Meet the DevGAMM Team

With DevGAMM since: forever

Starting off her career as a multidisciplinary Flash Animator and Game Artist, Lerika’s passion for games runs deep. Her earliest childhood memory is when she pulled an all-nighter on New Year’s Eve with her friends and took turns playing Heroes of Might and Magic 3 on the same computer. Ever since that night, she knew she wanted to be involved in the industry.

As the founding member of DevGAMM, she’s been through it since the beginning back in 2008, and led the conference under Absolutist and Renatus before striking out on her own. She then grew the event from a small garage meetup to one of the fastest-growing gamedev conferences in the region, and is now looking to break new territory in the Baltics and Greater Europe. One day, she says, she hopes to host DevGAMM on the moon.

In her free time, she plays on every console she could get her hands on, including the Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, saving her PC for the occasional game of Rust.

With DevGAMM since: March 2014

As the years went on, Maria wore many a DevGAMM hat. Once a PR & Content Manager, she slew a thousand dragons to make it to Content Producer, then scaled the daunting mountain all the way to the top and flagged it as her own as Chief Operating Officer, and she will not stop until she sees Hideo Kojima in the DevGAMM limelight.

To her, the games industry is the best industry of them all, and loves that everyone she meets is fun, open, creative, curious, and always ready to help. What she appreciates about her job is that it allows her to work side-by-side with so many incredible people worldwide while building amazing conferences and creating memorable experiences.

Growing up, Maria and her friends spent their summer nights playing Sims 2 on a friend’s powerful computer until her dad rebuilt the system with a new graphics card, and she got to play it back home too. As a busy adult, she believes in the power of the Macbook M1 and M2 processors in running a nice game experience, but at the end of the day, she is a PlayStation girl all the way, and Horizon Zero Dawn is her favorite game of all time.

With DevGAMM since: February 2017

Meet Tori, our dynamic Business Development Manager seamlessly blending work with fun in the lively gamedev realm. Her journey spans from merch production to game analytics and event management. With a love for both indie gems like Stardew Valley and hits like Cyberpunk 2077, she keeps gaming diverse and delightful.

Dreaming big, Tori envisions a Gamescom-style event, fangirling and playing blissful BD manager when AA-AAA companies join DevGAMM. Childhood memories include bonding with her dad over Doom and Half-Life, and finding comfort in The Sims during tiny kitchen gaming sessions with a friend. Returning to DevGAMM after five years of gamedev growth stands out as her career-defining decision, showcasing her commitment to the industry she loves.

Tori's superpower choice is mind-reading for better understanding. When not gaming, she surprises with hobbies like dog training, tabletop RPGs, language learning, and cooking. For Tori, home is the superhero cave, the place where she recharges amid life's adventures.

With DevGAMM since: April 2023

You would never be able to tell working with Natalia, but her start in the gamedev business was a complete accident! Her friend was a recruiter, and he helped her land her dream job as a Travel Manager, organizing trips for thousands of people. Today, she packs seven years of Wargaming experience, and five years in the Business Development industry, which she is vigorously putting to use onboarding new people on our team.

Natalia grew up playing Tetris, and one day, she dreams of being the one who sees Blizzard partnering with DevGAMM. She actually met Elon Musk once, but she enjoyed meeting an International Space Station astronaut a lot more.Today, she is the proud owner of a piece of rope that’s been to outer space! She’d love to go there herself, but if she can’t, Australia would do just fine. Nature, Koalas, and Kangaroos, I mean, who could ask for more?

With DevGAMM since: July 2021

Max might be the Business Development Manager, but secretly, he identifies as a Musician. He says his career in the game industry was a lucky accident, which he owes to his talent as a Salesman. He is a Max of many trades, and at the end of the day, he will sing about it too.

Max thinks it’s really odd that some people prefer one console over the other. You eat soup with a spoon, he says, and use chopsticks for sushi. His earliest childhood gaming memory was when he was 7 or 8, his parents got him a PS1 as a gift with a ton of games to try out. He spent many summers playing Spyro, and to this day, he often finds himself diving for crystals and dragon eggs.

As an adult, he developed a liking for Alan Wake and Half-Life, the latter still blows his mind. His advice for career success is simple: love thyself.

With DevGAMM since: August 2024

Meet Valeria, our Community Manager who brings her passion for games and the gaming industry to life in her role at DevGAMM. Starting her journey as a support representative, she quickly found her niche in community management, where she connects with like-minded individuals and fosters gaming communities.

Valeria's recent success involves gathering her own small team to create a cozy indie game, reflecting her dedication and creative spirit. A dream collaboration for her would be seeing The Pokémon Company join forces with DevGAMM, which the whole team would be on board with. While indie games hold a special place in her heart, she eagerly anticipates the next Fire Emblem game, enjoying her gaming time primarily on her PC and Nintendo Switch.

A key moment in Valeria's career was starting her own indie game project in 2018. Although the game wasn't released, it was an important step that got her deeper into the industry. Playing Bioshock Infinite changed how she saw games, showing her their artistic side. Plus, she has fond memories of playing Spyro on her Gameboy as a kid, which still inspires her today.

With DevGAMM since: May 2023

Palina loves games. She grew up playing World of Warcraft, Heroes, The Sims and Barbie, and she had to fend her brother off the computer on the weekends to climb those leaderboards. Her earliest memory is of building castles and making money for griffons on Heroes of Might and Magic 3. One day, she dreams of a Genshin Impact collaboration because they are the coolest. She also dreams of the ability to stop time, just so she could rewatch Naruto without having to spend five months doing it.

If you ask her friends, they will all say the same. Palina is a very open person. You can basically get to know her by following her Instagram. She loves reading, but if it’s not interesting after five pages, she will stop. Her biggest passions are cooking, anime, board games and traveling. She owes her love to travel to her parents, who changed five countries in the last three years. That’s why she has three homes: Her mother’s, hers, and their house in Barcelona.

With DevGAMM since: April 2020

Anton does not play games. His life is the perfect game. As the Head of Marketing at DevGAMM, it’s hard to describe exactly how Anton spends his time, or how he makes it all work. He does everything, and there’s very little going on anywhere that doesn’t first go through him.

Anton found his passion for event management back in college, where he felt most fulfilled connecting people. It was even better that he got to spend more time on campus, a place that deeply inspired him. Students are amazing people, he explained. They know how to get out of any situation.

His earliest childhood gaming memory is that of him playing Counter-Strike with his friends at a local computer club. Next to DevGAMM, you can catch Anton live by tuning in a local radio station, a podcast, or by looking behind you at two out of three game conferences happening in the region.

With DevGAMM since: March 2024

Meet Kristina, DevGAMM's PR Manager with lifelong gaming experience. She jumped into gamedev because of its creativity and how it connects players globally. Before landing here, she was deep in the world of writing visual novels and still loves to dive into game characters and stories.

Even though she's just getting started, Kristina's already making friends with DevGAMM's partners, aiming to get more folks hooked on the event. Her dream? Seeing Stardew Valley's creator, Eric Barone, at DevGAMM. She's into both indie and big-name games, but indies really catch her eye.

2024 has Kristina hyped for Hollow Knight: Silk Song, a game she eagerly awaits. Her childhood was full of memories of playing The Sims 2, the game that showed her how players can create their own stories. With her love for games and the creators behind them, Kristina's journey promises to be full of fun, creativity, and bringing gamers together.

With DevGAMM since: June 2016

Sergey is blessed with a King’s touch - everything that comes his way, he turns to gold. He was the first of his friends to own a computer, and he started a Home Computer Club and rented it out by the hour. When he got a little older, he started a successful international trade business, and from there, he turned to games. To him, he felt that all the technology, openness and dynamics were just fascinating.

In his day-to-day job, he takes great pleasure in sending out payments on time. He recently set up a new automated ticketing system, and has so many ideas on how to make it run even better. One day, he hopes to see people think of DevGAMM the same way they do of E3, and he wants to live in a world where a new GTA game is released every year.

The first game Sergey ever played was on cassette. It was a Tennis game, with lines running and balls bouncing. He also loves Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mario, and Counter-Strike.

With DevGAMM since: December 2019

Dmitry finds great joy in organizing events, and has grown into quite the wizard when it comes to making sure all the pieces fall into the right places. In his words, the invisible work of logistics and production is his thing. He came from within, and the rest is just love.

His earliest childhood gaming memory is that of Sjubor, an extremely popular 8-bit console that took off in the 80s. During the pandemic, he dug into the old pile, replaying Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mario, ThunderCats, Scrooge McDuck, and Chip and Dale. It’s an entirely different experience as an adult, he shared, since back then you couldn’t save. You just had to sit down one weekend morning and do your best to finish it by dinner time.

Today, there’s nothing he loves more than a good game of FIFA and a nice book, both of which helped him make major career-defining decisions over the years. For all his fellow bookworms out there, he recommends Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by Jason Schreier.

With DevGAMM since: January 2019

Next to designing our identity and illustrating our conference mascots, Alina is especially skilled at growing things. Her green thumb puts us all to shame, and we are convinced she is part wood elf. She loves DevGAMM because the industry gives her plenty of room for self-expression and creativity.

Alina likes to move, so she prefers mobile games because she can take them anywhere. She grew up playing The Sims and Need For Speed, sometimes nourishing lives, other times running them over. Balance is everything, the wise one imparts, and we all make sure to listen.

With DevGAMM since: April 2023

Rio’s love for video games goes back to a time before his birth. When his mother was pregnant with him, she used to play on an analog ZX Spectrum. His earliest childhood gaming memory though is that of a Dendy console. He played it to the bone, and when it broke, he built platformer minigames using playing cards.

Over the years, Rio took part in many game projects. He was the sole artist behind both 'To The Capital' and 'To The Capital 2', he created banners and advertising videos for a number of mobile game companies, and he’s been busy creating his own game since 2013.

One day, Rio dreams to showcase it at DevGAMM, and maybe even sign up as a speaker and give a lecture on the wonders of pixel art. His dream collaboration is with Nintendo, a studio that he believes strikes a great balance between concept and quality.

With DevGAMM since: April 2023

Inspired by the pages of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Alex has brought his passion to the team. He sees DevGAMM as a hub of excitement, creativity, and endless possibilities. During his journey in the game industry, Alex has unlocked a bunch of achievements, such as his seamless integration into the DevGAMM community during his first conference with the team.

When reminiscing about his gaming roots, Alex proudly recalls beating that challenging level in Battletoads. His enthusiasm for quality games knows no boundaries, whether they are indie gems or AAA titles. In 2023, he eagerly awaits the release of Alan Wake 2 and continues to enjoy playing Ghost of Tsushima on his trusty PS5.

Alex envisions a future where DevGAMM collaborates with Hideo Kojima, elevating the event to godlike prominence. Beyond the gaming realm, he dreams of having the superpower of teleportation to explore the world and beyond. Still in search of his favorite place on this planet, Alex finds tranquility and beauty in a spot near Linnahall, where he enjoys gazing at the sea.