Paidia Gaming is a women-led technology & gaming company that is committed to redefining the industry with next-level initiatives. Get to know our team that is led by a diverse group of women who are next-level thinkers in the space of innovation, technology, gaming and media!
Jill Kenney
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Since Paidia's launch, what positive changes have you seen in the role of women in gaming, and how has Paidia played a part in these advancements?
Spotlighting and highlighting women daily, sometimes in the smallest ways, is how you make a difference. Continued and unconditional support.
Tell us about your favourite women in gaming moment, a positive experience as a woman in gaming, etc.
My favourite moments are watching a bunch of women play together - laughing, chatting and having fun - just being them, and not worried about anything else. Gaming is fun, it is social, so watching them enjoy it is the best.
What is something you expect in the future for women in gaming?
I am not sure 'expect' is the word I would use, it would probably be 'hope'. And what I hope for is that women and diverse gamers no longer face harassment, and they can enjoy gaming like their male counterparts.
Stephanie Peloza
Co-Founder and Head Narrative Designer
How do you believe representation in gaming, streaming, etc. can contribute to broader societal acceptance and understanding?
I think that representation in games is very important the same way representation in film or television is very important because it informs people of the wider world. It’s how people learn about experiences outside of their own. I think it’s crucial that there is better representation in gaming just like any other form of media because those people are out there and they are gaming and the people that are playing games are going to encounter them so it’s important to see the world reflected in the media we consume. Even if it’s fictional, fantasy, or sci-fi, speculative fiction comes from a grounded root. Representation is still important.
Tell us about your favourite women in gaming moment, a positive experience as a woman in gaming, etc.
For the past two decades, women from across the games industry rise through adversity, band together and stand against hateful rhetoric or sexist rhetoric and see them grow within the community. A community that reflects us, that reflects other marginalized communities. Women and other marginalized people have always been here in gaming but it’s been very inspiring to see over the past few decades how powerful that push through adversity has been. We’ve come so far from what I saw as a kid to now, and of course there’s still issues, but just the fact that we’re able to at least have these conversations and we’re able to receive support and assistance and widespread rallying when it comes to issues like unfair treatment in the workplace, harassment, and other awful things. To see just how far that’s come to me is the women in gaming moment. I hope we’ll see a time when we don’t have to differentiate between a gaming moment and a women in gaming moment. It’s just so simple. And I think we’re getting there.
What is something you expect in the future for women in gaming?
What I expect is that we will continue to encounter adversity, even recently I’ve seen a lot popping up, a lot of rejection and hatred towards efforts to make the space more equitable from especially women or women of colour, in relation to Sweet Baby Inc. It’s going to continue to be there but what I do expect is that we’ll continue to see that adversity but we we will get to the other side, and we will come to a place where gaming is just so widely integrated and accepted in our lives, that the idea of throwing a fit over diversity will be in the past. Where equity won’t be received with shock and disdain and instead it will be the standard. That’s what I expect for us in the future. It might take us another 30 years but I think we’ll get there.
Do you have anything upcoming that you would like to share
I stream over on Twitch.tv/stefsanjati and right now we have 3 guaranteed weekly shows: Friday Night Double Feature, Saturday WoW community night, and Survival Sundays with Conan Exiles which is in partnership with Funcom. I also just released an interview with Elle Magazine for women’s history month where I talk about my experience growing up as a Transgender child and how gaming was a helpful vehicle for self discovery. I’m putting a lot of work in there, and would love for people to check out my content and Twitch!
Taylor Sudermann
Director of Digital Products & Platform
Reflecting on events like the Paidia Cup and tournaments for women on Paidia, what impact do you believe these tournaments have on changing perceptions within the broader gaming community?
I believe that the more tournaments and opportunities available to women will encourage more to put themselves out there. Sometimes it can take quite a bit of courage to step outside your comfort zone and if there is only one tournament hosted for you it might not be the right timing. But with more tournaments being offered it gives you the opportunity to prepare yourself and test it out knowing there will always be another!
Tell us about your favourite women in gaming moment, a positive experience as a woman in gaming, etc.
I really enjoyed seeing the collegiate women who played in the Paidia Cup go to CECC to play in the tournament. Seeing their first big stage match was such a notable and promising moment for women in gaming!
What is something you expect in the future for women in gaming?
More representation in gaming culture and media.
Dre Kainuma
Head of Talent
As someone who has worked in other industries, in what ways does the gaming community stand out in its support for women, and what advancements do you anticipate or wish for in this regard?
Support for women in the gaming community is something that I anticipate we will see advancements and growing support for in the near future in both subtle and obvious ways. The goal is for women in gaming to have the proportionate respect, representation and opportunities as their other gamers.
Tell us about your favourite women in gaming moment, a positive experience as a woman in gaming, etc.
I loved our work with Cast This. It gave talented creators a new skill that they can add to elevate and progress their businesses. Ultimately, I want to be creative and advocate for creators while actively seeking and pursuing opportunities that will help grow creators’ businesses and missions. Cast This is just one example of what can be done to provide more opportunities for women and diverse gamers to have impact in the gaming space.
What is something you expect in the future for women in gaming?
The future of women in gaming is big and bright! We have exciting advancements on the docket at Paidia Gaming and Paidia MGMT. We’re noticing more and more brands interested in working with our gaming creators as they are being recognized as experts in the field with hands-on experience and direct access to really integral community groups. I don’t see this slowing down any time soon. I think non-endemic brands are noticing the value and buying power of the women in the gaming demographic and seeing that gaming really trickles into so many more facets of life than they had ever really considered before.
Do you have anything upcoming that you would like to share (optional):
We are excited for Paidia MGMT’s second year and are excited to have introduced the Paidia MGMT Creator Hub on Discord. It’s definitely worth joining so that you can see the paid opportunities we have on a weekly basis. The Discord will link directly to our Community platform where you can scope out the opps and even suggest yourself or someone you think would be a good fit. It’s a great way to be in touch with me personally and to see what other creators are up to!
Saki Sakura
Community Platform Specialist
Tell us about your favourite women in gaming moment, a positive experience as a woman in gaming, etc.
For me it was when I got my first makeup sponsor to support my all women's & nonbinary tournament.
What is something you expect in the future for women in gaming?
More women competitors, commentators,
Do you have anything upcoming that you would like to share (optional):
I have an upcoming Mortal Kombat 1 tournament for all women
Lyss Ford
Content & Community Specialist
As someone deeply involved in gaming culture, how do you advocate for and encourage more women to actively participate in gaming and related online communities?
When posting content for Paidia, I want to educate new gamers on opportunities or just gaming in general. We can’t gatekeep information as it’s difficult to understand the community from the outside and we want to get the girlies into gaming! I also make sure to always share events and posts from the amazing women, non-binary, and other communities that deserve all eyes on them! It’s important to share projects women are working on, whether they are the talent or working behind the scenes. We need to recognize the hard workers that bring these projects to life and you never know who will get inspiration from seeing these projects and events exist!
Tell us about your favourite women in gaming moment, a positive experience as a woman in gaming, etc.
I was really excited when the VALORANT Game Changers and Overwatch 2 Calling All heroes were announced. It felt like there was a purpose to having a team, something to work towards. Also, working for Paidia has really opened my eyes to a lot of the amazing moments in esports, seeing casters and hosts, observers, producers and so much more work incredibly hard live on stream. The women working behind the scenes of these events are so impressive and inspiring.
What is something you expect in the future for women in gaming?
Having co-ed teams or women team rosters that aren’t in a specific program. These programs are AMAZING to get those opportunities, but having marginalized communities be on an official team where the focus is on their skill would be everything! We can probably name a few of these teams but it should just be a regular appearance. Watching teams on stage that represent the audience that also play those games would be the dream!
Nella Latta
Full-Stack Developer
In your work on upgrading Paidia’s tournament platform, how do you anticipate this enhancing the participation of women gamers and encouraging their involvement in competitive gaming?
Tournaments can be stressful and intimidating if you're one of few women in an event full of men, and I think that kind of atmosphere dissuades a lot of women from participating in tournaments when they'd otherwise want to. Thanks to the reputation Paidia has built with women gamers, I think our tournament platform will be more likely to reach groups of women, or groups that are generally more inclusive. This will hopefully encourage more women to run and attend more tournaments, and have it be more enjoyable, as tournaments should always be!
Tell us about your favourite women in gaming moment, a positive experience as a woman in gaming, etc.
It’s a bit cliche, but one memory I have is learning about Carol Shaw, one of the first woman game developers, when I was very young. Really, seeing anybody just doing what they love without caring about what others will think is inspirational to me. So as someone who always loved tech and gaming, Carol just gave me that little extra push of hope that one day I’d be a fraction as cool and smart as her. It also made me realise how important representation can be, which is why I now never hide how much I love video games, just in case there’s any women or young girls that also need that reminder that it’s not something that should hold negative stigma.
What is something you expect in the future for women in gaming
Luckily, I think the industry has already gotten a lot better for us. In the past decade or so there’s been so much more representation and also just a focus on games catering to a much wider range of demographics and playstyles. In the future, I definitely predict more women game developers coming to the industry, as the stigma of women in gaming and tech continues to go down. And with more women game devs comes even more games that cater to us and generally more video games being made, which I can’t complain about!
Do you have anything upcoming that you would like to share (optional):
Our team is very excited about our tournament platform being ready soon! We have a lot of plans for it even after launch, and we can’t wait to have people try it out!
Camille Salazar-Hadaway
Partnership Activation Manager
As someone deeply involved in both hosting and partnership activation, what initiatives or collaborations have you spearheaded that showcase the importance of diversity and inclusion in gaming partnerships?
Looking back at the early days of how video games were marketed, drives what I do with Paidia. Even though games aren't sold in the "boys" toy aisles anymore they are still mostly marketed to boys. Growing up in a diverse community that played games made this concept hard to understand because it's not reflective of who gamers actually are. Gamers come from all ethnicities and genders but when we aren't represented in how games and gaming are presented to us, we feel isolated. I don't want anyone to feel that way. That's why it's important to work with partners that value bringing diverse insights and voices to their campaigns make a deeper impact by inspiring the next generation of gamers.
Tell us about your favourite women in gaming moment, a positive experience as a woman in gaming, etc.
Meeting Sarah Bond at The Game Awards. Not only is she an inspiration but she's super approachable. I went up to her to tell her how much I appreciate the path she's paving for women of colour in gaming. Instead of saying a simple "thank you" she took the time to have a thorough conversation about working in gaming. She listened to my career and what I want to do in gaming and provided some advice.
What is something you expect in the future for women in gaming?
I want to see more women CEOs in gaming.
