Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Gardner.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve been playing video games since I was a kid, but until recently didn’t imagine I’d be making games! My husband Bill has been a veteran in the video games industry for about fifteen years, working as a lead on games like BioShock and BioShock Infinite. My career had been in teaching, as I taught English in my hometown at Lynnfield High School for a decade. I wrote books on the side and stayed at home with my kids while Bill made games.
Then, after the company he’d worked for had closed, Bill had a great idea for a game.
Because we’d collaborated creatively for years, he immediately thought it would be great if I wrote the story for a new game we’d make together. Even though it was the craziest, scariest idea to work from home with our family and start a company, we took the leap and founded The Deep End Games! Last year we launched our debut game, Perception, on all major platforms – Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and XBox One. We’re currently working on a new project, called Dark Web.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Haha, not in the least but I wouldn’t change it for anything! When we started working on Perception, I was pregnant with our third child. Because we were doing this game independently at the time, I had to work several jobs and watch the kids and write the game – it was tough going! Then, after we had our son Ronan, I soon became pregnant with our fourth (and final!) child. Our game took three years (and two kids) to make, so we were busy and crazy.
There was very little sleep to be had, that was for sure! We got so burnt out that we both contracted stress-related mono towards the end of the project. That was a huge wakeup call for me – we had to take care of ourselves better (even while taking care of two elementary schoolers and two babies). I learned yoga and meditation and we both went vegan, and it completely changed our health.
Now I lecture around the country on stress management, mindfulness, meditation to game devs and other people in the tech industry. I also just completed my yoga teacher training. It’s been quite a wild ride, but ultimately, we’re much better off. Happy kids, happy parents, etc. We manage our stress and our hectic lives so much better because of it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Deep End Games – what should we know?
The Deep End Games is a video game development company we run from our home. We contract people around the country so that we can raise our kids while doing what we love, instead of being in an office all day. It’s great because we get to work with talent from all over the place, people Bill has worked with for years on the BioShock games, and lots of new people we meet in the industry. It’s really rewarding to be able to work with our family, as a family, and I think that’s what sets us apart from a business perspective.
From a game perspective, we tell interesting stories with a surprising hook. Perception is a video game where you play as a blind woman. Now, most people wouldn’t imagine that to be interesting or even possible, but our character Cassie is a human echolocator, so she sees sound. This is a real thing, by the way, totally fascinating! Anyway, we have an interesting gameplay hook with a deeply immersive story and modes that suit anyone from the casual gamer to the expert looking for a challenge.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Flexibility! With four kids of very different ages, I’m always on the go, but always have stuff going on! I need to have plans A-D or E, not just plan A and plan B, to get everything done that we need to.
I am blessed to have so many helpful people in our lives, from family to friends, who are there to lend a hand and maybe take the big kids somewhere or pick up the babies. It truly took a village to build Perception, and even though things are a little easier this time around, I have to be flexible and have lots of resources available to get anything done.
Pricing:
- Perception is available for $19.99 on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Steam and XBox One.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thedeependgames.com
- Email: amanda@thedeependgames.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thedeependgames
- Twitter: @amandasgardner, @thedeependgames
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