Category: Games

Memories of Game Dev: The N-Gage

Published January 10, 2012

Before coming to Microsoft and working on server software, I shipped quite a few video games during my time with Electronic Arts and Griptonite Games. Game development is a fickle mistress. Yes, you’re working on the things that you love, but slowly working on them begins to make you hate them. Also, the hours. But I’m not writing to dissuade you from choosing a career in game dev (I think.) Rather, I was struck with a wave of memories today when reading about CES 2012 and the debut of the Nokia Lumia 900. Now, nearly every phone I’ve had has…

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What I Learned from “The Sims”

Published July 25, 2011

For almost two years, I worked for Maxis, a division of EA, on various Sims games including an expansion pack for The Sims 1, game text for Sims 2, and game production and design for various console and handheld titles like The Urbz. In a way, it was a dream I never had, come true – as a child, I never really considered the possibility that I might one day have the opportunity to work for the creators of my favorite PC game, SimCity. (I still remember that red copy-protection leaflet fondly…) Even prior to beginning my time at Maxis,…

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Cheryl Platz is a Principal Designer at Microsoft, and Design Lead for the C+E Admin Experience team. An internationally recognized expert on natural user interfaces and design for AI, she was the original designer of the Echo Look and Alexa Notifications.

The founder and owner of design education company Ideaplatz, Cheryl travels the world sharing her talks and workshops on a variety of design topics.

As a professional stage and film actress, Cheryl can be seen on a variety of stages and video productions. In Seattle, she appears regularly with her home company Unexpected Productions (Seattle TheatreSports).