Eve Crevoshay joined Take This, a mental health NGO serving the game industry, as executive director in 2018. She is a 15-year veteran of the nonprofit sector, with a focus on fundraising and executing strategy. Her background spans education, social services and the arts. She is committed to identifying and enabling systemic change.
Crevoshay is a member of the advisory boards for GDC (in the advocacy track) and The International Game Summit on Mental Health (TIGS.ca), and the recipient of the inaugural GamesBeat Up and Comer award (2020). She’s also a girl scout troop leader, yoga teacher, avid gardener and cook, and gamer. She lives on the US West Coast with her husband, daughter and dog.
Crevoshay joins the speaker lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki Digital 2020 where she will discuss mental health in the games industry. We caught up with her before the event this September to see what’s changed in the games industry since he joined, and what trends she expects to see over the next 12 months in the industry.
PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about Take This.
This has been a wild year all around and a banner moment for the public perception and valuation of games as a social and cultural force.
Eve Crevoshay: The mission of Take This is to decrease the stigma and increase the support for mental health in the game enthusiast community and in the games industry. Our vision is a game community that welcomes and supports people experiencing mental health challenges and that recognises the humanity and mental health of game creators.
What does your role entail?
As the leader of Take This, I am a fierce advocate for mental wellbeing across the games industry, interacting with leaders, developing partnerships and providing a vision for an industry that is the best it can be.
Why did you want to work in the games industry?
I love games and gamers and want to help the industry evolve to be more human-centered.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?
Be persistent, but also be aware that you don't have to be in the industry to love and make games! Be kind to yourself while also making room in your life for your passions.
What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?
This has been a wild year all around and a banner moment for the public perception and valuation of games as a social and cultural force. I'm really excited by that, even as I am concerned about the persistent norms in the industry that harm people - especially women and people of color.
What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?
The games industry has grown at an astonishing pace to emerge as a major cultural and economic force, as opposed to a niche industry.
We will continue to have to find creative ways to respond to COVID, especially as it relates to work from home and remote work options. We'll also see a gradual shift back towards cultural critiques of games, even as games remain a central part of peoples' interactions worldwide. I'm also excited to see AR and VR tech continue to reach wider audiences.
How has the games industry changed since you first started?
Well, I've only been in the industry for two years, but in the years since my husband first joined the industry in 2006 it's grown at an astonishing pace to emerge as a major cultural and economic force, as opposed to a niche industry.
Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?
I love meeting new people and learning about how they approach making games. It's so fascinating to see the diversity in the industry.
