Global Game Jamโs response to the Black Lives Matter movement and their treatment of the community is embarrassing and I feel itโs important to share my feelings as well as my past experience serving the board of GGJ.
GDC coming up + partying and alcohol
When I started in games this was very difficult to navigate- so here is a small thread of my personal thoughts and tips to navigate business, friendships, alcohol and safety.
First of all remember itโs absolutely okay not to drink. ๐บ ๐ธ๐งต
At Linkedin,
My former education
@kglakademi
shared a positive story about me from
My time at the school was overall not a positive experience. I shared that feedback in a comment. You know what?
They deleted the post with my comment -and reposted it๐คฏ
An update on Triple Topping, which, sadly, no longer exists. I have crafted the "official" statement below.
I added details on how to support the team in the thread.
I have 3 major announcements๐ฅ๐
1๏ธโฃthe game we have been working on the last couple of years will soon hit
@Kickstarter
please give it a followโค๏ธ
2๏ธโฃ
@Salqvist
and I are expecting two amazing babies in the new year ๐ถ๐ถโค๏ธโค๏ธ
3๏ธโฃ I bought all shares in
@TripleTopping
๐๐๐
Today ๐๐ถJohnnie arrived at week 28+1, with emergency c-section. he is doing extremely well ๐
I will take some leave / Christmas time off.
@TripleTopping
is in the best hands with an amazing team โค๏ธ
Iโm thankful for all the doctors and nurses keeping us safe.
8 weeks at the hospital for Johnnie and I came to an end today ๐ญโค๏ธ๐ฅฐ
Now we are home and itโs time for me to do some recovering too.
We met the most amazing nurses and doctors and it felt like our first home together โค๏ธ
Game development is an international business and we work and create friendships together across boarders.
Support your friends and colleagues facing the war at first hand in Ukraine๐บ๐ฆ
When to announce you round tommy is not from staying home all day? But is actually a baby???
When people start noticing on video calls!!!
Baby
#2
November 2020๐
@Salqvist
โค๏ธ
Hi Erik/
@NordicGame
This is the most disappointing answer to serious problem with sexual harassment in your organization.
-Where is the apology to victims?
Where is the lawyer investigation?
Iโm so freaking tired.
I had to withdraw TT from a
#dkgame
event at Gamescom. Because a person who have been harassing me for years is attending too. Organizers say they canโt ask them to leave.
I said I understand- but actually Iโm angry- why is it always me who have to hide?
For game developers in Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ we have build a Discord where we are organizing support:
And to all of you amazing people in my DM offering to help thank you ๐
Weโre coordinating on this discord:
- Information sharing
- Pickups at the border
- Financial help
- Places to stay
- Jobs and visa info
(If you are in need of any of these things or can help out please join or pass the information along)
This little one is 6 months old. Born 3 months premature .
Itโs been nothing as planned, but amazing โค๏ธ
I had a hysterectomy do to the complications of c-section and last week I learned that the uterus had cancer. Iโm healthy and healing โค๏ธโ๐ฉน
Let it be summer now please โ๏ธ๐
Working from home and needing a break? ๐ฉโ๐ป
We have a new -and if I must say so myself- awesome! demo on Steam for Welcome to Elk.๐ฒ
DM me and I will hand you a Steam key ๐
(your friends can have one tooโค๏ธ)
Can you join events where everyone is drinking and youโre sober? Absolutely my best pub crawl to this day is still GDC 2019 8 months pregnant on a sunny Sunday โ๏ธ
I hope this was helpful and you will look out for each other โค๏ธ
Reading Danish press trying to guess if the reason for TT bankruptcy was the 32 hours work week, the equal pay, or my non existing business knowledge.
When the real reason was the very bad WiFi at hospitals in Denmark.
If anyone actually care about journalism my DMโs are open.
Respect when colleagues and friends are not up for drinking- no pressure at all, not even small friendly โconvincingโ
You never know their story and reasons.
If you are pitching a publisher or investor, drinks is still often used as a part of the networking/ business conversation.
If you at any point feel you would be missing out on a deal for not joining the next round of shots - they are not the right kind of people
Itโs international womanโs day. Today Iโm especially celebrating
@nstrwa
who did the art for the Steam Womenโs Day Sale.
She handed it in just as the war in Ukraine begun.
She is amazing and strong โค๏ธ๐บ๐ฆ
Iโm Astrid (she/her), CEO of
@TripleTopping
and I have been running the studio for 6 years now ๐ฅณ
I believe a more transparent industry = a more equal Industry, thatโs why you can read our contract online.
Currently Iโm working on Dead Pets unleashed.
#WhatAGameDevLooksLike
Had a call this week with a games industry friend;
she expressed that she feel publishers talk down to her- that they think she is naive.
I too have experienced this๐
To everyone out there who experience this.
๐Itโs not you itโs them!!!
Before and after Uterus โค๏ธ it made made me 3 amazing kids, and a lot of pain.
Sharing this has been a lot but also I found that many of you have been in similar situationsโค๏ธโ๐ฉน
Now Iโm tired.
Today I was asked to write a 500 characters bio about myself. My standard bio is 3 short lines and ends on Hotdog. Asked on slack who from our team wold write me a new bio for a hotdog.
@Nifflas
did the job ๐ญ this is my standard bio now.
If you want to enjoy drinks. Plan what day you will be drinking. Plan the evening, when will you drink? how much? and when will you have to leave to be ready for the next day? Drink water in between. If itโs difficult to keep this plan tell your friends about it.
So you pay your team equally, and have a gender balanced studio???
๐congrats
Itโs the bare fucking minimum of what is needed to change this industry.
#InternationalWomensDay
And scouts- please drop the โletโs get drunk and sign your gaaaaaaaaames attitudeโ itโs a power move and difficult to navigate for especially young developers.
Just called the doctor the symptoms are there.
And it sucks!
But damn Iโm relieved we have been self quarantine so I donโt have to call lots of people with shitty news.
This is why you stay home๐
Itโs very private but: We donโt talk enough about the health consequences of pregnancy and childbirth.
After 3 c-sections my uterus is completely broken, itโs painful, my periods too heavy. The scar tissue has grown into my bladder.
May 22 I will have it removed๐ณ๐ชต
We won an award Yesterday ๐๐๐
I enjoy very much working with our studios and my Kowloon Nights colleagues.
Also
@DevRelCallum
was sick so we took first picture of him on Google for the video.
โฅ๏ธ Ahhh that was so exciting! โฅ๏ธ
We're so happy to have been featured on
@ID_Xbox
with
@GuerrillaCollec
to announce Welcome to Elk is coming to Xbox!
Check out the trailer with now *Official* Xbox approval!
โฅ๏ธโฅ๏ธโฅ๏ธ
Tomorrow Bobbie is two years old. He was very sick the first year so it feels a little extra each time he has a birthday.
Made this cake, never done that before ๐ took me 4 hours and a few breakdowns on they way ๐ฅณ๐
Itโs is time to fully announce our next game Dead Pets unleashed.
A feminist, punk rock, slice of life Game ๐
Iโm really proud of our team โค๏ธ
And I hope you will back us or give us a wishlist โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ
RT๐
We're excited to announce Dead Pets Unleashed, a feminist, punk rock, slice-of-life; now on Kickstarter!๐
Give your dreams one last chance before you grow up with this management-lite, minigame-heavy story๐ค
Unleash your inner demon๐คฉ
๐Kickstarter:
Today is my birthday ๐ฅณ ๐
And the best present was definitely that our kids had their first visit to a new daycare. They have been home since December because Covid made our old daycare impossible.
If you are a parent you know๐
Normal life is just around the corner.
Dear friends 2023 has been super tuff for me so please laugh with me at this Brachiosaurus ๐ฆ I made for my childโs birthday tomorrow.
Bobbie is tuning three, he loves rainbows ๐ mermaids ๐งโโ๏ธ and dinosaurs ๐ฆ
Yep, Iโm going to
@AMazeFest
๐ and Iโm not bringing kids, and Iโm 100% not pregnant, AND Iโm ready to party with friends in safe places ๐
Also will drive from Berlin to Copenhagen on the Sunday if you need a lift๐๐
You have known about these issues for about a year - some longer.
You have mistrusted victims.
You have failed to take action.
You still kept people in the organization.
You have failed to keep victims safe.
You have made me scared of saying this publicly.
We made the news!
Iโm still waiting for GGJ to act, and I wished the people on the board who served in 2019 would step down to allow a new culture and better future for GGJ to happen.
Too many mistakes has passed in this organization.
If you going drinking with people you donโt know well, inform close friends about your location- leave if you feel uncomfortable.
Make sure you always have enough for an Uber to the hotel.
Always keep an eye on your drink ALWAYS!
Plan days with no alcohol, be open about it, you will easily find others also not up for finding the next party- and you can join them for some real networking and dinner instead.
On my plane back home.
It was amazing to meet new and old friends ๐
GDC is easier now Iโm older, navigating friendships, partying and business has been tuff on me before. But this time I actually felt safe for the first time.
@MajThorsen
Som virksomhed har jeg oplevet jobcentre parkere borgere i praktik uden at fรธlge op og lave en handlingsplan. Derfor er vi meget forsigtige med ordning idag- det er bare ikke i orden.
Scheduling meetings for Gamescom these days.
And please if we have a meeting, donโt ask me how I will have two babies and release a game. You will never ask men that- so why me???๐
Weโre putting together an initiative to help our fellow game developers that are fleeing Ukraine.
If you or someone you know is affected and needs help, and if you/your studio wants to help people find refuge or contribute in other ways please DM me or
@Astridmrefstrup
When I got pregnant this time they told me I should only expect to carry the baby until around week 31 ( which is not ideal)
But here we are- baby Bobbie is still in my belly and itโs now week 35 ๐๐คฐโค๏ธ
Bobbies first birthday ๐
Born premature, bc my old c-section opened.
Hospital, tube feeding. Then Bobbie got ill and needed operations and care.
Pandemic and running two companies made it all a bit much.
But a year full of love. Iโm forever great full for this tiny personโค๏ธ
To the man on the metro today, who enlightened me that my baby was tired past itโs bedtime and therefor crying, when I was on my way home after 6 hours of hospital check.
Go give birth to your own crying baby ๐
Send some happy thoughts and cute kids gifs for Bobbie and I.
We are at the hospital as he is getting a small operation- Iโm all scared and full on mommy mode - he is all cute and smilingโค๏ธ
Also if I donโt get back to you this is the reason.
Iโm very proud to be on this list of great people trying to change our industry โค๏ธ
Itโs canโt be done without amazing people around you
@S_Stalhandske
@MurraySomerwolf
and the whole team
@TripleTopping
โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ๐๐๐
"Everyone gets the same [wages] -- I make the same too, because I want people to focus on making the most amazing games, not compete with each other"
Triple Topping's
@Astridmrefstrup
is one of the industry's Game Changers
๐ My life just peaked ๐
@RipWitch_
actually made my hotdog recipe that is hidden in Welcome to Elk!
๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญโค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ
Don't hide a recipe in a game and expect me to not make it ๐
I made Astrid's Famous Cowboy Hotdog from Welcome to Elk by
@TripleTopping
! Ps. It was delicious ๐
#WelcometoElk
#Food
Maybe you, like I, will have a lot of Jetlag, thatโs a lot of work for your body+ full week with meetings; mixed with alcohol you will probably get sick- itโs not worth it.
Since we published our employee handbook, and announced our 0 alcohol at the office.
People have DM me, telling about their struggle with alcohol control/ alcoholism. One even told me they avoided going to work on days were alcohol is served.
It was the right step to take.
So whatโs up crazy corona times.
๐ฃIโm on a boat
๐Itโs the release party of
#welcometoelk
that was 9 months postponed
๐ง๐ทAlso Iโm doing a panel with
@KowloonNights
for BIG in Brazil
Thank you internet โค๏ธ
Iโm at hospital again, had a new surgery last night itโs been 7 months now of this ๐ซ
Iโm tremendously proud of the team at
@TripleTopping
for keeping up the good work onโค๏ธ
I think this very well show how vulnerable you are when running a studio and being your own employerโค๏ธโ๐ฉน
1/5 Dear Game industry: here is one more to debate. An investor who advocate that they want to make the industry a better place just turned down
@TripleTopping
this is their reason: TT pay too high a salary for a startup...
Missed the stream because Iโm daylight saving confused๐ BUT WE WON๐ญ
Iโm so proud of the team who made Dead Pets Unleashed, itโs an important game โค๏ธ
We are so honored to be this year's winner of the Games for Impact Award at
@IndieCade
!! ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ
Thank you so much to the jury, and we are so proud to be telling such an important feminist story in our game! ๐ฅณ
I just want to say: THANK YOU INDIE ARENA BOOTH โค๏ธ
@IndieArenaBooth
I would rather release a game and a baby the same day (๐ค) than having to create an online booth for so many games! ๐ฑ
๐what an achievement๐
๐You did it ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Today our baby girl got her name official approved by the danish authorities ๐ฉ๐ฐโค๏ธ and just in time to get her a passport for Gamescom!
Freddie is the first girl in Denmark with her name! ๐๐๐ธ๐บ๐๐
Feel free to use it for your own child ๐ถ
1/3 Support the
@globalgamejam
fundraiser โค๏ธ
Why donate?
GGJ is not only an event for 48hours once a year.
Itโs a movement where many of us started our career. People from all over the world will learn and enter the game industri because of GGJ.
Yes! We allready got one award at
@IndieArenaBooth
this year ( that one will be tattooes for all who wants at our
@team
.
So this one will go to
@NordicGameJam
๐๐๐
Because Game Jams is were it all starts, with creative gamesโค๏ธ
New profile picture so you can actually recognize me when we walk past each other at Gamescom.
Like all the avatars for team members in
@TripleTopping
all credits to
@nstrwa
โค๏ธ
What a fun evening๐
1๏ธโฃWelcome to Elk is out๐
2๏ธโฃMy mom is playing right now ( she is even on the Steam page )๐
3๏ธโฃtwo something years of creative work with the rest of
@TripleTopping
๐ฅฐ
4๏ธโฃAmazing support from
@KowloonNights
โค๏ธ
๐๐We are super excited to announce that Welcome to Elk is out and now available on Steam and Xbox Games Store!!!โฅ๏ธ๐
We can't wait for you to play it!๐งโ๐คโ๐ง๐ฎ
Play Welcome to Elk๐
๐๏ธโฅ We've made a new trailer! โฅ๐ฝ๏ธ
Iโm really proud of our team and hope we get at least one award out of these 5 nominations.
Also very proud to be nominated alongside Stilstand from
@NiilaGames
โค๏ธ
Welcome to Elk is nominated for FIVE awards at
@SpilprisenDK
๐๐๐
Best Narrative
Best Audio
Best Visuals
Best Game Design
and Game of the Year!
Elk is a special game for us, so it means a lot that others feel the same way.โบ๏ธ
Big congratulations to the other nominees too!๐ฅณ
Triple Topping turned 6 years๐
Funding TT taught me a lot about bizdev, making a game but also very much how long we still have to go in terms of equality in our society.
I know for a fact my journey as a founder has been more uphill than any of my white male colleagues.
Tired of seeing these all white male panels. There is plenty of experience and knowledge within Denmark and Scandinavia, who can contribute to a workshop on pitching.
If you are invited to a panel where everyone looks like you - itโs okay to demand diversity.
@GameHubDenmark
So, with inspiration from
@framebunker
I have posted our contract (Danish) and handbook (English) for
@TripleTopping
on our website for everyone to read! Feel free to send me any thoughts or comments!
#dkgame
Due date of our little tiny human Johnnie.
Heโs been here since December 16th, itโs been some tuff months filled with love ๐
Sadly we are celebrating with yet another hospital evening because his oxygen was a bit low. Now he is farting in his sleep like nothing happened ๐ด๐ฉ
Ah for the first time in two years I got to update my profile with the ๐GDC
Iโm really excited to see people and meet friends I made the last two years in personโค๏ธ
If you want to meet up let me know โบ๏ธ
Reminder to everyone attending Nordic Games that despite the story they try to sell-
That there is still today a threatening massage from the CEO of Nordics wife on my Facebook wall for speaking out.
In Copenhagen we bike.
Good for the climate๐ฑ
Good exercise ๐ช
Good for fresh air ๐ฌ
โฆ and good for washing baby poop out of your hair ๐โโ๏ธ๐ฉ
Today is a special day for us!..๐ณ
โจโฅ๏ธAt 4 pm we release Welcome to Elk for PC, Mac and Xbox!!! โฅ๏ธ๐ฎ
Soon we will open the ferry route to everyone who wants to explore Elk, experience its true stories and meet the weird and wonderful islanders๐ป๐งโ๐คโ๐ง
We can't wait!!! โฅ๏ธโฅ๏ธ
Bobbie is one week old now๐ถ๐ Tomorrow we can get home.
He still needs some extra care due to his early arrival. But the hospital has a program where nurses will visit us at home instead.
And yeah for the danish welfare system in times were things are extra challenging โค๏ธโค๏ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ