Across the globe, people of all ages enjoy playing video games as a kind of amusement and a source of pleasure. India is expecting to become one of the fastest-growing markets in the world with its 500 million-strong population of digital natives and its estimated 420 million active online gamers.
Poornima, the Game Director
Poornima Seetharaman, a native of Palakkad, is a prominent pioneer in the history of Indian women in video games. Her career in developing games began more than fifteen years ago. She is presently Zynga’s director of designs and an ambassador for women in games. She serves as a visiting Professor, Project consultant and curriculum committee member at the National Institute of Designs. She also facilitates workshops for other prestigious universities.
Poornima has collaborated with some of the leading companies in the Indian gaming business since 2006, including Indiagames (Disney India), Jumpstart (NetDragon), GSN Games, Square Enix, and others.
Poornima Seetharaman
Passion to Profession
One of her friends introduced her to video games. She enjoyed the game and strived to learn more about them. After graduation, she started seeking a programming job. A college friend introduced her to a game development company as a programmer. After recognising her interest and talent in games, the company offered her an opportunity to become a game designer.
Her first task there was to construct a game based on ‘’Dungeons and Dragons’’ within the time frame of one month. She created a hundred-page document and enjoyed the entire design process. Poornima initially felt both apprehensive and eager to build that gaming realm. But she took full advantage of the opportunity and relished it. Her passion for games led her to choose game design as her career. She expanded her passion by co-founding the game design studios Pinaka Interactive and NammaLore Entertainment.
Challenges
Being the first woman in this sector, she faced several obstacles. According to her, gaining recognition in her area was difficult. No one took her at face value. She shared her experiences at work when she talked about a specific game she played. She was told to write the entire game’s narrative after being questioned about whether she had played that particular game. She surpassed all obstacles by presenting her professional success.
Initially, her parents found her occupation hard to understand. The business environment in gaming at the time was not solid or secure financially. Their perspective changed after reading an article about her in a newspaper. Now they accept her profession with great pride and even refer people with an interest in gaming to her happily. According to Poornima, the power of gaming can influence and make a significant shift in one’s way of thinking. She also works to increase diversity and safety in the gaming industry.
She had experience in working with various genres, including augmented reality, free-to-play games, social casinos, FPS, RPG, and free-to-play games. Because of her dedication and professionalism in the entertainment sector, Poornima Seetharaman is quickly becoming the ideal role model for all young gamers.
Honours
In 2020, she became the first Indian to be honoured by being admitted into the Women in Games – Global Hall of Fame. She was a finalist of the Mentor of the Year 2020 award from WomenTech Network and one of the recipients of the Special Recognition Award 2020. The BW Gaming People of the Year 2021 ceremony presented her with the Woman Leading Gaming award. She was also a finalist for Game Designer of the Year at the gameHERs awards in 2021.
The male-dominated gaming industry has seen an increase in the number of female players and developers over the past several years. But even as more businesses strive to create a more diverse workforce, there is still a gender imbalance in the industry. As social and mobile gaming gained popularity, more women were attracted to this field. In the gaming sector, there are many more options for women. Companies are available to assist them in gaining knowledge and mentorship at that vital time when choosing a career path.
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