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Women in Games at Liquid Swords

An orange and purple background with with lettering reading Women in Games at Liquid Swords Walk in my Shoes: Different Paths To Video Games. On the right side: Photos of a woman with brown hair and a blue top with caption Hanna Friden panel moderator and head of design future games. Next to her is a portrait of a woman with gray and brown hair and glasses and a black top with the caption Bernice Chauly Senior writer and cultural advisor Avalanche Studios Group. Below her is a portrait of a woman with brown hair and a gray top, caption reading Mariana Salimena senior concept artist mojang studios. To the left is a portrait of a woman with pink hair, glasses and a black top and jacket reading Antonia Kiili Technical Designer liquid swords

An evening of inspiration, motivation, and communication.

It’s 2024, and we all know the world is going through a lot, but we were inspired by the UN’s theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, “Accelerate Progress: Invest in Women”, to find a way to contribute to the solution instead of the problem. This is what led us to an evening at the end of a long winter, where we lit up the last vestiges of darkness not by sunlight but by the warmth from our Women’s Day event.

After a long winter, the sun is finally starting to thaw the frozen ground in our neck of the woods, but it was our Women’s Day event that brought out the spring feelings of hope and light to Sickla and lit up our dispositions.

After the success of last year’s Women in Games at Space; we wanted to partner with the organization again for another meaningful event. With over 70 guests, an inspiring panel, and the powerhouse that is Paula “Fenjima” Manrique behind the hosting wheel, we can confidently say that we reached that goal.

When the purple and orange balloons were hung, the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were chilled, and the claw machine was filled with prizes, our lounge area filled up with members from the Stockholm games industry. Paula started the evening with an inspirational toast before passing the torch to moderator Hanna Fridén, who led three panelists in a talk under the theme of Walk in My Shoes: Different Paths to Video Games.

Panelists from left to right: Bernice Chauly, Mariana Salimena, Antonia Kiili, Hannah Fridén

When Bernice Chauly joined Avalanche Studies as a Senior Narrative Writer, she had already written books, taught creative writing, and made documentaries and films, including Spilt Gravy on Rice, which is currently streaming on Netflix. Mariana Salimena relocated to Sweden to study at FutureGames after the success of her and her partner’s indie game Super Impeachment Rampage, and today works as the Senior Concept Artist at Mojang Studios. Antonia Kiili is also a FutureGames alumni, where she studied both design and programming. She was one of the first hires at Liquid Swords as our Technical Designer, where she bridges the gap between design and tech.

Over the course of an hour, they shared their experiences that spanned moving to Sweden from the other side of the world, changing industries, and finding themselves through education. The discussion touched upon the importance of a diverse hiring committee, the persistent lack of female directors, and the state of the industry today, such as the misguided backlash facing studios like Sweet Baby Inc for daring to create diverse narratives.

As the evening came to a close and everyone dispersed into the crisp spring night, the buzz from the panel discussion hung in the air. We took the strength that comes from shared experiences with us to help us pave new paths into this industry that we love.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in making this evening so very special! Read more about women in the gaming industry and our interview with Paula Manrique on our website!