From individual creator to team player at an indie game studio

Among a sea of content creators and indie game developers who attended WASD Live 2024 in Truman Brewery is Melissa Cocker, a Scottish social media coordinator who understands the sweetness and bitterness of both sides, thanks to her past as an online influencer.

Unlike many of her colleagues at Hyper Luminal Games (HLG) in Dundee, she does not come from a software development background and she did not think of joining a game studio after graduating with a degree in graphics design in 2020.

Credit: Hyper Luminal Games Limited

She suddenly had plenty of free time stuck at home while being unable to find a full-time job because of the coronavirus pandemic, so she turned to playing a lot of online games and Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.

Melissa then started making videos on TikTok about tabletop role-playing games and cosplay, while partnering with American RPG publisher Wizards of the Coast to create promotional videos.

“I wanted to connect with people in a more directed and personal way so I started streaming on Twitch and building myself a small community on Discord,” she said.

“At that time, I discovered my passion to create a space for people to feel safe to be authentically themselves.

“I feel incredibly privileged to use that time to grow, develop my skills and figure out the direction I want to go next.”

After lockdown ended, she joined HLG as a junior game tester under the encouragement of her friend and soon later she informed the studio her interest to produce content for their social media and motion graphics.

As HLG is about to launch Pine Hearts, an adventure game which follows main character Tyke to reflect the memories of spending time with his father in the scenic countryside, Melissa decided to lead the social media team with her knowledge and presence on different social media platforms.

Credit: Pine Hearts / Hyper Luminal Games

In an exclusive interview, Melissa told me how her experiences have driven her to advocate for transferrable skills in the gaming industry.