Gmoffi Corner - Game Maker Spotlight: Natasha Skult

Dr. Natasha Skult currently works as CEO and Creative Director at MiTale, an indie game company established in Turku in 2017. Besides leading the company, she is also an academic who recently defended her doctoral thesis, "Interactive Storytelling with Quantum Computing," a topic she plans to continue researching with a new research group forming around this field.

In addition, Natasha has been teaching courses on game design, gamification, and digital (game) art for over a decade at the University of Turku and, in more recent years, at Ashesi University in Ghana. Beyond her industry work and academia, she is perhaps best known for her volunteer work as a Board Member (and Chair Emeritus) of IGDA Global and the IGDA Foundation.

Her current contributions focus on bridging the gap between the games industry and educational curricula by improving communication and alignment between the two. Since 2019, she has led the W Love Games non-profit organization as its co-founder and Chairperson. She also launched Finnish Games Week, an annual celebration of the Finnish games industry, which hosts three major conferences in Helsinki together with IGDA Finland and Steel Media.

Entering the game industry

Before entering the IT and games industry, Natasha worked in the fields of art and cultural heritage. She holds an MA in Classical Arts from the University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia, and conducted doctoral research in Art History and Museology before transitioning to the Department of Computing at the University of Turku. 

One question she is frequently asked: How does a classical artist become a game industry professional and entrepreneur? Her answer is simple: knowledge is transferable, and the interests and skills we accumulate throughout our lives can have a profound impact on game creation. The craft of game design and interactive storytelling requires a diverse range of skills.

Her passion for games began at an early age, as she found comfort in books and games shared with her family. Combined with an education that emphasized both art theory and digital production, it was perhaps unsurprising that she initially entered the games industry as a concept artist. 

Supporting the future

Natasha often refers to her leadership skills as originating from her experience as a professional concept artist, whose responsibility is to build worlds based on a vision developed by the entire team. As a creative individual who is also driven by data and business strategy, she leads with the mindset that there is always a solution to every challenge. What excites her most is empowering both individuals and teams to create something truly meaningful. This is one of the many reasons she continues to teach and mentor emerging talent.

She believes that everyone has a place in the gaming industry, where our differences and unique perspectives can help shape a stronger, more united community. Games are experiences, and behind every experience is a story worth telling and connecting with. This belief drives her community-building efforts and her commitment to enabling stories to be shared and voices to be heard.

To many, her work appears to bend space and time, as she manages so many different programs alongside running her company. However, Natasha finds her greatest comfort and strength in being surrounded by family and friends. In her "free" time, she goes to the gym, collects swords and being a proud owner of claymore, plays digital and board games, and maintains her lifelong passion for reading. 

Currently, she is planning to begin a solo game project, which she will share more about in the future. The latest game she worked on with her team is Willow Guard, which is now set to receive a new graphic novel and has recently announced a board game, for which she serves as lead game designer.

In her own words: "Never stop the madness."