We recently connected with Rachel Geng and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I wholeheartedly believe the most passion and meaning I’ve instilled into anything is my current project, STARWEAVE (https://starweave.page.link/newsletter), a tactical RPG about systemic roles and the hand empathy can play in ending a cycle of pain.

As it’s still under development, I cannot say much more yet, but it’s truly the culmination of my experience as a Game Designer. I’ve always wanted to craft games—and all art, really—that inspires and heals. STARWEAVE, though fantastical and wholly fictional, is meant to affirm the experiences of those marginalized by society, as well as spur on the determination to hold fast to compassion and strive to improve the world in which we live.

By magnitudes, it is my most ambitious project. The game will take six hours to play through and brings together over sixty developers that I act as Creative Director for. I’ve learned truly so much, bringing together all manner of creatives and technical collaborators on the team while always working towards the north star that is the game’s design intentions.

I’m beyond thrilled to launch this game and share a story I care about deeply with our players. Please keep an eye out for STARWEAVE!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Good art is something that will always have inherent meaning: between the creator, the viewer, and the contexts in which they will live. It is undeniable, unavoidable, that we as a pattern-seeking species will seek to take away feelings and lessons from what we experience.

So, as an artist, it is my duty as well as my fundamental burning desire to instill my art with hopeful meaning. Because, this thing we call life can be as mortifying and tumultuous as it is beautiful and worth it. To be human is to live through times of darkness, and I want to be there to hold my audience’s hand—somehow, in some way—through it all.
A palette of skills: illustration, visual direction, mechanical systems design, storytelling through interactivity, collaboration and leadership; each tool in my belt is leveraged in every creative piece. I have worked as a freelance game developer, as well as in indie studios and even as a Product Designer at Meta, each showing a facet of my expertise. Games are my medium of choice, and through them all I strive to explore themes of desolation and cruelty, yet tell stories of resolve and the pursuit of happiness.

These were the same stories that guided me to where I am today, after all. As a creator, it is my greatest honor to return the favor!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’m a workaholic by nature. I’ve always had two or three projects boiling on the stove, as it were. A lot of creatives have an unending hunger to create, but I believe we also often fall prey to the compulsion that we’re never quite doing enough.

These twin anxieties have led me to quite an impressive quantity of work and other engagements, but as I grow and progress with all aspects of my life, I find that this sense of ambition comes at a cost. Connecting with friends, being there for loved ones, taking some rest for myself; these are all things that come in exchange for piling another interesting project onto my plate.

It takes this perspective, some thoughtfulness, and a helping of bravery to say ‘no’—weighed against the time, energy, and health I have, as well as due compensation, personal passion, or if I think I will learn something from it. It is okay to ‘miss out’ on something that comes my way, and that is okay. Sometimes, turning something down is the most responsible thing to do for myself, those that care about me, and even others involved in these projects.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I make art that comes from my heart for the benefit of others. It’s beyond gratifying to receive feedback on my work. As a Game Designer, this is because I’m always seeking out how to further iterate on my practices, processes, and output to make my next creation even better than the last, but as an Artist in this grand world it is also inspiring to hear when it has succeeded in making a difference in someone, in staying in their heart.

No matter what, I will create eternally, but to hear that my art’s purpose has been fulfilled adds tinder and allows that flame to burn just a little brighter.

I was invited to work on the Cartomancy Anthology (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1869870/Cartomancy_Anthology/) a collection of games based on major arcana tarot cards. I created a game for the Magician card, a short interactive experience about refinding joy in what you love after trauma, depression, or other life upheavals.

From time to time, I will be approached with how others found this game resonated with them, how they felt seen and heard by the ethos behind it, and how it helped them find their footing and keep going. This, I truly think, is what makes every creative endeavor of mine worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rachel-geng.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koloquials/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/koloquials

Image Credits
Rachel Geng (@koloquials)