Paulina Cabrera grew up in Arlington, TX, but had the wonderful experience of living in Neiva, Colombia from 1997 to 2000. Paulina speaks both English and Spanish fluently due to being in primary and grade schools in both Colombia and the U.S.. She attended Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL to learn about art and design for video games. Paulina continued her studies in graduate school to focus on game production. After graduating, she came back to Texas (Austin, this time) to begin her career in digital production. In her free time, she plays video games, draws, practice yoga and rock climbing, learn about science, and explore Austin’s endless supply of delicious foods and beautiful parks.
What got you interested in helping with the planning of Game Chica? My passion for helping people, especially young women of color, combined with my love for video games led me to reach out and ask about the committee member opportunity. I would have been thrilled to have an experience like Game Chica at a young age, and I’m glad we get to bring that together for the Chicas this year.
Tell us about a challenge you’ve faced in your career and what you learned from it. Working with tight constraints on schedules and budgets always pose a challenge, but each project’s completion opens up into a learning opportunity. Particularly, I have learned that while instilling a new working process with your team can be difficult and initially time-consuming, the team will be grateful to have an established way to do things. That way, they can focus on their own tasks rather than spending energy on things I can handle for the team.
What do you like the most about your job? A happy team makes me happy. I like to be a part of creating a positive environment for teams to work and thrive in.
What would you tell your 18-year-old self? Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learning from failure is super valuable.
Tell us about someone who motivated you to pursue this career path. My parents are always supportive of the steps I take in my career.
When did you realize game design was your passion? learned that careers in video game design actually existed when I was about 13–14 years old. Continuing to have that passion through high school helped me decide what I wanted to study in college.
Why is it important to have a diversity in the gaming workforce? Diversity in ANY workforce is important because of the different life experiences, perspectives, and challenges that are brought to the table. It will lead to more creative thinking and different methods of problem-solving. Also, representation matters!
What problems could be solved in the gaming scene by increasing the number of females in the workforce? Representation of more women in the gaming industry could lead to more conversations and solutions around cyberbullying, a very prominent issue in the gaming community that has historically impacted women negatively.
What is your favorite video game? My favorite video game is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Do you think video games can be used for good/to make life better for people? Absolutely. From a scientific perspective, games like Eyewire and Foldit have led and can lead to to major scientific discoveries that could potentially save many lives. Educational games for kids are another great example. From an emotional perspective, video games have brought happiness to myself and many others around me and can be a positive way to wind down at the end of the day.
