Profile
Kate Edwards
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About Me:
I’m an award-winning Geographer who’s been performing culturalization work on video games for 30+ years. I’m love to travel, I’m an avid cosplayer, and known to be a total geek.
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My pronouns are:
she/her
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How does my work involve computers?:
As my culturalization work is focused on primarily digital content, I’m using various computing technology every day – from basic PCs, laptops, and mobile, to various kinds of databases, collaboration platforms (Asana, Miro, Confluence, etc.). Occasionally I also interact with raw game builds on various platforms.
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My Work:
As a Geographer working in video games, I pioneered the practice of “culturalization”, effectively helping game creators navigate complex cultural and geopolitical issues to maximize the global reach of their games. This focus includes the content in the game worlds themselves, as well as how that content may be perceived across various cultures.
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Read more
I’m the CEO and principal consultant of Geogrify, a consultancy which innovated content culturalization in which I help game developers navigate complex geopolitical and cultural issues in their game content. I’m also the CXO and Co-Founder of SetJetters, a screen tourism app focused on connecting tourists to global filming locations. I’m also the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association from 2012 to 2017 and the Global Game Jam from 2019 to 2022. In addition to serving in several board and advisory roles, I’m a geographer, writer, and corporate strategist. Following 13 years at Microsoft, I have consulted for BioWare, EA, Square Enix, Google, Amazon, Facebook, LEGO, and many other companies. As an award-winning 32+ year veteran of the game industry, I was honored at GDC 2020 with the Ambassador Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards. In August 2021, I was included in the Forbes’ “50 Over 50” Vision List as one of 50 veteran women selected from a wide variety of industries, and in September 2021 I was inducted into the Women in Games Hall of Fame.
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My Typical Day:
A typical day for me is a whirlwind of juggling many different client issues, calls, and tasks as I strive to keep up with the work demand.
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A typical day for me usually means waking up to a lot of messages from my clients (which are located around the world), and performing a quick triage on the most critical issues. I then try to schedule my calls/meetings (which are almost all online) in the morning or midday. And then I save the afternoons to focus on actually doing my work, which also includes time I’ve dedicated to the various non-work efforts, such as serving on non-profit boards or advisory committees. If I have some time in the evenings, I’ll try to find a little time to play games or work on the culturalization handbook I’m writing. I usually conclude the day with at least 30-45 minutes of reading before I go to bed.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Cosplaying geek geographer
What did you want to be after you left school?
I wanted to be an Astronaut! I actually pursued Aerospace Engineering in my first year of university.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No, never anything serious.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would have loved to become a music composer for films or video games.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
London Symphony Orchestra; but also U2
What's your favourite food?
Mexcian cuisine (I'm from southern California, it's my comfort food)
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1) The ability to teleport, to avoid long plane flights, 2) My pilot's license - I've always wanted to fly, and 3) More time to pursue personal interests (I work a LOT!).
Tell us a joke.
How do you spot a geographer at a party? They’re the one telling everyone that relationships fail because the boundaries weren’t clearly defined.
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