In their weekly interview series Womenize! features inspirational, diverse people who work in the games and tech industry, to share their experiences, give valuable advice and talk about their projects. In cooperation with Womenize! and Madeleine Egger, GamesMarkt is republishing these inspirations.
Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational individuals from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Jule Randzio, Founder of Jewelz Games. She speaks about founding an indie game studio, how developing Repeat After Me reflects the challenges of small-team game development, and encourages aspiring founders to take risks, manage resources wisely, and embrace learning through doing. Read more about Jule here:
Hi Jule! You founded Jewelz Games while still studying and working part-time. Can you take us back to the moment you decided to start your own studio, what personal motivation or experience made you believe, “I can build something of my own”?
It wasn’t originally my plan to found something because my plate was already pretty full with a full-time study and a part-time job. But with our semester project ‘Repeat After Me’ being exhibited at the annual semester exhibition of Hochschule Darmstadt and gaining some interest from the industry, it quickly reached the point of “Do we want to do this or not?”. Mentorship of an already established studio was offered, and there had been a chance to exhibit at Gamescom that year, so there were quite a few opportunities lined up, most of which at some point required a legal entity. I strongly believe in taking chances that present themselves to you; the worst that can happen is that it fails. Founding a company obviously comes with way larger risks than any I had taken until then. But my belief in the project and the team working on it at the time was so strong that the question was rather: “What better time to try than now?”. I wasn’t gonna let these opportunities pass me by. I did, however, grow into the mindset. The more time I spend with other indie devs, the more of the industry I’ve seen, the bigger my love and passion for indie development grows. I just love the creativity, the individuality, and the passion that come with indie game productions. So now my feelings shifted to “I absolutely do want to build something of my own”.
Your game “Repeat After Me” revolves around working with multiple versions of yourself and creative problem-solving. In what ways does this game mirror your own personal or professional journey, especially when it comes to balancing creativity, responsibility, and time?
Oh, there were definitely times when I wished I could clone myself and do multiple things at once. Within a small studio, every person has to do many things. We lack the structures, money, and people that back bigger studios and take, e.g., the billing process or social media marketing off the developers’ backs. Just like planning the order in which the clones execute their loops, a lot of prioritising needs to happen, as well as meticulous planning. Nonetheless, game development is an agile process, so sometimes, when things don’t work out the way you thought they would, it’s important to take a step back, reassess, and try again. With teams way smaller than AAA-productions, time is a very limited resource. Still, to me, the key thing was to keep my team happy, healthy, and, most importantly, creative. Within those constraints, resource management and creative solutions are essential. It was especially inspiring to me to watch players play the game. Of course, there is a solution to each level that we designed.
But watching others play and come up with different approaches and solutions within the very few constraints the game sets has really inspired me and taught me that there often is not ‘the’ one solution to a problem. And even when a situation looks like you’re stuck now, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t something that can still be done. Seeing how differently people interpret and make use of our mechanics has also influenced how I manage my team. As director, it is my job to make everything coherent and look out for the vision of the game. Different people sometimes need different ways to comprehend your vision and what you’re asking of them to get to the same goal. Once everyone is on the same page, giving people the space and freedom to use their creativity within the framework of the game inspires them, and their creative contributions only add to the beauty and passion that indie games represent.
What advice would you give your younger self or someone who dreams of founding their own game studio but hesitate to take the first step?
First off: It’s okay to fail or make mistakes. Some might be bigger than others, but likely, founding and leading a company is something you have never done before. How would you know better? There are lots of things that can be fixed, or it’ll be a lesson learnt for the next time. That being said, research is important. Critical to consider BEFORE starting the founding process is the ‘Bundesland’ you want to start a company in, and its funding opportunities. In Germany, the level of funding and support in each ‘Bundesland’ can range heavily, and a move may be worth considering to get a better start in the industry with better opportunities. Some fundings need to be applied for before you ever file a single document on your way to independence. Don’t miss out on those chances.
If you intend to work with or for clients, don’t undersell yourself. Yes, you might be a newbie or don’t have a big portfolio yet, but do not get yourself into contracts that eventually force you into working overtime or not being able to pay your bills. It’ll ruin your self-esteem and eat up your time for other projects or to-dos. People will try to abuse the fact that you are newly founded. Don’t let them. You don’t have to take on every job that presents itself.
Other than that: Just do it. If nothing else, it’ll be your biggest learning opportunity yet. You will build your network, extend your portfolio, learn SO much at every step of the way, and have great experiences that may shape you for life. I’m not going to lie, it will be hard, and you’re gonna have to put in the work. Personally, I don’t regret straying from what I had previously imagined my work-life would be like. Every day is interesting. The feeling when you can exhibit and people play your game is exhilarating. The game industry is very welcoming. You can ask almost anyone, and they’ll be glad to give you advice. To sum it up: Show your potential and creativity to the world! We’ll be glad to have you!
