Hey San Francisco – Say hello and welcome to all of your leaders and board members

San Francisco Bay Area – your local IGDA chapter is back in action! We’re kicking off with an incredible announcement of our leaders and board members. We have a great crew of folks who are helping to build and engage the robust Bay Area community of game devs, artists, designers, animators, writers and more.

This community is for you, built by people in gaming, folks who love gaming or pivoting into gaming. Our goal is to foster a welcoming, inclusive, and strong community in the San Francisco Bay Area to share ideas, connect, learn, grow, and have fun. IGDA San Francisco is open to members, and non-members.

Leaders

Vic de Aranzeta, Chair

Kaixo! I’m Vic de Aranzeta, Cultural Anthropologist, Ex-Archaeologist, User Experience Designer and Researcher.

As an ex-archaeologist, I’ve seen first hand how important play and storytelling is to humanity and I believe it is the thread that connects us all. I’m fascinated with how humans and our ancestors have used design for 40,000+ years to communicate, make tools, and create moments of play – and gaming has become a strong catalyst for sharing those values, perspectives, stories, and creating community, connection. I’m part of IGDA because I believe that play is for everyone, play is mental health, and play is self-confidence and community. 

Play makes us human, and gaming makes us superhuman. 

PS: My favorite games are L.A. Noire and the God of War series!

Akhil Modali, Co-chair

Friends!!! Hello! My name is Akhil Modali! I am a recent San Jose State University human factors and ergonomics graduate program graduate, and I am a passionate game professional in multiple capacities! I am a researcher by trade, and I am interested in how games can be used to help better the world in more than one capacity!

I am passionate about helping those in and out of the gaming community connect, spreading the word about how gaming can be used, and studying so many interesting ways. Games have the power to do so much good, so I want to show how amazing they can be! I can’t wait to continue that mission by starting IGDA again in SF, and make the community feel united! My favorite game of all time is Skyrim or Borderlands 2, and currently, I am playing Starfield (a big S/O to the team at Bethesda for launching a fantastic game)!

Jaclyn Simmons, Secretary

Hello, I’m Jaclyn Simmons and proud to be on board as a secretary for the IGDA San Francisco Chapter. 

I’ve worked in marketing and communications for the gaming and entertainment industry for over 10 years from working on beloved television shows to fan favorite video game franchises. I currently work as a Senior Brand Manager at Capcom USA for Street Fighter and the Devil May Cry series. Working in the gaming and entertainment industry has helped me connect to a wonderful community of creatives, world builders, storytellers, and so much more. My goal is to help reunite our large gaming community post-pandemic and foster more visibility to the rising stars in our region!

In my spare time, I enjoy roller skating, traveling and playing pinball(Attack from Mars, anyone?). 🙂 My favorite games are the Mass Effect Series, Journey, and Marvel vs Capcom 2. 

Billy Bradley, Treasurer

Hi, everyone!

My name is Billy Bradley. I’m a third-year law student at UC Berkeley. My undergraduate degree was in Business Administration from Florida State University, and I am really interested in the intersection of intellectual property law and business. I’ll work for a major law firm after graduation, and some of our largest clients have been video game companies.

I’m really passionate about the video game industry! My parents and I spent countless hours playing Super Mario World and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. I’ve been playing since the time I learned to read and hope to eventually work in-house at a video game company. IDGA seemed like a great place to make friends, meet new people, and help plan events!

Board

Jensine Doan, Lead Engagement Officer 

Hi everyone! My name is Jensine Doan and I am currently a graduate student at SJSU in Human Factors & Ergonomics. Gaming has been a huge part of my life and one of my favorite ways to connect with others.

I had the opportunity to work for Riot Games as an intern during the summer of 2023 on Project L as a researcher and have additional experience as a User Experience Researcher at Meta and Google prior. I am so grateful to join IGDA because I care a lot about gaming inclusivity and love making new friends in this space!

Cade Peterson, Outreach Coordinator

Hello, I’m Cade Peterson. I joined the game industry over 15 years in a number of capacities.

I passionately support indie games, having worked behind-the-scenes with IndieCade over well over a decade, but also have a strong interest in helping inclusive games come to market. I truly believe that representation matters, so at my current position leading indie studio, MidBoss, we continue to produce and promote such wonderful games. 

My personal list of favorite games ranges greatly, but includes with King’s Quest III, Journey, Skyrim and Zelda’s BOTW.

I’ve been a big fan and member of IGDA for years, and so glad to see the SF Chapter coming back to life. I joined because I want to help it become legendary as it once was.

Tommy Tran, Social Media Manager

Hi yalls! My name is Tommy Tran and I am a masters student in the Human Factors Ergonomics program at San Jose State University. As a human factors researcher, I love helping people work as efficiently(with little effort) as possible! Concepts drawn from video games that my field use are gamification (goal setting), teamwork, and simulation based training. My career goal is to make simulation hardware accessible so we can all play Truck Simulator together after our long commutes home from work. 

I joined IGDA because the group allows a space for passionate video game enthusiasts to explore, learn, and create new experiences! Some games I love to play are Valorant, Counter Strike 2, Bloons TD 6! 

Christian Pascual, Social Media Coordinator

Hey IGDA! I’m Christian Pascual and I’m a Communications leader raised in San Jose.

My love for the maps in “Jet Force Gemini: Prima’s Official Strategy Guide” have guided my career, from Technical Writing at UC Davis to my stint with Tesla’s Autopilot team. My favorite memories growing up include getting lost in the lore of Tamriel and reminding my siblings of Samus’ superiority in daily Melee seshes.

It’s a privilege to join the board of IGDA’s SF chapter and support the gamers who build the worlds we’ve all grown up in. I can’t wait to connect them with a wider array of people and stories!