second year of the Games course exhibited their games at the Norwich Games Festival. I helped with organising the festival in 2014 when I was a student myself so it was a really special moment for me. They even got featured on BBC LookEast!

Thank you so much again to Robin Milton for spending time with us. If you want more from Robin, be sure to follow her on Twitter.

The Women in Games Festival will be running from 15th to 16th September and right not we have an offer on tickets, 50% off. Be sure to get your tickets ordered fast as this offer will only run until midnight. Get your tickets here.