Videogames, and the systems they are played on, are genderless. And yet, a great divide regarding the woman gamer has existed for some time now. You've got the men who are in full support of women gamers; men who say sexist remarks to women gamers; you've got women who say that including "women" before gamer should be used to show that they are indeed a market and a presence in the gaming community; and then you have other women who believe that women should just game and leave it alone. In this three part feature, we here at Killer Betties want to look at the issue of women gamers, and to show that women gamers aren't a new demographic exclusive to this generation of consoles, to see how a big time videogame company is actively pursuing the female player, and to look at one woman who grew up playing games and is now on her way to shaping the games of the future. In this third part, we interview Jami Lukins – a freshman at DigiPen – to see why she is looking into getting into videogames and about the increase of women entering into the videogame development field.

It's only natural that women become interested in the thing that excites them, because isn't that how many people choose their area of profession once it comes time to heading out to see the job market? We've ran a whole series of articles looking at women currently involved in the videogame industry, so women involved in the videogame workplace isn't anything new, however, the number is fairly small when compared to their male counterparts involved in the industry. However, as more and more women get involved with games and see it as a viable job source, many more will look into getting into the industry.

The DigiPen Institute of Technology, a video game-oriented learning institution in the suburbs of Seattle, has had more and more women graduating from its programs (since 1998), and enrollment of women continues to grow -- 63 women are enrolled at DigiPen and half of them are in the freshman class. We talked to one such freshman – Jami Lukins – to see what she thinks about videogames, to learn about videogames, and what she wants to do in the industry.

What's been your history with videogames? What all systems have you owned, are you more console oriented or PC, and what's some of your favorite games of all time?

I've been interested in videogames since my childhood friend, Robby, got me into videogames. After getting a Nintendo 64 I became a full-blown gamer. I've owned Nintendo 64, Game Cube, Playstation 2, and the Nintendo Wii, but I also plan on buying a PS3. I am more of a console gamer, but certain kinds of games can only be played on the computer, so I do have a sizable computer game library. Some of my favorite games include: The Legend of Zelda series, Kingdom Hearts 2, Final Fantasy X, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Ogre Battle 64, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil 4, Fatal Frame (I and II), and the Harvest Moon series.

When was it that you decided you wanted to get into the videogame industry? For instance, was there a particular game you played where you said, "Yes, I want to do that for a living."

My mom actually suggested that I get into the videogame industry. My mom was talking to her best friend's sister (who works for Nintendo) and learned about DigiPen and realized that a career in the game industry was a perfect fit for me. I wanted to become a cardiac surgeon prior to my Mom's revelation, but I never would have been happy being a doctor in a depressing hospital. I'm just glad my Mom recognized that I needed a job that involved creativity and fun. How many people can wake up every morning and be excited about going to work? If I can achieve that, then it's not work any more and I'm being paid to do something I love.

You're currently a student at DigiPen for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Production Animation. Why did you choose both DigiPen and the studies that you did?

I chose DigiPen because it is the best fit for me. DigiPen is focused, tough, and all about creating leading artists in the industry. They are passionate, love what they do, and are excited to teach others their craft. When students are feeling overwhelmed by the extremely heavy workload, they remind us, "You get to DRAW for a living! How cool is that? You could be doing math or flipping burgers!" And they're right. How many people can say that they get paid to do what they love? DigiPen grads can.

Continue To Page 2 For The Rest Of The Interview