From XBox to Rockstar Games: McKenzie Elliott Reflects on Journey as a Woman in Gaming
When I tell people I work in gaming, the response I get most often is “do you even game?”. Today’s woman dreamer, McKenzie Elliott has had a dynamic career in the video game technology industry. Based in New York City, she brings experience as a senior product manager at XBox. McKenzie is on a mission to break barriers and empower women to enter the traditionally male-dominated gaming world. She writes, “the definition of a gamer is far more broadly reaching. If you play crossword puzzles on your phone or tetris on your computer, you are a gamer.” A must read - enjoy her story!
Tell us your story. You have had an exciting career as a product manager/in the tech industry. What inspired you to be the woman you are today?
I expected college to be a breeze but Georgia Tech was tough. Despite the difficult classes, I found solace in joining campus organizations. Greek life gave me the opportunity to serve as my chapter’s president and, subsequently, the Collegiate Panhellenic Council president - two formative experiences that built the soft skills needed to be professionally successful, particularly as a Product Manager (though I didn’t know it at the time).
With a degree in CS and Graphic Design, my classmates were recruiting to be developers which was a problem because I had never been the strongest dev in the room. Facing major imposter syndrome, I applied to none of the big tech companies upon graduation and got lucky that a Microsoft recruiter reached out on LinkedIn for a consulting role. I took the role and this decision is what changed the course of my career.
Through consulting at Microsoft I discovered that Program and Product Managers existed - roles that fit people like me with technical backgrounds who excelled in soft skills. I found a new team on the engineering side of Microsoft that took a chance on me and soon became a TPM working on GamePass Ultimate before following a mentor to the PlayFab team where I built backend services for Xbox titles.
The keys to my journey thus far have been:
Building strong foundations through leadership experience in college
Seizing every opportunity presented to me (even if I didn’t think I was ready)
Developing relationships with leaders I admired in my jobs and organizations
2. You are in the gaming tech industry, having worked for XBOX at Microsoft. What has your experience been like as a woman in the gaming industry, which is traditionally more male-dominated?
When I tell people I work in gaming, the response I get most often is “do you even game?”. There is this fallacy that a “gamer” is someone who plays shooting games on console for hours a day. Though this demographic exists, the reality is the definition of a gamer is far more broadly reaching. If you play crossword puzzles on your phone or tetris on your computer, you are a gamer.
The existing “gamer” stereotype contributes to both the lack of women we see working in the space as well as the lack of feminine interests represented in games on the market. Women are reluctant to consider gaming as a valid career path and, in turn, classically feminine interests are missing from the games studios are building because there are not women in the space to push for that subject matter. It’s a chicken-or-the-egg problem.
3. What is your advice to women who are interested in working in the gaming technology space? What do you think holds women back from this?
For those considering gaming, I would advise the following:
Apply to the role, even if you don’t meet 100% of the listed job criteria.
Your path into gaming doesn’t have to be direct (and often won’t be).
Build a game at home to get experience on your own, whether or not you can code. For example, Twine (twinry.org) is a great tool for making text-based, low-code games.
Before accepting a role in gaming, ask about the team’s demographics and available support groups for women so that you know what you’re walking into.
4. Outside of this, you are also passionate about fashion tech and have worked with multiple startups. Tell us more about your passions here.
I always loved playing dress up as a kid but, in particular, computer games got me hooked on fashion. When these games did not grow up with me, my passion translated into physical clothing. Getting dressed became my favorite way to start my day.
After a ski trip, I took a gander at building my own physical goods startup called Blubird, a company re-imaging the function of travel ski-bags. Although Blubird was not successful, I discovered a passion for start-up.
I moved to New York City from Seattle to get closer to fashion and start-ups. Here I was able to take advantage of a strong Launch House community (a start-up incubator I joined in May 2021) to build a strong network. Since moving here, I’ve organized fashion-focussed happy hours, consulted on the intersection of fashion and gaming, and have built branding and launch strategy for up-and-coming start-ups in the digital fashion space!
5. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
My dream is for games to inspire all people to discover their passions in the same way fashion games inspired me growing up. On top of this, the act of play is good for your brain, so when we limit adult games to a specific set of content (in this case, typically masculine interests), we are losing out on a part of the population that could benefit from playing games both through discovering new passions or through improving mental health. Gaming should be for everyone!
Thank you McKenzie for sharing your story with us. We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: McKenzie Elliott is a Gaming Industry veteran with 5+ years of Product Management experience with Xbox and Rockstar Games. She has experience working on major labels including GamePass Ultimate and Azure PlayFab. Though she's been gaming all her life, McKenzie's interest in the industry solidified when she got her degree in Computer Science and Graphic Design from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Today, McKenzie lives in New York City where she is involved in early-stage start-ups and the fashion industry.
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