ERICKA EVANS
Overview
Ericka is the Head of Production for Phantom Compass, an independent video games company in St. Catharines and Toronto, ON. Ericka turned her passion for playing games into a career making games. She got her start working as a producer at a St. Catharines based video game development company called, Silicon Knights. After a few years, she joined the team at Phantom Compass where she is now a partner.
Mentor Profile
Who: Ericka Evans
What: Head of Production
Where: Phantom Compass
Why:
When we have more diversity in the group of developers making the games there will be more diverse stories that are being told and the stereotype that “video games are for boys” will just go away
Education: Computer Game Development
Average Salary: $35,000 – $90,000
Technical Skills: Experience working in Computerized Environment, Coding
Soft Skills: Strong Organizational Skills, Problem-Solving Skills
Let’s Know More:
1. What do you wish you knew at my age?
Ericka is the Head of Production for Phantom Compass, an independent video games company in St. Catharines and Toronto, ON. Ericka turned her passion for playing games into a career making games. She got her start working as a producer at a St. Catharines based video game development company called, Silicon Knights. After a few years, she joined the team at Phantom Compass where she is now a partner.
2. I’m not sure what career path options are available to me. Can you help me make a final decision?
A career in Video Games is great for people who like telling stories or making things, like solving problems and like to be constantly learning. You need to be a good team player and a good communicator—you need to be able to listen to others and express your ideas in a clear way. Being a good communicator is super important- even if you are just making a game on your own, as you will still need to market your game and connect with the people in your game’s community.
3. What are you most proud of?
I’m proud that I have gotten to represent my company’s games at global gaming events and competitions. I’m also proud that the games we made have been played and appreciated by people all over the world.
4. Can you tell me how your job helps or work with the community?
My door is always open, if anyone has questions. Sometimes my company is able to offer internships to college or university students, to help them get a bit of professional experience and build their professional network before they graduate. Video game developers are very supportive of one another.
5. How do you get to be creative on your job?
Working in the stations mean working outside, and some stations are remote, so there are lots of opportunities for me to be creative. I am limited to work with tools and equipment I bring with me, so having experience, training and using common sense is helpful in troubleshooting, identifying a problem and fixing it.
6. What are you most proud of?
We need tech savvy designers, and digital artists, but creative problem solving is also at the heart of coding. You can tell a complex story, create puzzles or make players “feel” something just through button clicks, which is pretty cool.
Find More Information
Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program