IGDA interview: Jen MacLean is relaunching game developers group

Boston area game developer Jen MacLean was named interim executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) in September, and her appointment became permanent in February. Now she’s starting to put her own imprint on the 30,000-member game developer’s group.

At the Game Developers Conference last week, MacLean spoke with me in an interview about relaunching the IGDA, starting with new programs to directly support chapters and special interest groups around the world. MacLean wants to support game developers in sustainable and fulfilling careers. She hopes that many developers — especially those who drop out of the industry in the three-to-seven-year time period — can last for decades in the industry.

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Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.