Infinium Labs’s Kathy Schoback Shares Her Gaming Wisdom

by Louis Bedigian

“At least once a month, buy and play a game that you wouldn't ordinarily choose.  You'd probably be pleasantly surprised, and you'd also be supporting creativity from unexpected places.”

It wasn’t easy to track down Kathy Schoback.  Having numerous responsibilities is challenging enough, but being in the game industry – that’s a whole other ball game.  Although it may not seem like it with the amount of delays that some games receive, this industry is go, go, go!

Patience has proven to be a good thing to have with big-name sequels, and it’s turned out to be a good thing to have in this case as well.  Kathy is the Vice President of Content Strategy for Infinium Labs.  Prior to that she worked at Sega and Eidos Interactive, gaining the experience and industry knowledge she’d need to take on the manufacturer of the Phantom game console.

This fall Kathy will speak at the Women’s Game Conference in Austin, Texas.  She currently serves on the Steering Committee, which inevitably cuts down on the time she gets to spend playing games.  As if she had enough time to do that very often anyway!

Want to know what it’s like to be a Vice President of Content Strategy?  Curious to find out how things went at Sega and Eidos?  Are you still wondering what the best way to break into the game industry is?  Those are just a few of the questions we asked Kathy during our interview.

What are your primary functions as Vice President of Content Strategy at Infinium Labs?

Kathy Schoback: I oversee relationships with game publishers and developers worldwide, including title selection, prioritization, negotiations and lifecycle management. I've got a great team with long experience in the industry trenches.

What are the most challenging and most rewarding parts of your job?

KS: I joined Infinium Labs because the time has arrived for our core business: making it easier for more people to play more games.  It's been really fulfilling to work with such a great management team.

The biggest challenge is that there are only 24 hours in a day!

How did you get started in the game industry?  Is this where you wanted to be, or did the industry pull you in over time?

KS: I started at entry-level at Sega, training the people answering phones in the consumer service department.  My other offer letter was for an admin position at Oracle.  I can't help but think I'd be richer at Oracle, but relational databases aren't too fun.

What is your educational background?

KS: English major from Cal. (Go Bears!)  Every day I see the value of critical thinking and clear communication – mostly in their lack.

You've worked for both Sega and Eidos.  What were you duties at those corporations?  How does the experience of working there compare to where you are now?

KS: Sega was a great training ground in that, since it was a first-party console company, I learned all aspects of the industry from within one company.  Both Sega and Eidos showed me the nuances of success as a software-only company.  The most obvious difference now is lack of bureaucracy or conflicting agendas: as a management team we can make speedy decisions under one directive – excellence of subscriber experience.

Tell us about your involvement with the IGDA (International Game Developers Association).

KS: I'm currently chair emeritus; this will be my third year of board involvement.  I'm particularly proud of the projects the Business Committee has delivered to date - they have proved incredibly useful to the membership.  It's become a bit of a passion for me – really a second job.

What is your role in the Women's Game Conference?

KS: I'm on the Steering Committee, which set up the conference program and is securing speakers.  Sheri Graner Ray and the other committee members have devoted a ton of personal time to this event – we're looking forward to seeing you there!

How do you plan to get more women interested in the game industry, both as a player and potential developer?

KS: That's a very complex question – which we're hoping to answer at least partly at the conference.  Do we get teen girls more involved in math?  Encourage developers to hire more women?  Call out the revenue contribution from women gamers in the mass market?  Create game characters that mature, intelligent women can actually relate to?  Design less-complex controller configurations?  You see how many directions this could go...we want to come away from the conference with concrete best practices that developers can apply in their daily work.

How do game development jobs (programming, graphic arts, etc.) compare to business positions (marketing, PR, etc.) in terms of salary and potential growth?

KS: They are separate but equal job paths, and a lot depends on your ultimate career goals.  Most major publishers are headed by folks with sales/marketing backgrounds.  Most heads of development or independent developers have engineering backgrounds.  Plenty of people take pride in being an industry-leading graphics programmer, or the best brand thinker in the business, and have no interest in management.  The trite but true answer is to do what you're interested in, and get really good at it – but decide what you want out of your life first.

Which classes or degree program(s) would you recommend that gamers take if they are serious about joining the game industry?

KS: A truly shocking answer from a liberal arts person – get the highest-quality general education you can in your field of interest.  There's plenty of time to specialize.  We can teach artists to use Maya, but can't teach Maya experts classical art. 

Next to beta testing or PR, what is the best way to break into the game industry?

KS: Start with the Breaking In page on the IGDA website:

http://www.igda.org/breakingin

After that – show up at industry events like GDC (Game Developers Conference) and local IGDA chapter meetings, listen, and meet people.  This is a small industry and relationships matter.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?  Any words of wisdom you'd like to impart?

KS: At least once a month, buy and play a game that you wouldn't ordinarily choose.  You'd probably be pleasantly surprised, and you'd also be supporting creativity from unexpected places.

I could not agree more with that statement.

Thanks Kathy for such a witty interview.

GZ Spotlight: Women in Gaming – Previous Interviews

Sheri Graner Ray (Game Designer, Sony Online Entertainment)

Ellen Beeman (Live Team Producer, The Matrix Online)

Laura Fryer (Director of the Xbox Advanced Technology Group)

Mia Consalvo (Assistant Professor, Researcher of Cheating In Games)