Kim Swift
Kim Swift
Kim Swiftis an American video game designer best known for her work at Valve with games such as Portal and Left 4 Dead. Swift was featured by Fortune as one of "30 Under 30" influential figures in the video game industry. She was described in Mental Floss as one of the most recognized women in the industry and by WIRED as "an artist that will push the medium forward"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDesigner
CountryUnited States of America
plays
I think if a person plays 'Quantum Conundrum' and they walk away feeling really intelligent and skilled, that's what I want. That's my only goal.
drawings funny gotten human moment realized scribbling tattooed
The drawings in 'Portal' were actually me scribbling that stuff... I had a funny moment when I realized that someone gotten 'The cake is a lie' tattooed on themselves. It was really interesting to see my handwriting tattooed on another human being. That... that's odd.
afford cost dominant execute experience games grown low risks video
Being young is an advantage. You've grown up with games as the dominant entertainment. You have a lot of experience of video games. So what do you want to see that's not been done? Innovation is really low cost for you. You can afford to take risks and fail to execute new ideas.
developers general great ground money proving require scene
I think the downloadable scene in general is really, really interesting for developers because it's low-risk. It doesn't require as much money as a triple-A title. And it's a great proving ground for new IPs, new concepts, new ideas - things that I think I, as a developer, find really attractive.
shipped
I started working at Airtight Games after I shipped 'Left 4 Dead 2' back in 2009.
designer enjoyed lead type
I was the lead designer on 'Portal,' and I really enjoyed making that type of game.
emails love people
One of the things I loved about working on 'Portal' was that we'd get emails from people saying, 'I love to play first-person shooters but my girlfriend won't play them with me. But I got her to play 'Portal' and she had a blast.'