Liftoff, a mobile advertising company, has launched a new series featuring women who have achieved success in the mobile gaming industry. One of the first speakers in the series is Paula Neves, a seasoned Senior Product Manager at Zynga. Video games have been a part of Neves’ life since a young age and she currently has over 15 years of experience in mobile gaming. Prior to working at Zynga, Neves worked at Gazeus Games and Square Enix, and briefly on Jam City’s Jurassic World: Alive.

Neves’ educational background in psychology allows her to understand player motivations and behavioral economics in gaming. At Zynga, Neves works with data analysts to analyze how players respond to new features and updates and provides game designers with insights to improve user experience. Her role also involves coordinating game-wide features with the game development team, which consists of people from all over the world.

Throughout her career, Neves has navigated challenges unique to being a woman in the gaming industry. As a female working in the gaming industry in Brazil, she was often the only woman present. Despite this, Neves encourages young women and girls to seek out inspirational role models to set examples for future generations.

In addition to gender biases, Neves also stresses the challenges of navigating the toxic environment of online gaming. She admits to sticking to couch co-op games and single-player adventures because of the toxicity present in certain online multiplayer games. While the industry has made significant strides in terms of inclusivity, Neves believes there is still a lot of work to be done.

The women in mobile gaming series highlights the successes achieved by women in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Paula Neves’ journey serves as an inspiration to women and girls looking to enter the mobile gaming industry.