Behind-the-Scenes of ‘Death Lap’ with Alma Moya Losada, Head of Marketing & Communication at OZWE Games
Tell us a bit about yourself (studies, work experiences,…).
Originally from Spain, I’ve studied a double master’s degree in Business & Marketing; and Communication & Public Relations in Valencia, Spain. In 2012, I moved to Switzerland and began my professional career. I have worked in marketing and communication for eight years, gaining experience in virtual reality, gaming, women empowerment, education, and MedTech. I am currently combining my career as Head of Marketing and Communication at OZWE Games with my role as a Committee Member of the ‘Business Professional Women (BPW) Lausanne.’
What role did you play in the development of Death Lap?
I’ve supported the team in different tasks, including voice-over, music, script, and localization. The most fun part was to review the localization in Mexican Spanish. There are so many varieties, the main difference is the accent, and how we pronounce words differently. Also, there are plenty of terms that are different, like in Spain we use ‘coche’ while in Mexican Spanish they use ‘auto,’ so it was an exciting task.
And the best part was testing/playing the game. My friends were asking, well, then part of your job is playing video games? And of course, yes! ^^ I was the ‘cobaye’, since I am not a video game player. The devs could observe how I play, what is called ‘the player experience,’ the usability, meaning they must check the controls and UI that allow players to complete tasks and goals from understanding the game, as well as testing the intensity of the AI.
I really enjoyed working closely with Camille, our Art Director, on the creation of all the marketing materials for the launch, from the logo to the teaser and trailer, and other relevant marketing collateral.
Could you describe your general workflow?
What I love about my job is that every day is different. Some weeks, I’m in the office, working on the marketing plan and digital strategy, for instance, updating the website, creating content, planning our social media calendar…
Other weeks, I’m traveling around the world from a beautiful swiss village named Crans-Montana to the Golden Gate City. I ‘ve represented OZWE in so many different conferences and trade fairs, as well as spoke and participated in keynotes, panels, and workshops in the US, Europe, and Russia.
Meeting and speaking with the local and international press. We’ve been featured on swiss, European (AGEFI, 20min, LeMatin, 24heures…) and global media (Variety, TechRadar, VentureBeat, Unity, Konbini, UploadVR, VRFocus, Oculus and the list goes on and on).
What’s your favorite part of the game and why?
Well, since my childhood, I have always been surrounded by cars. I’ve been in rallies, car races like 24 LeMans, F1, MotoGP,… when I was 14, my dad bought a PlayStation, and we played together at Gran Turismo, MotorStorm… so what I like the most is the original car designs, super curated by our amazing 3D game artists.
But what spices the game, it is Nitro Saint-Payne and his wicked sense of humor! ^^
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I’m a lifelong learner, it is essential for my continuous growth and happiness. This is why I loved to attend events to get insights about the future of the next computing, AI, IoT, blockchain, machine learning, robotics, XR, 5G, biometrics… ♡ all stuff related to emerging tech.
I’m also a people person, so I really enjoyed meeting with talented people, sharing knowledge, and having exciting talks. And my team, I had the luxury of working with such skilled and fun colleagues, I’m always learning and laughing. I can say it is the very first time in my life that I really have fun in what I do.
Tell us about a piece you’re most proud of to date.
In november 2019, I went to VR Days Europe, a 3-day conference and exhibition on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality content, to pitch Death Lap in 3 minutes in front of 900 people in the DeLaMar Theater. I was shaking, on top of going through a very tough personal moment, I have never spoken in front of so many people. However, I went on stage and I did it! Short, but straight to the point. The day after, many people came to our booth to play Death Lap and during the Halo Awards, we won the Gold for ‘Best VR Game’. I was so proud of my team, an outstanding recognition for the team and myself for all the work, effort, extra hours and commitment.
What are some of your personal and professional goals for the future?
I am at heart, a social entrepreneur – always thinking of ways to leave this world better than I found it. I am currently working on my project ‘Aequaland’, an online platform aiming to accelerate the world’s transition to gender equality by providing children access to educational resources, video games and activities based on diversity and inclusion in a fun and engaging way.
Any takeaways? Valuable lessons?
I underestimate the time it takes to produce a game, and all the programming, artistic work, testing… It is tremendous work! Death Lap took 18 months from conceptualization to launch, and even after release, the devs have been making updates and eliminating bugs.
Also, I thought programming was tiresome or not creative. Still, I can say that game devs are very imaginative people, always thinking about the best solutions to make a fun and beautiful game. I even went to a game course to learn how to code, and it took me 8 hours to code a 20 sec game! LOL ^^
From my personal tough experience, the lesson that I learned is: ‘be present,enjoy the present, do not regret it, go and do it!