Maki Yamazaki

• Role: Indie games developer
• Location: Scotland, UK
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QRM: Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do in the games industry?

Maki: I'm Maki Yamazaki and I think I've officially passed the threshold between 'wearing different hats' and "Darling, I simply must get the number for your milliner".

My professional background is largely in writing and recording music, as well as doing story and art for comics. I've released a number of solo albums, as well as writing soundtracks for videos and one podcast. I also sometimes get to do voice acting, which I love! I used to perform in a brass band and occasionally I do a bit of hairdressing for fun (when I have the energy). Oh, and I love doing citizen science and studying astrobiology! As for my hobbies, I'm hoping to get into doing more woodworking, as I miss doing sculpture. And maths. Maths can be a hobby too.

But with every spare moment I have these days, I make games. I've released numerous demos and games, as well as created games for exhibition spaces.

Oh, and I write game engines, too.

QRM: How long have you been involved in the game industry, and what projects have you worked on? What are you working on currently?

Maki: I've been making games since I was 8, so a long, long time... but I've always been a bit of a – what is it called? – bedroom programmer. These days though, I've migrated into my studio. If I were a pajamas-sort-of-person, my PJs surely would have followed me there too.

I can't publicly share most of the details about the game I'm currently working on (it's quite hush-hush), but I can tell you that it's a game very dear to my heart. Which of course means that not only will it include queerness, but that queerness is a major part of the game. If I could sum it up in three words: queer, cyberpunk and... plants.

I'm currently making the game engine for it while also working on the game design elements. As the project evolves though, I'm going to be wearing a lot of different hats. Possibly every hat at one point or another. As many things as I am capable of doing however, it's really important to me that this game isn't just 'my' vision. At the moment I have two more (utterly amazing) people who'll be working on the game with me, which is really awesome!

I'm being very careful with the scope of the project. I'm the sort of person who's just bursting with ideas, but for this game in particular it's especially important to me that I create a focussed experience.

The game has a strong focus on narrative and you can date s–... oops, did I just let that slip? Okay. Yes, you can date cuties in it if you want to.

QRM: What inspired you to get started in the games industry?

Maki: Back when I was quite young indeed, it was seen as deeply uncool to use computers or play games. Luckily for me, I didn't really have any friends back then, but I did have an Amstrad 6128: a computer from bygone days that meant the barrier between you and coding was literally the power switch. Oh, and the big-ass manual that came with it had a bunch of code examples. Of course, you could use it play games, but why settle for just that when you can literally become a code witch?

In later years, games became prettier but making them became far less intuitive. As I slid painfully into adulthood, I became much more focussed on making music and comics. However, I have a chronic illness, and as my health got worse it became harder to do either. Eventually I got sick of the music industry crushing my soul at every possible turn and decided to change my career path altogether. I also realised that the one thing I wanted to do more than anything else was to create games. So I stopped telling myself that it was impossible for someone like me and started learning how to make them for modern computers.

By far my biggest drive, though, was that I had far too many stories I wanted to tell that I just wasn't seeing in games... and I wanted to change that.

QRM: In what ways do you feel your experiences as a queer person manifest in the games you work on, and influence the work you do?

Maki: Even before making games was my main career, I was busy combining queerness and creativity. Being queer does not just have to be about who you're attracted to or how you relate to gender. My experiences have brought me some of my closest friends. They've provided a safe haven from the horrors of the world. Being queer has helped me with my critical thinking skills. Non-queer folk do not always have to question the rules that weave our social norms, but being queer generally leads you to question at least some of them.

I'm just so tired of the lack of queerness in most games. So much so that I feel the need to make a difference by making my own games. And not just 'queer games', but games that yearn for queerness. Sci-fi games? Show me a future I can believe in! Fantasy games? Paint those orcs gay (thank you, Shadowrun: Hong Kong)! Football games? Timeout for an overdue makeover. Swashbuckling adventures? Do I really need to ask? We don't just have to settle for being relegated to niche games. I would love to see queerness in every conceivable genre because we exist in almost every facet of life.

QRM: Do you have a favourite queer character—in games or media more generally? If so, what is it about them that makes them your favourite?
Question asked by @kamienw.

Maki: Ah, that's such a tough question! It's hard to choose a favourite because I like them in so many different ways! But some of my favourites are:

Dorothy, VA-11 Hall-A: She's bubbly and kind! Also there are SO many ways in which she could have been written badly, but wasn't! She's a really wonderful and believable character.

Dia, Butterfly Soup: Strong and cool, but also very shy. She makes me want to care about sports.

Korra, Legend of Korra: Avatar, POC, pro-bender AND queer. Again, so incredibly well written with a lot of depth. [True Story Moment: The Legend of Korra made me cry! I was utterly overwhelmed with emotion because she was not only a main character who I really related to on a deep, personal level, but one who also looked like me.]

I could go on and on, but for the sake of brevity I'll halt the list there.

QRM: Have you ever encountered roadblocks in trying to include queer characters in games? What do you think is preventing greater diversity within games?
Question asked by @dustinalex91.

Maki: I've pretty much always been my own boss when it comes to making games, so I have no personal experience of not being able to tell the stories that I want to tell in games. Once upon a time, I applied to be a QA tester and during the interview I asked about the approximate gender ratio in the company and I'm pretty sure that it may have lost me the interview. I know the games industry can be pretty inclusive at times, but being a queer POC with chronic illness in and of itself can be a major barrier for any employment opportunities, regardless of the specific sector.

Combined with the fact that most companies want to see a high level of education in applicants (even if for flipping burgers) and therein lies the next problem: getting the education.

I've spent more years than average, it seems, in university education, but even giving it my everything and pushing myself far beyond what I thought could be possible, I ultimately never got my degree.

There are a lot of reasons for dropping out of education, and the education system here at least just does not favour diversity as much as institutions might like you to believe.

Greater diversity sometimes means dropping the bar for people who have a statistically harder time reaching it. And I don't mean having lower standards, but recognising the need for different standards. Companies often don't feel a need to be flexible, as there's always someone just behind you who also wants the job.

I think we're seeing a big upsurge of diversity in games, though, because of indie developers and technologies becoming more user-friendly. I think big games companies would do well to support indie projects more while allowing full creative control. In allowing us to fail, they would also allow us to succeed. And good, diverse games make the world a better place for all.

QRM: Why do you think it is important that queer audiences are able to see themselves represented in the games they play, and in the developers who make the games they see? What can we do to improve the industry for queer audiences and devs?

Maki:I don't believe that every game needs to be fun, but it certainly helps to make them popular and brings a lot of happiness into people's lives. Games are an unusual media because they are implicitly interactive. They can be like movies or books (for example), but through their interactions games demand a level of engagement that most other forms of media don't. And engagement is not fun unless it is given willingly. So it is only natural that players would like to engage with narratives that they can relate to. This interactivity can act a bridge, or dialog between creator and participants.

But when most games only cater to just one kind of audience with a very limited handful of fantasies, games as a medium can feel very stale indeed. As a queer POC, I cannot help but feel tired of the same old characters, with the same stories that are simply not my stories and not my dreams. When cis, white, male audiences are so accustomed to having things their way, they often get so offended at the very idea of a game not existing solely for their pleasure. But for me? That's my experience of most games. What for some people is fun in one game is not necessarily fun for all.

I love playing and making games because I love challenges and new experiences. Games that tell the same sort of narratives with the same sort of characters aren't challenging to me. In fact, it's just dull. If you don't at least try to make a narrative interesting, then where is the point in even having one at all?

Too many games companies focus on money. I'm not going to go into the financial aspects of diversity and inclusivity because whenever that comes up, it always misses the point: if the bottom line in making games inclusive rests wholly on the profit margin, then who is to say that the games industry is any better than a bento full of hungry leeches?

QRM: Have you ever mentored somebody in your role in games, or been mentored? If so, what made these experiences worthwhile for you?
Question asked by @pepelanova.

Maki: I owe a lot to my amazing coding mentor and friend, Niall Moody, who really helped guide me to becoming the programmer I am today. When we met I knew a fair bit of programming, but it had always been something that I'd taught myself. He taught me C++, which really gave me the sort of low-level control I needed for writing my own game technologies. I also love teaching coding to other people, too! Almost anyone can learn to code/paint/make music on their own, but mentoring can make it much faster to achieve your goals. I can't recommend it enough!

As an extra aside here, if you're struggling finding a mentor, consider looking to organisations for help. A big shout out to Flip Artists who helped to find and fund a mentor for me. Their amazing support was a real game changer for me (pun intended).

QRM: In what ways can non-queer folk increase and support queer diversity present within games, as well as in the industry more broadly? How can we all work to support intersectional approaches to diversity, and why is this important?

Maki: For non-queer folk: Listen to experts with an open heart. Actively seek out and play queer games and try to understand our experiences. Be brave and speak out against bullies. Try not to be afraid to express femininity.

Industry professionals: Get queer people's input in the early stages of development. Implement it and then ask queer people if you did a good job. Poor representation is even worse than no representation at all.

Queer folk: Never forget that there are many different ways to be queer. Your stories and dreams important, but never at the expense of others. Always punch up, but never punch down.

QRM: Is there a message that you would like to share with the queer game players, game studies researchers, and other interested folks who comprise the Queerly Represent Me community?

Maki: Believing you can do something is the first step in being great at it. The world needs diverse stories, and no matter what your skill, you too can make games; there has never been an easier time! But if you'd rather sit back and play games instead (or watch others do it), that's cool too. There's always a queer game dev that needs your support. Even just reaching out and thanking them can make a big difference. Paying them for their hard work also makes a big difference, too.

I know the world seem a really scary place in recent times, but even when it feels hopeless, there is always something you can do. And finally, please don't be afraid to reach out to others for help, support or encouragement.

Finally, but most importantly: ↑, ↓, ←, →, Love + Compassion.

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You can find Maki on their website, Twitter, or Twitch account.
You can also check out their Bandcamp, donate on Patreon, or support their coffee habit!