However, the stars aligned, and she got a job as a quality assurance project manager at Gameloft Cluj. And now, after 9 years, Ruxandra has become our game producer for Asphalt 9: Legends on the Nintendo Switch!
Find out more about her career path, and some of the great advice she has for women wanting to work in the gaming industry below!
Hi, Ruxandra! Tell us about yourself.
My name is Ruxandra and around nine years ago, I started this amazing journey to discover my potential in the gaming industry, which I’ve been passionate about ever since I was a kid.
Gameloft was just around the corner to guide me by initially offering me a quality assurance position at Gameloft Cluj in Romania. After a while, I began to develop my management skills and started on an ascending path towards team management and afterwards, production.
For the past four years, I’ve been a game producer working directly on the games that initially brought me here, and every day is a new adventure!
My initial path was actually unrelated to game development. I went to art school where I learned graphics, and then I went to the Bucharest National University of Arts to study photography and film. This however, helped me to develop my creativity and showed me how to be meticulous in my day-to-day work.
What is your role, and what do you enjoy most about your job?
I make puzzles! Each game we make is like a big puzzle with lots of different pieces that fit together only if you find the pattern and the right way to do it. And just like every puzzle, you need keep trying until everything is in the right place.
Understanding how each piece of the puzzle contributes to the bigger picture is something I’ve learned over time and has helped me be better at my job.
What I like the most about my job is the challenge. You take this small spark of an idea that initially has no roots, no shape, and with the help of the most talented and amazing people, you challenge yourself to transform that idea into something tangible and enjoyed by millions of players around the world.
What are some of your most memorable moments at Gameloft?
Celebrating success together with my team! Seeing all your hard work finally in the hands of the players and the feeling of accomplishment on my colleagues’ faces… it can’t get better than that!
What advice do you have for people, but especially women, who want to work in the gaming industry in a similar role?
I noticed that sometimes women tend to distance themselves from this idea of working in the gaming industry because they don’t play games. But working in the gaming industry doesn’t always mean making games.
From my perspective, it also means helping people grow, building teams, playing with numbers, or creating art. So if you’re not a gamer but still want to be part of this industry, focus on what your other skills are and find your place among us.
We have all different kinds of positions available in our studios around the world, and you can find all of them here! Stay tuned next week for another edition of Humans Behind the Game!
