Can I pick your brain? 

First of all, I do hate that metaphor. Second of all, it’s rough to put years into creating free content just to have folks ignore it because they’d rather get your 1:1 time which I just don’t have to spare. That’s exactly why I’ve created so much free content – to help scale to all of the requests.

While my books are the best way to see exactly what’s made me successful, there are lots of ways to learn from me that don’t require an expenditure if money is the object:

• Listen to my podcast, Enduring Play
• Read my freely available articles on Medium
• Browse my Ideaplatz YouTube for legacy talks to watch
• Join my 35,000 followers on TikTok
• Join my 9,000 followers on LinkedIn
• Join me most Sundays at 10AM PT – 1PM PT for my weekly Twitch streams and bring your questions
• Ask your local library to carry one or both of my books so you don’t have to buy it yourself! 

Of course, of you’re a startup or company looking to “pick my brain,” that’s a time-honored trade called consulting — and I am happy to talk to you about my rates via my design education company Ideaplatz, LLC. 

Explore the Enduring Play Podcast

I appreciate cheryl’s work. How can I support her?

Thank you for your support! By far, the biggest way you can support my work is by directly engaging with it. As a disabled female creator, my algorithmic reach is routinely 1% or less of my followers, and it is incredibly hard to make headway – which is why it’s doubly frustrating that most of the requests that come in are for more free labor without acknowledging all of the work I’ve put out. If you want folks like me in the industry, you have to do your part to lift us up.

• Post a review on Amazon or Goodreads
• Comment and like on any post you see on LinkedIn, Bluesky, or TikTok
• Follow me on Twitch and join my livestreams on Sundays
• Play my game! I am currently the creative director of Pokémon TCG Live, and we appreciate every player. I’d also love to hear your feedback across social media! 

And a supportive note is always welcomed – they are few and far between. Mostly I get cold

Can Cheryl do an interview for my school Project?

I usually don’t have time to do video interviews, but if you want to send 2-3 specific written questions in email form to cheryl@cherylplatz.com I will see what I can do. If they are questions I’ve already answered elsewhere, though, I will likely not respond. Try and ask me something new! Twitch is generally the best place to get live interview questions in – I broadcast 10AM – 1PM PT many Sundays, and you can follow me on BlueSky for updates.

Some helpful articles:

• UX Design at Riot Games gives a sense of what it’s like to do design in the games industry
• Leveling Up is an interview about my journey to my current role
• Breaking In To A Game Industry in Crisis provides context on how to handle your journey in right now

Can cheryl talk to my school or STEM Club?

Yes! My publisher and I partner to provide free interactive Q&A sessions to any classes that purchase 15 or more copies of one of my books via the Rosenfeld Academic program (if your class is less than 15 people, reach out to see what we can do.) I am also actively booking a collegiate book tour through select cities, and you can reach me at cheryl@ideaplatz.com if you’d like to learn more or talk about a virtual university session. 

Rosenfeld Academic Program

Can Cheryl meet with my brother’s cousin’s daughter about being a woman in tech/games/leadership?

I get a lot of requests to speak 1:1 to strangers or family members, presumably from a good place, but these requests are often cold: the people I’m talking to have never heard of me, have never looked into my work, and in most cases it ends up feeling like the folks who requested my time were doing it more for how it would make them look and not for the benefit of the person meeting with me.

The fact is, your family member can’t get much out of a 15 minute meeting if you haven’t done your homework. 95% of those questions are questions I’ve answered a million times before in print, on TikTok, on Twitch, and on social media.

In general, the best way to inspire the next generation with female role models is to support the work of the women you want them to look up to by buying those womens’ books and making them available to the people in your life. Once your loved one has reviewed those materials, if they have additional questions, they will be prepared to ask better questions and might actually be able to make good use of a short meeting. 

No, Seriously, I think I want Cheryl to mentor me, how do I make that happen?

There are far more folks seeking mentorship than I can scale to support, so I have a high bar for engagement. I need to know that the person is:

• Already familiar with my work, so we’re not starting from scratch
• Trustworthy and engaged
• Is providing mutual benefit and not just seeking personal enrichment – this can be via social media engagement, via promotion of my work to classes or channels, or by bringing interesting articles, insights, and opportunities for discussion.

I’ve already written a Medium article that helps you understand what I’m looking for and what many folks at my career stage may be looking for if you’re determined to work with someone late career – please make sure you check it out.

Read The Creative Mentee

Why publish a book on video gaming now?

I pitched The Game Development Strategy Guide when I got laid off because I saw what was causing the inefficiencies and pain in the game industry – and with that free time I wanted to help us reverse course. What I didn’t expect was landing in two new jobs so quickly, which has made promoting the book much more complicated – as when you’re actively employed that often limits your ability to do broad promotion. 

That doesn’t change the value of what’s in the book. That just means it’s currently an undiscovered cheat code to speedrunning your next career transformation in games, and you can get a headstart on others. In an AI-dominated world, we will only succeed by getting better at collaborating and leading with curiosity while embracing the complexities of global scale. The Game Development Strategy Guide is ready when you are. Game on.

Buy the Game Development Strategy Guide

Should I pursue a career in video gaming?

According to Amir Satvat, the industry is experiencing a slow recovery, but the entry level will be extremely competitive for many years. If you’re coming in, be prepared to differentiate yourself as a collaborative innovator – that’s why I wrote the Game Development Strategy Guide.

I wrote Breaking In To A Game Industry In Crisis for folks trying to make this leap. If you’re already employed, don’t quit your day job. Explore indie game development and build a community of support long before you make the jump.

Read More

How did Cheryl get her  start in video gaming?

I’d trained at Carnegie Mellon in Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction, but the job I’d lined up my senior year was rescinded after the events of September 11, 2001. Facing unemployment, I went out on a limb and applied to grad school at the Entertainment Technology Center, as I was already studying some of the things they taught. I was accepted and went on to spend a year studying there – including my first game design classes under Jesse Schell, and a chance to become a teaching assistant for Randy Pausch’s Building Virtual Worlds Class. I also did a graduate presentation on the hero’s journey of Hey You, Pikachu. True fact. I got an A. 

I was offered an internship at Maxis during my first summer at the ETC, but due to familial financial difficulties was unable to find a cosigner in time to matriculate for my second year of graduate study. I converted to a co-op and then a full time role at Electronic Arts. 

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But how and why did CHERYL get out of gaming?

Quite frankly, I’d reached a ceiling at Griptonite Games in 2007. There was no room for promotion, but when I interviewed at other local studios, they couldn’t get their heads around a 26 year old female lead producer. Frustrated, I fell back on my original training – computer science and human-computer interaction. I updated my UX portfolio with examples of the playtesting and UI design support work I did in gaming, and used it to land a job at Microsoft doing UX design for server software. That started a decade-long walkabout where I acquired a broad set of new skills and perspectives which prepared me to re-enter as a Director of UX for the Player Platform at Riot Games in 2021. Take hope in my story – it doesn’t have to be a one way door. 

For tips on my perspective on breaking out, see Breaking OUT of the Video Game Industry.

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How did Cheryl get her dream job less than a year after getting laid off from Riot Games? 

Luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity. I took advantage of the resume and LinkedIn profile help that was offered even though I had lined up a second role before the layoff was final. My “official” photo from Riot was with my travel Pikachu doll, and when I posted it as part of my layoff post it may have helped signal my affinity for the brand in a new way. 

In the end, it wasn’t a plan – the role didn’t exist until it did. I just lived my life authentically as a Pokémon fan for 3 decades, and unabashedly shared that love even when it was unpopular to do so and when folks wanted to judge me for continuing to express that affinity.

Be the best at what you do, live authentically, and make sure your passive materials like your portfolio, resume, and LinkedIn profile always represent you at your best – because you never know who’s looking. 

Can cheryl help me get a job at Pokémon?

Unless we’ve worked directly together already, no. The Pokémon Company International is headcount-capped, and role openings are infrequent. When they occur, I am committed to making sure applications are as fair as possible. In most cases, even if there is an opening it would be actively harmful for me to engage on your behalf if we don’t know each other, because I’d have to recuse myself from the hiring process and I am a critical part of the team’s hiring decisions. 

But that shouldn’t matter as much as you think. I got my role at TPCi without an internal referral. In fact, the same is true of my roles at the Gates Foundation, Riot Games, and Scopely – all of these were through LinkedIn contact with recruiters and/or front door applications through an official company website.

What kinds of acting work have you done?

• 15+ years of professional improvisational comedy in the Seattle area, including Unexpected Productions, Jet City Improv/Wing-It Productions, NERDprov, East Side Story, and Seattle Experimental Theater
• Lead roles in Into The Woods and Something’s Afoot in the Seattle region (musical theater) and a variety of ensemble and featured roles
• Played “Amy” in the world premiere of “September Skies” and a variety of other lead and ensemble roles in traditional theatre 
• Co-Starred in Shadowrun: Corporate SINS on HyperRPG for 65 episodes
• Wrote and co-starred in “I’d See It If” for MSN Movies
• Character host and Muppet performer at Sesame Place Philadelphia (3 seasons)  
• Voiceover work shipped in The Sims 2 DS and BATTLETECH 2018, along with a number of industrials

Are you currently performing?

Extremely complicated question. On my last day at Unexpected Productions before moving to Los Angeles in 2021, I was personally sexually harassed onstage. A hundred family and friends witnessed this, and I have a recording of the incident. When I went to theatre leadership to ask them to make it right by openly stating they did not support that kind of behavior, they tried to gaslight me into believing it was not as severe as I made it out to be, and harassed me openly on cast mailing lists. I ended up resigning the position I’d intended to keep remotely since I was at the time directing remote shows for UP. 

I was promised followup on how the theatre was going to take action to prevent these things from occurring, but none was ever provided. I assume this is because the theatre thought it was easier to ignore me since I was out of state. Inconveniently, I now live in Seattle again, but no effort to provide me with the same safety of alumni performance rights as other alumni has ever been made.

For now, I am focusing on my considerable body of work in writing and game development, but may self-produce at a later time and welcome inquiries in good faith from folks interested in working with me.

13 years of failthful service to an organization – volunteering, fundraising, paid staff work – and heavy lifting during the pandemic that helped the theatre stay afloat – was erased and ignored on a night that was supposed to celebrate my work because people valued their comfort over the right thing, and I continue to deserve better treatment than what has been offered.

You can read my open letter to Unexpected Productions below.

Open Letter to Unexpected Productions

Isn’t your husband an actor?

Yes, I am married to stage and screen actor David Foubert. We met in a show. It’s a very good story.