Meet The Clever Crew! – LizMac

Hi there! I’m Liz Macdonell, or LizMac for short, and I’m the Community Manager here at Clever Plays Studio. Unlike most of the team, I’m located in the rainy but beautiful Vancouver, Canada where I live with my partner and our dog Karina.

Get to Know LizMac!

What is your role on the Clever Crew?

I’m the Community and Marketing Manager for Clever Plays Studio! This means that I handle everything from helping players with any bug reports, to coordinating events such as PAX or GamesCom, running social media pages, and more.

What makes you really excited about your job?

Getting to talk to the players and community and seeing them play our games! It’s absolutely a magical experience to be able to pop into a Twitch stream, or be at a convention, and see players having laughs, creating inside jokes, and having fun playing a game I helped create.

What would you say is the most difficult part of your role?

Making sure you have a good work/life balance! Social media and community is going on 24/7 and it’s difficult to not respond to questions as soon as you see them but it’s important for mental health and to prevent burnout. Having to set boundaries with the community so they know when it’s your off time is extremely important.

What was your favourite memory of working on Operation:Tango?

A personal highlight for me was getting to watch Felicia Day and Amy Okuda, two amazing women in the TTRPG industry whom I’ve looked up to for years, playing the Operation:Tango Demo and getting to speak to them about the game. It was such a marriage of my two loves: TTRPGs and Video Games.

What made you want to become a game developer?

Video games have always provided an escape: get to become the knight in shining armour, run your grandfather’s farm, save the world! No matter what game you play you get to experience something new and exciting. I wanted to help craft the stories people escape into, and the memories that come with that. My dream was to help make someone’s favourite game, and I am uncountably happy that I made the leap to follow that dream.

Were there any games from your childhood that were super influential to you?

The first console I ever had in my house was a PS2 (a little late in the gaming game I know!) and I absolutely loved the three games I got with the console: Spyro Year of the Dragon, Harvest Moon: It’s A Wonderful Life, and Dark Cloud. Without those three games, I’m not sure I would have fallen in love with gaming as much as I have.

What is your favourite game you’ve played in the last year?

This is such a hard question because I have played so many wonderful games this year! I’ll narrow it down to two for you: My favourite experience playing a game was Unpacking by Witch Beam. It was unexpectedly heartfelt, cozy, and satisfying to play! The game I have spent the most time on this year is another indie gem: Beneath Oresa by Broken Spear! Roguelike deckbuilders are my kryptonite and with this one feeling like a fighting game, I was instantly hooked!

What are your hopes and goals for the future of Clever Plays?

I hope we continue to make games that people love, that we grow our community even more, and my specific goal for 2023 is finally getting to be in Montreal to meet the whole team for the first time!

This or That Section:

PC or Console? – Console! I’ve been a PlayStation kid my whole life
Coca-Cola or Pepsi? Coca-Cola!
Cats or Dogs? Dogs (but I love cats too!)
Halloween or Christmas? Christmas!
Pancakes or Waffles? Neither! French Toast has always been our family’s favourite!

You can follow LizMac on Twitter at @LizMacD22