Meet Sylvia Aguiñaga | Video Game Developer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sylvia Aguiñaga and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sylvia, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk-taking comes naturally to those who feel safe to fail. Growing up, I was not a risk taker and this created an illusion of success. As young as 8 years old, I remember telling my brothers I’d make them lunch for a week if they would beat levels in Mario for me. I lacked the confidence to beat those games by myself. Little did I know I’d later discover a world of video games that would make me feel safe to fail. Fast forwarding a bit, I got into Berkeley, where I continued playing it safe for the most part. I was a straight A student. My parents were proud. I, on the other hand, felt unsatisfied. It was not until one very wintery winter in Japan when I decided to teach myself Processing, a visual programming language, that I realized that failing was built into learning. It felt great to fail because even my epic failures gave me an interesting output in coding. Making mistakes led me to learn new, more interesting avenues to solving problems. I slowly began to realize that playing it safe was actively holding me back. I began to realize that if the project is right, my motivation to complete it would drive my progress. Don’t get me wrong – these are lessons I constantly come back to but they remain part of a pivotal point in my life as this thinking would shape my career path moving forward.

The next 10 years we’re spent as Director of Curriculum and Creative Director at nonprofits in Los Angeles dedicated to teaching kids how to code and build stuff. I adopted this mission after recognizing that the world needed more safe spaces to fail, learn, and grow. When I founded our studio Ánimo Games, I knew I wanted to create lovable adventures that felt like an extension of this mission. Now, as Co-founder/Narrative Designer/CEO of our game studio, I get to combine my love for games, coding, science, writing, and teaching with the making of our first game, Star Stuff, a cosmic coding puzzler.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Making video games is art. What is so special about games is that they let us temporarily step into different worlds and identities without risk. We are able to act autonomously within intentionally crafted rule sets and end up learning so much about ourselves and the complexity of our own thinking.

As for the making of Star Stuff, it’s a wild ride. We’re building a world that uses its art, story, and gameplay to make players feel something, and it’s no small feat! We want you to feel playful in your discovery of new mechanics. We want you to feel safe to experiment with new ideas. We want you to feel motivated to keep moving forward. Our gameplay is hand-crafted, with each level preparing you for the next. Our game art is squishy and feels like you’re exploring a cosmic playground. Our story is simple and silly, adding lightness to a seemingly high stakes situation. There are a ton of elements that go into making a game, each, in their own way, an art form.

There’s a lot that excites me about Star Stuff, but a few things stand out. First, our level design. We are inspired by games that are able to extract the essence of big ideas and make them accessible. With Star Stuff, we are doing just that. Our coding mechanics and bot interactions introduce the player to complex concepts like parallel computing and distributed systems. Our interconnected approach to coding aims to make these big ideas tangible and enjoyable for anyone to explore. Secondly, Star Stuff offers a range of experiences for the player to grow inside and outside the game. We’re interested in social-emotional and problem solving development. We’re all about demystifying what could be perceived as intimidating concepts to dive into, but we’re also very much so in love with the idea of modeling being kind to oneself as you learn and grow. It’s important to realize that these experiences are not designed in isolation and must be experienced together. Lastly, we’re not just thinking about the difficulty curve of our puzzles. We are thinking about optionality. The option to take a break, to give yourself space to breathe and gain a new perspective on a problem. Our core audience for Star Stuff are players 12 and up – with a big chunk of this audience identifying as puzzle game lovers. However, we’re also designing for families. We want Star Stuff to be a game that parents can play with their younger kids, as well! With something there for everyone, we hope to create a family problem solving culture. We hope to see more lovable puzzle games in more hearts and homes to be experienced together.

So, is making a game hard? Yes. Are there challenges? Every day. But it’s work I can’t get enough of because I love it. I get to design a video game for my inner kid. The girl that didn’t quite believe in herself and was terrified of taking risks.

The hardest part of it all is that things are constantly in flux. Weirdly enough, this is also the most freeing part of game development. Nothing is ever done. Once you accept this, you get to practice the art of letting go. You learn to throw away work and make stuff better. We’re new at this but I’m pretty sure this is what makes a good game.

And one last thing because I feel like someone needs to hear it. For anyone that wants to get into video game development, know that it is a space with people who come to the table with a beautifully diverse set of skills. Even if you do not identify as a programmer, there is a place for you. It’s all art. It’s all game development.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This was fun to think about as I’m currently navigating being a new mom and missing the outdoors! I’d have to split our time between Los Angeles & Long Beach, both cities I love so much.

Long Beach
– Pick up coffee at Rose Park Roasters
– Grab pan dulce at Gusto Bread
– Walk around the Long Beach Flea Market
– Buy a book from Page Against the Machine
– Buy cheese at Oh La Vache
– Walk the dogs at Rosie’s Dog Beach
– Watch a film at Art Theater of Long Beach after a glass of wine at Art Du Vin
– Eat tamales outside of the Home Depot in Signal Hill

Los Angeles
– Hike Ernest Debs Park
– Eat breakfast tacos at Gloria’s in Highland Park
– Watch a show at Bob Baker Marionette Theater
– See the exhibits at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
– Test out the synths at Perfect Circuit
– Check out cumbia night at La Cita downtown
– Sing karaoke at Soopsok
– Play games and drink at Two Bit Circus
– Get a massage at Olympic Spa

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Luz Rivas, founder of DIY Girls and Assemblywoman of District 39, thank you for hiring me as your curriculum director and kickstarting my love for creative engineering projects. It was during this time that I started believing in myself and realized I had something of value to share.

To Josh Taylor, founder of 9 Dots, thank you for believing in me to run a game studio. Making games was a distant dream. Now, I’m lucky to call it my job.

And not as life-changing, but worth a shout out, video games! To all the games that got me to celebrate failing and trying again, thank you! Check out Celeste, a game about climbing a mountain (& conquering your anxieties), to celebrate your own death count!

Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1955110/Star_Stuff/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animogames/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviaaguinaga/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/animogames_

Other: Studio website: https://animogames.org/