

Industry Veteran Jen MacLean Talks Gen Z Audiences and Evolving Expectations
5 snips Nov 29, 2024
Jen MacLean, an industry veteran with a rich background at companies like Microsoft, shares her insights on game development and engaging younger audiences. She discusses the critical first hour of gaming and what captivates Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Jen highlights their emotional connections to brands and social issues, emphasizing new content discovery avenues. The conversation touches on balancing game mechanics with player engagement and the role of gaming in fostering social connections, especially during the pandemic.
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Activision Patch
- Jen MacLean's proudest childhood achievement was reaching the Pitfall score threshold.
- Activision awarded her with a certificate and patch after mailing in a photo.
Infocom Inspiration
- The Commodore 64 sparked Jen MacLean's interest in Infocom text adventures and game development.
- Reading developer bios in the game's packaging, she found them inspiring.
From Fencing to Playtesting
- Jen MacLean's journey into game development started with playtesting at MicroProse.
- Her fencing coach, also a game designer, got her the part-time job.