9 Questions with Jingyu Zhuang

Describe what you currently do, and tell us the best thing about it.

I’m a Senior Game Producer at AGS’s Interactive department. Our team creates online casino games enjoyed by millions of players around the world. One of the best things about my work is the speed and scale at which we operate — I’ve been with AGS for just under two years and have already shipped around 30 game titles.

Working with our globally distributed team, we’ve built a game development pipeline that takes every game through the cycle of concept, development, testing, submission, and release. It’s a fast-paced, supportive environment where I get to make a visible impact every day.

What led you to the ETC?

Before coming to the ETC, I earned a dual B.S. in Computer Science and Game Design. But it wasn’t until my final semester of undergrad — when I had the chance to work in a more professional setting as a producer — that everything clicked. I realized how much I enjoyed bringing together different aspects of game development and guiding a team toward a shared goal. That experience made it clear to me that production was the right path, and the ETC felt like the perfect next step to grow those skills in a collaborative, project-driven environment.

What projects did you work on at the ETC?

• WonderLab: A client project for Give Kids the World, this is my very first ETC project and I can’t overstate how much it taught me about production (In fact, I have a whole section below talking about this project!)
• A² Studio: We created an educational game and animation tool designed for K–12 computer science classrooms. I served as a producer, while contributing to project management and engineering. This project taught me a lot about how to drive product strategy based on team skillset, client requirement, and user feedback, and the biggest highlight was seeing our tool actually used by students in real classrooms!
• Chatbot AI: This was a self-pitched, experimental game built around the early version of GPT-3 - before ChatGPT was widely known. It gave me the chance to work in a completely uncharted territory, where exploration & innovation were the top priorities. That came with its own set of challenges, but we successfully launched the game on Epic Game Store within a semester and acquired 30k+ unique players organically.

What’s your favorite ETC memory?

Hands down, my first ETC Festival! I had a ton of fun exploring the projects created by my peers and sharing what my team had built in such a thoughtfully curated environment. One of the things that makes the first semester at the ETC so special is how it brings together a class of incredibly talented creators and helps build a strong sense of community. The festival is the culmination of that semester - where all the hard work, challenges, and collaboration come together in one unforgettable night. I’m grateful to have been part of that moment and to contribute my own creative spark to it.

How did ETC prepare you for your career, and what impact has it had on your life?

My first project semester was a great example despite being one of the toughest projects I’ve ever worked on. Due to COVID, the venue we were designing a location-based experience for hadn’t been built yet. Our team had very different interests and personal learning goals, making it hard to align on a cohesive vision, and there was some friction with our faculty instructors due to communication issues. Everything that could go wrong kind of did, and as a producer I did not yet have the experience or confidence to navigate those challenges effectively.

But looking back, that experience turned out to be one of the most valuable learning opportunities of my academic journey. I’ve lost count of how many times in my professional life I’ve thought, “Wait, I’ve made this exact mistake before during that ETC semester.” That semester gave me the space to stumble, reflect, and learn in a low-stakes environment. It helped me make (and learn from) nearly every classic mistake a producer could make —and in doing so, saved me from making much more costly errors in my career later on. Honestly, I’d trade that B grade for those lessons any day.

What is the most interesting or enjoyable thing that you’ve gotten to do in your career so far?

One of the most rewarding experiences in my career has been building my own production team. I was originally hired as the first producer on our team, and now have the privilege of leading the entire game production function at AGSi. It’s been an incredible journey building everything from the ground up: defining the purpose, assembling the right people, and establishing the process to scale our work. Beyond overseeing game delivery, one of the most fulfilling parts has been mentoring my team members and helping set them up for success — both in their current roles and in their long-term career goals.

What advice would you give current students?

Be bold and take risks! You’ll have the rest of your career to make safe, calculated choices, but your time at the ETC is the exact opposite. It’s one of the rare environments where you’re encouraged to experiment, explore unfamiliar ideas, and stretch beyond your comfort zone. Sure, you might end up with a less polished product or get a slightly lower grade — but that’s a small price to pay. There’s a very good chance you’ll create something truly unique, and the lessons you learn from pushing boundaries (or even failing) will stick with you long after graduation. So lean in, aim high, and don’t be afraid to make bold creative choices. This is the time and place for it.

Describe the ETC in one word.

Launchpad! ETC provided me with tools, mentorship, and a controlled environment where I could experiment and fail safely before I launched my career into the entertainment industry.

What are you working on now that excites you?

Lately I’ve been leading my team in building a new integrated, data-centric system connecting Jira with Excel. It’s built on top of historical data from our library of previously completed titles and is designed to help us generate accurate turnaround estimates and perform cost-benefit analysis for upcoming games. What excites me most is how this tool empowers our team to make data-informed decisions while still supporting the creative side of game development. It brings more clarity to planning, helps us manage risk, and ultimately leads to smarter, more balanced production choices.