Cheryl Platz nominated for 2026 “Gamehers ICON” award; voting open now

Posted on by Cheryl

Cheryl Platz is deeply honored to be amongst the 2026 slate of nominees for the*gamehers GameHERS Icon this year: “Honoring talents, hosts, and public figures whose lasting influence has shaped gaming culture. This lifetime distinction celebrates those whose creativity, advocacy, and leadership have redefined what it means to make gaming a more inclusive and inspiring space.”

This is a community-driven award, so if you believe Cheryl is deserving of this honor for her decades as a video game producer, writer, game designer, content creator, author, UX director, creative director, and university faculty you can express your support by following these steps:

1. Go to bit.ly/tghvoting or scan the QR code in the images
2. Create an account, if needed
3. Fill out the form to vote for your favorite nominees

Voting is open from February 17 through March 31 and I look forward to the community conversations over the next 6 weeks.

Since it is sometimes hard to get a sense of someone’s work for a lifetime achoevement award, the image below gives a handy summary – This does not constitute endorsement by any of these companies, but it is a factual statement of shipped work.

Social Media Images

The GameHERS Awards: Voting is Open for GameHERS ICON. Bit.ly/TGHvoting. Candidate: Cheryl Platz, Video Game Director, Designer, Content Creator, Author, and Faculty. Image shows Cheryl smiling and Cheryl holding a Pikachu doll, surrounded by her two books, her podcast logo, and images from her Mobygames credits and her live service games (Marvel Strike Force, League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, VALORANT, 2XKO), as well as Shadowrun: Corporate SINS, the Twitch TV show she co-starred in inspired partially by the Shadowrun video games.

Reflecting on the Award Themes

This particular award nomination means a great deal to her because it speaks to so much of her work history:

  • Creativity:
    • Since her earliest days as a video game producer, Cheryl has been leading teams to storytelling that upholds the standards of world’s best-known IP like The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lilo and Stitch, Winnie the Pooh, The Lion King, and Finding Nemo.
    • She has helped her teams break digital barriers as one of the few teams to ship a launch title for the Nintendo DS, to ship 3D on 2 screens for the Nintendo DS, voice interactivity for the Nintendo DS, and a seamless launch of an ambitious cross-company Xbox Game Pass partnership at Riot Games.
  • Advocacy:
    • Cheryl has consistently showed up as a voice for inclusion, from her years as a board member at IGNITE: Inspiring Girls in Technology Education Now, her stewardship of her own Twitch community going on 10 years to the themes from her first book, Design Beyond Devices, which center frameworks for inclusion and design ethics.
    • Cheryl’s video game TikTok account with 35,000 followers helped thousands of aspiring game developers see themselves and see that it is possible for someone like them to create and thrive, even against periodic adversity
    • As a member of The Online Creators Association during the pandemic years, Cheryl (as a video game influencer on TikTok) worked with other creators to study issues like algorithmic bias. As a disabled woman in senior video game leadership, she continues to use her platform to increase access for as many people as possible.
  • Leadership:
    • After her time at Electronic Arts shepherding multiple games through ambitious ship cycles, Cheryl began leading video game development teams with her time as Associate Producer of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe on the Game Boy Advance in 2004-2005. She was responsible for the game design, production schedule, and script as well as client relations.
    • In 2021, Cheryl joined Riot Games as Director of User Experience for their Player Platform team with the dual responsibility of heading up the User Experience craft across the company. Under her watch and thanks partly to her close consultation with the People team and UX leaders to standardize career tracks and create outward-facing recruiting content, the discipline doubled in size from 35 to 70 professionals, and her own team grew from 4 to 15 full-timers with many seeing promotions during her tenure.
    • After her Riot layoff, Cheryl joined Scopely as Director of User Experience for Marvel Strike Force and helped lead that team through a challenging Unity pipeline migration and coached them to their most successful campaign to date (Wolverine and Deadpool Pool Party) . Her skill at breaking down barriers and improving ideation and coordination unlocked new potential not just in her full time staff but vendor partners, and led to her team receiving Honorable Mention for Best Visual Achievement at the 2025 Pocket Gamer Awards for the work that largely came from her tenure.
    • In late 2024, Cheryl joined The Pokémon Company International as their Creative Director for the Game Studio, focusing primarily on Pokémon TCG Live – fulfilling a lifelong dream to work on her most beloved brand as a senior leader.