How Asian do you feel?
By Masao Kobayashi
We talk about our identities and how it impacts our experience in the games industry and shape the games we make.
How Asian do you feel?May 12, 2022
Is Lebanon part of Asia?
Is Lebanon a part of Asia? In this episode, we had Leyla Johnson, CEO at Mohawk Games, on the show to discuss the distinction between calling the area Middle east and South West Asia along with not letting other people define your identity and more.
From 2D animation to concept art
In this episode of How Asian do you feel I spoke to Sunshine Kim, Character concept artist on Rainbow Six Seige, about her experience of moving to Canada to attend animation school, how she ended up in games, and having a supportive team that is open to her perspective as a Korean person
Being colored and Asian with Bahiyya Khan
In this episode of "How Asian do you feel?" I spoke to writer and game dev, Bahiyya Khan, about her experience as a colored person with Asian heritage and how conversations around race differ in South Africa.
Talking about being a white passing hapa with Lauren Stone
In this episode, I spoke to, Lauren Stone, Narrative Director at Massive Entertainment, about being white-passing and the access to spaces that passing allows you to have. Writing Asian characters that feel authentic to our experiences.
Talking about being mixed with Liam Wong
In this episode, I spoke to Liam Wong, photographer and game dev at UNSEEN, about being a mixed-race Asian, the difficulty in finding people with similar backgrounds, and his experience in Japan
Better representation in games
I had a great talk with Jessie Lam, principal concept artist at Brass Lion Entertainment, about the conflicts that can happen between locally born vs recent immigrants, issues with Asian representation, and how to do it better.
Do you choose to live near your fellow diaspora?
We continue the Asian game dev interview series with Diandra Lasrado, Senior Narrative Designer for World of Warcraft. We talk about immigrant parents' pressure to succeed, not wanting to live around your fellow diaspora, and being part of a Catholic Indian minority!
Being a visible Asian Woman in Games
This week I had, Stella Chung, Host/Producer at IGN, on the pod to talk about, learning to embrace being Asian, having mixed feelings about Kpop, and the challenge of being a visible Asian woman in games.
Identity as tags not categories
Continuing the Asian game devs in the west interview series, I spoke to Raj Patel, Senior Brand Manager at Relic Entertainment, about watching Bollywood movies on discord, racial identity as a tag rather than a category, and convincing people with memes.
The silk road
In this interview, I spoke to Matt Kim, News Editor at IGN, about him growing up in two cultures, the silk road giving Asia a common thread and the future of Asian representation in games.
Growing up happa
In this week's episode, I spoke to Stephan Akana, Sr. Global Brand Manager at KanaRey Production, about growing up happa, working for a Japanese game company as an Asian American, and the importance of doing things that make you happy.
Fridge magnets for your friends
Next up on the Asians working in games interview series is May Ling Tan. She tells us about working in France without speaking any French, how to lead with kindness, and getting fridge magnets for your friends.
Game dev makes you hard
The third interview in the Asians working in games interview series is with Sam Sharma, Director of Product on Destiny 2. We talked about grappling with the concept of Asia as well as how the industry expects everyone to act like a certain type of white man.
Tinder date so bad it made her a gamer
In our second Asian game people interview, I talk to Monica Fan, associate game designer at Schell games, about growing up in China, a Tinder date so bad it made her a gamer, and her experience in the industry.
How Asian are you Therese?
Therese Lanz, freelance game artist, and fantasy illustrator came back on the podcast for our first Asian Game Devs working in the West interview series. We talk about how Asian we feel, being mixed, and how where we live impacts our identity.