Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Poprik.
Hi Ashley, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in College Station, Texas which was a remarkably uneventful town. We had an entertainment center that was primarily centered on bowling which in my opinion is one of the most boring passtimes ever. So basically, I spent a lot of time at home, playing video games and writing short stories featuring characters from whatever fictional medium I had most recently enjoyed. I was particularly obsessed with the Rayman games when I was younger and gosh, I wrote SO many stories based off the characters. When I was ten, I would write these full novels, giving individual chapters to my theatre teacher as I completed them like I had a deadline or something. If I remember correctly, I was really into writing a spin-off series with Doctor Who’s old companions going on adventures together. As you could probably assume, I was not popular in school. However, I didn’t really mind being the weird gamer kid who liked writing what was essentially fanfiction for my teachers to suffer through reading. It wasn’t until I started high school that I really started taking writing seriously.
I started moving out of writing for the page and looked into making stories that people could experience in a more visual setting. I was heavily involved in my high school’s audio-video production program and would film as much I possibly could. I made over 25 film projects just in my time there. I was incredibly passionate about impacting people through my work. I still adored video games, but since the industry is so new compared to film, I actually had no idea such a career existed. In my eyes, game developers were programmers, artists, or music composers. I learned that I was good at none of those things. I was good at crafting story, so I decided I’d go to college for screenwriting and left my game-developing dreams behind forever… Er, up until the second week of my freshman year. I was at the University of Texas at Austin and had honestly been slapped in the face with the sheer size of the city. I was in a SUPER unfamiliar space and decided that exploring would help my unease. There was a teeny-tiny convention in a high school gym that featured local creators’ graphic novels, animations, and even video games. It was there that I attended a panel about writing for mobile games. My brain exploded! I could marry my two favorite things and get paid for it? Sign me up! So that’s what I spent my full energy on. There isn’t really a set path into video game writing so I did as much extracurricular work as I could so really get me set up for success. I participated in EGaDS!, which is UT’s game development club. They host these events called “game jams,” which are basically weekends that are carved out for people to come together and make a quick game project.
In the meantime, I was writing for UT’s FCC-regulated television station regularly. I even got to run my own fictional television show called “The RCA.” I gained an extreme wealth of knowledge from those extracurriculars and had the opportunity to put the combined experience to the test when I applied and was offered an internship position at Insomniac Games which is based out of Burbank, California. For a whole summer, I got to learn the in’s and out’s of video game writing with a studio. I worked primarily on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 where I learned an insane amount about how great games are made. It really affirmed my decision to pursue video game writing. I knew this was the right space for me. I completed my internships, graduated college, and made the move out to Los Angeles where a variety of major video game studios are housed. I’ve made some absolutely wonderful friends out here and connected with the people who inspire me most. I cannot wait to continue this adventure and see where my path takes me. It’s been challenging but wonderful so far. I can only hope it continues for many years to come.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For every one win, I’ve had about a hundred losses. One of the curses of being a young woman is that you run into loads of people that don’t and won’t take you seriously. Even now, I still feel like I have to prove myself to many people I meet. I’ve been so lucky that I’ve had people who give me a chance to show my true worth, but to this day I still have to show time and time again that I know what I’m doing. The games industry, though it’s getting more diverse is very cis white male-dominated. I’ve met game developers for the first time who address me as “young lady” or “little girl.” They’d laugh and belittle me if I brought up new ideas, even if they moved forward with them. It’s an ongoing battle getting some of my peers to see me as equal, but with every opportunity I take, I’m proving that I am worth being taken seriously.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I absolutely adore video game writing and wouldn’t change my career for the world. There are many people who would love to be in my shoes and it’s been such a privilege just to have the chance to write for games. I love writing interesting characters and dialogue that leave an impact on the players. Whether it’s just for a good laugh or it leaves a deep and lasting impression on players, giving them an emotional reaction is what really gets me up in the morning. I want everyone to be able to play and enjoy the games I work on so I also participate in working to make games accessible for players who might need different settings to comfortably play. I bring these goals into every studio or project I work on and each time I have teammates who say “huh, I never really thought of that before.” It feels good to bring new ideas on how to make games better for everyone who wants to play them.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
From being stuck in quarantine, I realized how important it was to take care of myself, both mentally and physically. I was really focused on my projects and work before being forced to take a break. I was losing sleep, skipping meals, and shutting myself away because I was too focused on the output of my work. When I had to stop and take a look back, I finally saw that I was spreading myself too thin and letting things fall between the cracks. In order to really make good and impactful projects I needed to take care of myself first. Once I started taking time to focus on myself, my skills really flourished and I was doing better than ever before. It’s just as everyone says: You have to take care of yourself or you won’t be able to care for everyone else right.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ashleypoprik.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashleypoprik
Image Credits
Personal Photo by Ramray Wong
