A developer's year: Sunni Pavlovic

2013 felt like a big year to be a gamer, with new consoles, new business models settling in and old school studios getting lost along the way. But what was it like from the inside? We spoke to a few high profile developers to find out what the stand out moments were for them.

Sunni Pavlovic is the studio manager at thatgamecompany, a small indie studio you might have heard of. She joined the team there in 2012, and her goal is to make entertainment a positive force. 2013 saw her speak at GDC Next, an experience she discusses below, and enjoy the ongoing success of 2012 release Journey.

"High point - This past year was a watershed year for the craft of video games. The stars aligned and brought three influential mainstream institutions - The MoMA, the Smithsonian, and the Grammy Awards - to deliver an unprecedented nod to the artistic and cultural contributions of video games.

For a studio as focused as we are on the day-to-day of making games, it's both intensely gratifying and surreal to see our games flOw, Flower, and Journey included in those honoured.

"It felt as if the industry just didn't care much for making games more accessible to new audiences"

Low point - Creating positive experiences for all people is a goal I hold dear to my heart. In a medium that isn't always inviting or accessible to new gamers, I'm very interested in understanding how other developers approach accessibility. My initial delight for a 'GDC Next' session dedicated to accessible game design turned into a combination of personal disappointment and despair when I saw how few people showed up for the talk. It felt as if the industry just didn't care much for making games more accessible to new audiences.

I'm hoping I'm wrong about that - I'm hoping the conversation rallies on as more developers recognise the value of designing for players outside of the traditional gaming audience."