What's the best thing about working at Schell Games?

The atmosphere. There's a clear effort to maintain a healthy work-life balance, to get things done but to enjoy the process as much as possible, and to have safe and healthy relationships with coworkers so that we work even better together. It's not perfect—nowhere is—but I've never had a job where I've felt safer, more invested, and more valued as a part of the community.

What motivated you to begin working in the game industry?

I actually never specifically set out to work in the game industry: I wanted to work at Schell Games in particular. Years ago, a good friend of mine got a job here, and I heard about how different the workplace environment was and how much fun he was having. When he told me that an entry-level QA testing position opened up, I leapt at the chance.

What’s the best piece of advice you received?

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" —Romans 8:28, 31–32

I've struggled with anxiety and depression for most of my life, and the temptation to worry has only increased in the past several years—not just for myself, but for the world at large. These verses are some of my favorites because I need frequent reminders that God knows me and loves me (as evidenced by Jesus' sacrifice for my sake on the cross) and that the world is not spinning out of His control. I need to be reminded that I can stop worrying and trust that He knows what He's doing and that He can bring good out of even the worst situations in ways that I can't even imagine (the cross, again, being the ultimate example).

What was your favorite game as a child?

Hard to pick one, but Final Fantasy VI is probably a safe bet; I've played it in its entirety enough times that I could probably still write a half-decent walkthrough of the whole game off the top of my head. I played a lot of Diablo II back then as well, though. Hmm...

If you could instantly become an expert in anything, what would it be?

What wouldn't I want to be an expert in? When I hear a song I particularly like, I often suddenly wish I was a genius at playing keyboard or guitar; when I see character designs I especially love, I often wish I could draw/paint/render on a level to create my own; when I read a great story or even a single, powerful line of a song or poem, I wish I was a master of language and could craft such things myself; and I certainly wish I had more mastery over jewelry design, though that's one of the few cases where I'm actually making a genuine effort to practice and improve. I guess I generally have the drive to try and create beautiful and interesting things, and I'm never satisfied with my actual skills in doing so.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Pittsburgh?

Invite a handful of good friends over to play Jackbox Games, Ultimate Chicken Horse, or play RPGs on my own. I am so much of a homebody that my downstairs neighbor has mistakenly thought that I was gone on vacation on at least three occasions.

What are you most proud of working on while at Schell Games?

I think what I'm most proud of isn't directly tied to my specific job—in my analytical position as a QA specialist, I don't really produce anything concrete beyond bug reports and the occasional admittedly nice-looking spreadsheet—but rather is an effort to connect my side gig with my work at Schell Games by designing 3D-printed jewelry pieces based on some of our Schell Games IPs (with the company's blessing, of course). I have a couple of designs based on Until You Fall and a couple based on I Expect You To Die, and I'm pretty happy with how they've turned out. I haven't had a ton of sales yet, but I've gotten really positive feedback from those who have ordered or at least seen them. They can be found alongside dozens of my other designs on my Etsy shop.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Whenever I've been bored and daydreamed about this kind of thing, I've usually come down to one of two answers:

• Invisibility/non-detection, so that I could sneak into the private meetings of corrupt or evil CEOs, politicians, dictators, etc., record what's really going on behind closed doors, and expose them so they could be brought to justice and people could be saved from their abuses of power; haven't figured out all of the logistics of such a plan yet, though
• The ability to know all languages, so that I could not only read the Bible in its original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek but could also help to translate it for people groups who've never had access to it in their own language before

What was the weirdest job you ever had?

I'm not sure any of my jobs have been particularly weird. I've had bad ones, but nothing that stands out to me as being super far afield.

What beverage do you always have on hand at work? Coffee, tea, or other?

Mostly just water. I'm trying to take better care of my health, and I don't like tea.