Marcelo Perez

QRM sat down with Kitfox Games' Marcelo Perez!

QRM: Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do in the games industry?

Marcelo: I'm a Lead Programmer and CTO at Kitfox Games. I decided to shift my career to games about 8 years ago, so I moved to Canada and worked with casual games for a few years before joining Kitfox. I've been developing PC and console games since then. Currently we are working on a dating sim/dungeon crawler mashup called Boyfriend Dungeon. I'm super excited about it, since it's a queer game and exactly my jam!!

QRM: What about the games industry excites and inspires you?

Marcelo: I'm incredibly excited about the impact that we game devs have in people's lives. We spend so much time and effort creating these emotion-inducing machines that we call games for someone somewhere to experience, and sometimes it really means something for them. This is what keeps me going - the hope that my craft can create memorable moments for people.

QRM: What about the games industry frustrates or disappoints you? What are the challenges you’re currently facing in the industry?

Marcelo: Unfortunately this industry is a hit-based industry, so many indie companies have a hard time surviving, even when they're capable of making good games.

QRM: If you could make one roadblock magically disappear from the games industry, what would you choose and why?

Marcelo: Honestly if we could just treat each other as equals, that would be a great start. Companies are made of people, and games are made by people. There are lots of discrimination and harassment horror stories out there and if I could magically erase that, I believe that would already improve the industry as a whole.

QRM: What message would you give to allies—both individuals and companies—who want to know how to support marginalised people better?

Marcelo: Take some time to really think about your biases and privileges. When marginalized people tell you something, actually listen. Your biases might make you have a tendency to dismiss it, but make the effort to listen and see their point.

QRM: What message would you give to marginalised people who are working in games or would like to work in games?

Marcelo: You have skills and insights that are so unique and so valuable to this industry. Sometimes the environment is difficult, the opportunities are rare and it can be discouraging, but never doubt your value.

QRM: If people want to find and support you and your work, how can they do that?

Marcelo: I'm @scientistsloth on Twitter and @marcelo_mtl on Instagram. For more info On Kitfox or Boyfriend dungeon, follow @KitfoxGames on Twitter and keep up with dev updates and all our our goofiness!