Nanea Reeves
Portrait
A Real Gamer
Electronic Arts senior executive proves video games can lead to a successful career.
by Mike Westholder
Q: Did video games or high-tech gadgets spark your interest in IT?
A: Video games have always driven my exposure to technology. When I was younger, I was always trying to get more memory, faster processors to play better games. Playing around on BBS [bulletin board system] boards and MUDs [multi-user dungeons] exposed me to networking and the Internet even before the Web. The social use of the Internet has hooked me from the beginning and continues to fascinate me as we become able to connect from many different devices. Even my refrigerator now connects to the Web.
Q: What will be the next big thing for your business?
A: Non-linear interactive experiences where users have toolkits to create and extend the game. I can imagine a day where a game is defined in real time by how it is being played by its users.
Q: Is technology in your DNA?
A: Technology has shaped my life and my career, but I’m not an engineer. I can’t tell the difference between a 1 and 0. I leave that to the brilliant people who work for me.
Q: If you didn’t work in IT, what job would you like to try?
A: I love my job. However, my long-term goal is to become philanthropic yet eccentric.
Q: If money were no object, what is the one thing you would purchase?
A: Water purification solutions for villages in Third World countries.
Q: If you had a superpower, what would it be?
A: The power I would want is the ability to live forever without having to become a vampire. (I am a vegetarian.) However, the superpower I actually need is the ability to dodge bullets.
Q: What innovation has made the biggest difference in your life?
A: TiVo.
Q: What accomplishment makes you most proud?
A: Maintaining a healthy work/life balance that has allowed me to feel challenged and excited by the work I do while still being able to expand my life experiences with a wide circle of wonderful friends and family.
Photography by Robert Houser