In my decade-long tenure within the gaming industry, my passion lies in nurturing aspiring and existing game developers, aiming to empower them with insights into the business and production side of game development.

I started in the gaming industry 10 years ago, as a fanboy who simply wanted to help make some of his favorite games. Since then, I’ve played integral roles at EA, Machinezone, Zynga & Amazon Games across 35+ gaming titles. During this journey, I have extensively volunteered and given talks about Product Management and Analytics at Universities such as Carnegie Mellon, Stanford and UWaterloo as well as Industry events such as Pocketgamer and IGDC. I was especially inspired when I was a Judge at the recent “We create Android Game Jam”, where they came up with amazing storylines that pulled at your heartstrings or had such innovative gameplay that you wanted to play just one more level!

I believe that my background as a Product Leader in Gaming puts me in a unique position to help expand and grow the IGDA gaming community. If elected to the IGDA board, I would double down on 2 key efforts:

1.       Local and Online Networking Events: I want to help establish connections between more industry members, so that we can navigate these turbulent times together. The gaming industry is full of amazing and passionate people willing to lend a hand to others, but the challenge is that we don’t often know how to help. I would love to help connect more of us with each other so that we can all support each other even better as a community.

2.       Mentorship Programs: As a mentor of many years, I have found it extremely fulfilling mentoring younger professionals. It is so gratifying to see them get a promotion or find their dream role on a game they have loved for many years. Helping foster longer term relationships is key to not only growing our careers, but the community as a whole.

If elected to the IGDA Board, my goal is to bridge gaps, empower professionals, and foster a resilient community. I want us all to be able to navigate the dynamic landscape of the game development industry together, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive and contribute to its future.

I am passionate about supporting game developers and creating pathways for people who are looking to enter the games industry. I have worked to accomplish this as the Executive Director of both Seattle Indies and Global Game Jam, I was also previously an IGDA Board member, the Chapter lead of IGDA Seattle, the IGDA Northwest Regional Coordinator, and co-founded the Seattle Games and Education meetup along with Con-spire to help bring together and support game developers both locally and on a global scale.

I believe that community is the foundation for the games industry to grow and change and the driving force behind movements to unionize, to demand better working conditions, proper accreditation for people’s work, and pushing for acceptance of people from all different cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities, etc. IGDA is uniquely positioned to support, influence, and uplift game developers worldwide who want to help each other grow and thrive in the industry, who are leaders and changemakers at the forefront of championing issues they are passionate about, and as a board member I will lend my years of experience and expertise in these areas to make sure your voices are being heard on a global scale.

I also bring a wealth of experience creating meaningful business relationships and partnerships for nonprofit orgs in the games industry and was a key member of the Stronger Together in Games movement that brought six non-profit orgs together including IGDA and GGJ for a fundraiser and to build and share resources for people impacted by layoffs in the industry in 2023 and 2024. I also use these connections and partnerships to help benefit local organizers where I can and bring them along to important meetings and include them in conversations at global games events that I attend like GDC and Gamescom so they can establish relationships with reps from their part of the world that will benefit their local community events and organizations.

My passion is to serve the game development community at large and I can’t think of a better way to do it than to become a board member for the IGDA that has given me so much over the course of my career that giving in this way feels like the least I can do.

I am a community builder.

All my life has been driven by making invisible things visible – creating new projects or spotlighting my peers. The visibility of people, ideas, cultures, and creativity are core beliefs that drive me to this day in everything I do, from founding Game Dev Lisbon, supporting the Individual Ambassadors at Women in Games, organizing events like Game Dev Camp (Lisbon), the Spotlight Awards and creating projects like the Spotlight Magazine.  

My love for making games came from the unique multidisciplinary aspect of the medium as an art form and a deep connection with play as creative expression. I believe that when we foster diversity, inclusion and belonging, we push the boundaries of our industry forward and create a more sustainable environment for developers.

My vision for joining the IGDA Board of Directors would be to further develop key aspects of IGDA’s regional and global presence:

• From Global to Local: Develop strategies to identify developers’ regional needs that might go unnoticed in broader industry programs.
• And back to Local to Global: Work with developers to identify and devise solutions for global industry issues based on local impact actions by IGDA local chapters with global IGDA support.
• Networking and Collaboration: Strengthen the platforms for networking and collaboration within IGDA, supporting the continuous cross-promotion of opportunities, resources, and knowledge.

My journey in game development started in 2014, and at the time, I did not know it would translate into a full-time studio job. I began making games with volunteer indie teams, evolved into an interactive designer for children’s books, then became a game design student, and finally a producer and studio director. And that is only the game’s journey. Many of us come from the most diverse types of backgrounds, from our education to various career paths, with different cultural and economic barriers to transitioning into games. I believe IGDA’s mission of “supporting and empowering game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers” is also a mission of visibility and validation of diverse backgrounds.

I’ve been in the game industry since the earliest days of the Zerg invasion and the disaster at Black Mesa. Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked across a wide range of functions – including production, design, product, engineering, operations, business, and strategy – at studios, publishers, and service providers, both large and small. I’ve been an individual contributor, a manager, and a founder of my own company. I currently work at Big Fish Games as General Manager for the company’s live games portfolio. During my time, I’ve seen a tremendous amount of diversification, growth, and change in our industry. Gaming is now the largest, most broadly engaged with form of entertainment worldwide. It’s critical that we have a professional association that represents that breadth and scale, and which empowers and supports the people – all of us – who make the magic of games possible for everyone. This past year has been incredibly hard. We’ve experienced unprecedented layoffs, studio closures, the still evolving societal shifts coming out of the COVID pandemic, and the start of a dramatic technology shift for our industry driven by generative AI. I believe that the IGDA has been and must continue to be an invaluable resource for members of our industry. I would like to see the IGDA provide better support systems and tools for workers experiencing job losses. I’ve seen amazing efforts by individuals to help friends, colleagues, and total strangers during this time. It is incumbent on the IGDA to amplify that message and to apply its own resources to expand and strengthen the support for workers rights at all times, but especially for those in need when times are hardest for them. Further, I’d like to see the IGDA take a strong, proactive leadership role in how we approach generative AI. By leading the industry towards a thoughtful, people-first approach to the integration of AI driven technologies into games, it can be a tool for industry expansion and be the “rising tide that lifts all boats”. Without that leadership, though, we risk seeing a prolonged extension of workforce reductions that we’ve experienced too much of over the last year. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you. I’d love to have the opportunity to represent you and our industry on the IGDA board of directors for the next 3 years.

I am excited to stand as a candidate aiming to champion the needs of small indie studios and developers seeking stability and growth in our industry. I am committed to facilitating access to funding for small indie studios, recognizing it as a vital ingredient for innovation and creative freedom. By recognizing the needs of smaller companies, we can help drive funding to creators that need it most. Additionally, I am passionate about fostering rewarding careers for developers. I will advocate for initiatives that prioritize fair labor practices, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities to ensure that every developer finds fulfillment without the constant fear of job loss. I have had the privilege of leading Dogwood Gaming since 2016, speaking at several conventions across the world highlighting the importance of creativity and passion in an industry that is becoming more and more expensive and restrictive to new developers. Your support for me is an endorsement of an IGDA that champions inclusivity, innovation, and support for game developers worldwide. Together, let’s shape a future where every developer’s potential is recognized and supported.

Dear Esteemed IGDA Members,

I am honored to present my candidacy for the IGDA board, leveraging my extensive 15-year industry experience.

Allow me to provide a brief overview of my background before delving into my philosophies, priorities, and goals. As a successful turnaround executive in the video game industry, I have built and revitalized companies, implementing product regeneration, marketing overhauls, and strategic initiatives. My focus on ethical and human-centric approaches aims to inspire teams, reduce bureaucracy, and enable talented creatives to concentrate on doing their best work. Currently serving as CEO at MidBoss, I orchestrated a comprehensive turnaround, saving the company from the brink of collapse due to previous executives’ actions. I resolved the financial crisis, achieved positive cash flow, and expanded revenue streams. At MidBoss, I initiated the Season of Pride program, a game showcase, charity fundraiser, and annual community-building event, utilizing the platform for inclusivity to raise visibility for others. Driven by a commitment to spotlight underserved communities in the gaming landscape, including LGBTQIA+, POC, and Trans communities, my priority is fostering an environment for rising game developers creating unique indie games. I believe in the power of thinking outside the box and taking action, understanding that achieving greatness demands hard work and a passionate, dedicated team.

My overarching goal for IGDA is to establish impactful programs aligned with my philosophy. This includes creating game showcases, promotions, and developer spotlights celebrating diversity and innovation. Moreover, I aim to enhance IGDA’s visibility, bringing positive attention to the organization. Recently collaborating on the successful Queer Games and Women In Games showcases with Jakin, I envision expanding such initiatives to reach an exponentially larger audience in the future.

As a Lifetime IGDA member and IndieCade alumni board member, I am committed to cultivating a vibrant indie game development community. With a strategic vision, leadership experience, and an unwavering passion for inclusivity, I am eager to contribute to IGDA’s continued success.

Thank you for considering my candidacy.

Sincerely, Cade Peterson