This week we speak with accomplished engineering leader Caerie Houchins, who played a critical role in the initial global launch of VALORANT, the global smash tactical shooter from Riot Games. Caerie has now expanded her career from triple-A gaming to become a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of an independent game studio, Wicked Fox Games, which just successfully funded their first Kickstarter. Caerie walks listeners through insights that are not just useful for game engineers, but for anyone who dream of building video games at global scale and complexity. Hear about wide-ranging topics from game engine technology, crunch culture, and cross-cultural collaboration through the use of artificial intelligence in video game development.

Caerie Houchins is a 25-year veteran of the tech industry who made a very intentional transition into the video game industry as Senior Engineering Manager for the global launch of VALORANT at Riot Games. Caerie is now Chief Technology Officer at indie game startup Wicked Fox Games, who successfully funded their first Kickstarter for the puzzle fighting game Rise of Elements in April 2025. Her journey has been fueled by her love for gaming, from participating in Doom and Quake tournaments in college to video game entrepreneurship today: her hardest challenge yet. Fun fact: Caerie is a Magician Member of the Academy of Magical Arts and can frequently be seen performing impromptu shows at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA.

For links, timecodes, and other context visit the show notes at the Enduring Play website: enduringplay.com or directly at the Season 1 Episode 1 page.