Women who are gainfully employed in the games industry are becoming more and more common. The assumption that video games are a man's domain is finally becoming outdated. Women are playing and working with video games in astounding numbers. According to the ESA, 39% of game players are women. While the percentage of women working in the industry is still small, these women are paving the way for equality in this environment as well. More and more young women are going to technical schools and getting hired by game developers who see the value of a female perspective when creating video games.

So, how did these women get started and why do they do it? Those are the questions I want answers to, so I ask. This will be a continuing series of profiles of the women who have broken stereotypes and taken jobs in the video game industry.

Heidi Gaertner is a Software Engineer on Pirates of the Burning Sea for Flying Lab Software. How did she get started and what does she do? Read on to find out.

Name: Heidi Gaertner
Title: Software Engineer
Company: Flying Lab Software

What's your earliest memory of video games? Did you grow up on games or did you find them later in your life?

My earliest memory is of playing space invaders at my orthodontist’s office. I had very bad teeth and spent a lot of time there. Oh, and Chucky Cheese, I loved Ms. Pac-Man.

What kind of education do you have and has it prepared you well for this industry?

I actually have a degree in architecture and engineering. This hasn’t been the most useful degree ever, since I’ve never actually done architecture or been an engineer. However, there are a couple of parallels with the game industry. One being the bridging of aesthetics and feasibility/practicality. The other is that engineering classes are 90% male.

What type of work did you do before you got into the industry and what jobs in the industry have you held?

I worked briefly at a structural engineering software firm before jumping over to games. I worked for a couple of small and now dead game companies in Chicago, including FASA interactive which later got bought by Microsoft. At Microsoft I worked in the games group and on the Xbox team. I now work for a company called Flying Lab software where I’m working on graphics for Pirates of the Burning Sea – a massively multiplayer pirate game.

How long have you been working in the industry?

About 9 years.

What does your job entail? What is an average day like?

Mostly I sit in front of my computer and write code, or fix code that I wrote yesterday. I also get to hang out with artists and figure out how to implement effects or make things work more efficiently.

Tell us about the most interesting or exciting moment for you in your job.

The most exciting moments are in the week before E3 when we actually try out our game on whatever hardware we should’ve been trying it on before, and I realize that we have an epic week in front of us. Then there’s a week of pure fun and excitement making up for all the performance work I haven’t done all year. This might not seem terribly exciting to somebody watching externally, but really it is quite an adrenaline filled week.

What is your least favorite thing about working in the industry?

Carpal Tunnel and that every T-Shirt ever given to you is size XL.

What is the one misconception you feel people have about working in the industry in your type of position?

That I need an XL T-Shirt. Although you can sleep in them.

Do you feel you are advantaged or disadvantaged as a female in an industry so dominated by men? Do you have any examples of situations where you feel you had an advantage because you were female? Any where you think being a woman played against you? Any anecdotal stories where being female played a part?

It’s hard to compare male vs. female programmers because there are so few of us women. The few I met at Microsoft in the games group have since drifted into non gaming jobs. I do notice the trend that most games are designed and written by men and for men, which probably means that we’re missing a giant market share opportunity. At best the industry tries to make largely accessible games, but they never seem to target just women. (except for the Barbie franchise, but that’s to depressing to dwell on).

As for work advantage or disadvantage, I don’t think that programmers notice my gender much. I think that programmers are generally nice introverted people, and we’ve been spared the sexism and glass ceilings of other industries. I think producers have it harder then programmers as well, since they have more contact with outside people.

Do you consider yourself a hardcore gamer? How many hours a week do you get to play (besides the title you are working on)?

I’m definitely not a hard core gamer. I am however a fairly hard core worker so when I get away from work I’m not that psyched to sit in front of a computer.

What settings and genres do you enjoy most? Least?

I like god games. I like things like Civ where you build and control your universe. This is probably a character flaw of some sort – thank god I’m not in politics. I’m really not into shooters for two reason – a: I suck, b: the repetitive noise of the guns drives me mad. Oh and Robotron is the best game ever invented. I went as Mikey for Halloween last year (my boyfriend was a tank), but nobody got it.

If you could pick one game as the best game ever, what would it be?
Robotron

If you could tell developers of games to make sure to put one thing in games to appeal to a broader audience which includes women, what would that one thing be?

I think they should target women directly – someone is going to make a lot of money some day doing that. Broader audience usually translates to appealing to both dad and my five year old niece, which doesn’t actually mean making a game that 15-40 year old chicks will love.

If you can talk about it, can you tell us some about the project you are currently working on?

I’m working on a Pirate MMO set in the Caribbean called Pirates of the Burning Sea. Right now I am specifically working on graphics, physics, the ship and avatar motion.

Do you have any advice for anyone who would like to get into the industry?

I think the industry is maturing and it’s getting hard to just fall into it like I did. Most employers want to see a CS degree these days (if you want to be a programmer).

What are your favorite games? Favorite movies? Favorite Authors? Inspirations? What do you like doing in your free time?

I like to be outside in my free time. I spend a lot of time hiking, climbing, snowshoeing and snowboarding. I also do a few triathlons every year to get some of my competitiveness out of me.