Gamer Girls Radio's Snow White had a tete a tete with writer, analyst and trainer for Prospero's Pen, llc, Jeanette Burke:

Q: How did you get involved in gaming in the first place?

A: Hmmm, perhaps this should be more like, how could I not become involved in

games?

As a child the other kids in the neighborhood clamored to have me "make up

games" that they would each have a role in and play.

So I made up adventures and we each had a role and ran around the yards and

the neighborhood playing out the "game" I had made up. We hit the ground

laughing exhausted when it all ended, one side beating the other to the

intended goal.

I was the first "geek" in the neighborhood. I played with computers as they

evolved and I enjoyed the ability to take what I had in my head and have

them digitally be recreated on a screen that I could manipulate and

struggle, and learn and win.

Q: What was the first successful moment in your career?

A:The first "success moment"? Depends on the technology, I wrote, created and

produced a play based on Dungeons and Dragons which was reproduced as a

radio play. The next integral "success moment", came while I was in

graduate school, where I scored a job at Sierra Entertainment, but as a web

traffic analyst, though I was happily close to gaming.

Q: Have you encountered any negativity in your chosen field? From

friends, family, or even strangers?

A: Encounter negativity? Our society, though we play many games, do not

consider games important. What friends, relatives, and society in general do

not realize is that Culture Arises In and Out of Play. At one time, when I

had a grant from America On Line, to study interactive chat behavior, I was

harassed by the other students, they chided me for researching cybersex.

Sigh.

A: Who are some other industry women you admire and why?

Q: In artistic endeavors, I like Marcia Broderick,

http://www.marcibroderick.com/, she is an immense digital art powerhouse

that is quietly working the scene. I also love Amy Hennig. She came from a

diverse background not related to computer games and had the courage,

resolve and tenacity to make it.

Q: What’s the funniest story you have regarding your career in gaming and

being female? (And if not funny, how about most interesting?)

A: I remember working at a company, that will remain unnamed, where a

co-production male person saw me talking to the other women in his group

before a meeting for a production people. He came up to me and threateningly

asked "What I was doing in his area with his women? I said I was visiting

before the meeting. He turned to me and said: "If we were in Beirut and I

was in his area, he would have me shot." A little upset, but keeping my

cool, I responded: "If we were in Beirut, I would have planned ahead and

been armed, and quietly pulled out my 9mm and informed you, if you refused

to back off you might want to say your prayers." Needless to say, he never

bothered me again. When he walked away, his women team members smiled at me

and all gave me a smile and a thumbs up.

A: Man, we love women with attitude.

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