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Master's degree unlocks career success for Games Design alumna

Master's degree unlocks career success for Games Design alumna

Published: 13 Mar 2023

Marina Díez Pereiro

Brunel changed my life. I met amazing teachers that really pushed me forward and I got to meet great people. Without Brunel, I wouldn't be where I am today!

Marina, Postgraduate, Alumni

CEO / Lead Game Designer, 3ofcups Games / Un Je Ne Sais Quoi Studios

Digital Games Theory and Design MA - 2019

From Spain

Which country do you currently live in?

Germany

Tell us about your educational and/or career journey since you graduated from Brunel

After graduating from Brunel, I started working as an Operations Coordinator for the UK charity, GamesAid. I also started working for the French studio Un Je Ne Sais Quoi as their Lead Game Designer for the game, Dordogne. In July 2020, I started working as an Emotional Game Designer for the Finnish company Wondershop, based in Helsinki, for their game, Wonderworld; a project that is wrapping up in June 2021. During that time, I collaborated on many initiatives and gave lots of talks around the world. In March 2020, I founded my company 3ofcups Games, an ethical and diverse games studio based in London dedicated to making emotional games.

In May 2020 I was appointed as MCV as May's Rising Star in the UK games industry. In October 2020 I won the Advocacy Award for Game Dev Heroes and in April 2021, I was listed by Forbes as a 30 Under 30 in the category of Games and Sports.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

Currently, lots of documentation. At Wondershop, I'm directing an unannounced emotional project at the moment. I take care of everything that a creative director would do: gameplay, visuals, audio, game feel, etc.

What’s been the highlight of your career journey so far?

I think that if everything goes well with the unannounced project I'm working on at Wondershop, that could be my biggest highlight to date. However, being listed by Forbes as a 30 Under 30 was totally unexpected and an awesome recognition of my work.

How would you say your Brunel experience has helped you to get where you are today?

Brunel changed my life. I come from a humble family in Spain and before going to Brunel, I could never have imagined that I was able to do something like that: a move to the UK, and studying at a British university. Thanks to financial help from the UK and a scholarship from Brunel, I was able to attend my Master’s degree. At uni, I met amazing teachers that really pushed me forward and I got to meet great people. Without Brunel, I wouldn't be where I am today!

Why did you choose to study at Brunel and why would you recommend Brunel to others?

I chose Brunel because my best friend, Rosa Carbó-Mascarell, also an amazing game designer, studied at Brunel too and she highly recommended it. I would recommend my course at Brunel to others because the groups are small and the games lab is fantastic.

What is your best memory of studying here?

I think that every day I had lectures was the biggest thing for me. I remember with lots of love the lectures with Chris, Justin, Thaleia and Andra.

If you could give one piece of advice to current Brunel students, what would that be?

Enjoy your time there a lot, it flies!

What would be your top tip or key advice for new graduates as they begin their career journey after leaving Brunel?

I recommend everyone to network as much as they can and make lots of friends. Make small things that you can finish quickly and show the results. And the most important thing: take care of yourself!!!

#IamBrunel