I’m a game designer living in the Greater Seattle Area, currently working as a Senior Combat Designer at Stoic Studio.
I graduated from DigiPen Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Arts in Game Design in 2016; I also have an Associate of Arts in Digital Gaming from Bellevue College from 2012. I have previously worked as a game designer at Amazon Game Studios and as a tabletop games developer and editor at Lone Shark Games. In the past, I have held internships at Paizo and Signal Studios.
Professional Avocations:
- (Current) Chair of the IGDA Jewish Developers SIG.
- Next Gen Leader Cohort 2022 for IGDA Foundation.
- Instructor of Krav Maga at PNW Krav Maga 2017-2020.
- Conference Associate for GDC 2016 and GDC 2019.
- Intel Scholar in Intel’s GDC 2016 mentoring program.
- President of DigiPen’s Diversity Club where we discuss a variety of social justice issues and how they relate to media, games, and the game industry.
- Event Coordinator of DigiPen’s Student Activities Board. Through this position, I have organized and supported multiple events at the school, including bi-annual events like the Fall/Spring Soirée, Open Mic Night, and Spirit Week. The Student Activities Board also provides additional support to club events such as the campus LAN party, CampusSAVE week, and Pride Week.
- Teacher for DigiPen ProjectFUN workshops, teaching all ages of students about game design. I have also helped develop the game design curriculum for grade levels 1-3 and 9-12.
- Teaching Assistant for multiple game design courses.
- Student Ambassador at DigiPen; we hosted prospective students and volunteer at Digipen Preview Days.
Public Speaking History:
I really enjoy giving talks and being part of panels since I love teaching and passing on my knowledge to others. Here’s some different talks I’ve done:
- Speaker, Rules Are Meant to be Played (Evergreen Tabletop Expo 2018 http://etxwa.com/gamedesign/; PAX Dev 2017)
- Panelist, Playtesting: Making A Good Game Great (Gen Con 2017)
- Guest, Cheat Codes Podcast Episode 148: Light Gnawing (2017) http://www.cheatcodespodcast.com/2017/09/episode-148-light-gnawing/
- Speaker, IGDA Jewish Developers SIG Roundtable (GDC 2017, GDC 2019)
- Guest Lecturer, 2d6 Alternative Facts About Game Design (DigiPen Institute of Technology, Intro to Game Design 2017; Sandpoint High School, Digital Media course, 2017)
- Alumni Ambassador, Speaking and paneling to prospective students on a monthly basis (DigiPen Institute of Technology 2016 – Current)
- Student Ambassador, Speaking and paneling to prospective students on a monthly basis (DigiPen Institute of Technology 2013-2016)
- President, DigiPen Diversity Club, Weekly 30-minute interactive lectures on diversity in games Received DigiPen’s ‘Club of the Year’ Award in 2015
Contact me with the form below:
Aviva Schecterson 