Marina’s mother gave a reassuring smile. It’s okay, her eyes seemed to say. 

But was it? Marina just hoped they found some answers soon.

A fairy tale podcast about the real-life rebel women who inspire us. 

On this episode, Marina Díez Pereiro, a game designer, CEO and activist. Marina creates art from vulnerable truths and works hard to make sure marginalized voices come through loud and clear.

Marina always knew something was different about her dad though. Sometimes he said strange things, or acted erratic, veering between deep sadness and extreme joy. His moods could blow in like a tornado, which for Marina, was unpredictable and confusing. Her mom tried to keep their home cheerful and calm, always playing soothing music and inviting Marina to share her feelings too. But Marina wished she understood what was going on with her dad.

That day in the taxi, when Marina was eight, wound up being a huge turning point. The doctor they saw actually had a diagnosis that made sense. The doctor said Marina’s father had bipolar disorder, which could cause extreme mood swings, intense emotions, changes in sleep habits, and other symptoms. 

The good news was, there were therapists who specialized in bipolar disorder and medications that would help Marina’s father have more control over his extreme emotions. Marina and her parents didn’t know what it would look like yet, but they had to trust they were moving in the right direction.

It wasn’t her dream job at all, more like trying to figure out what she wanted to do with all of her interests. She had so many creative ideas and she didn’t know how to channel them all. In the evenings, when she came home from work, she usually played video games with friends or wrote as a way to unwind. She even wrote about video games for different Spanish media.

Then, one of her best friends said, “Marina, you should really make your own games.”

Marina had always loved video games. When she was just five years old, she’d saved up enough money from her allowance to buy herself Pokémon Yellow and was so eager to hold the Game Boy in her hands that she couldn’t stop fidgeting. 

But design an entire game? Marina wasn’t so sure.

Her friend told her about Bitsy, a computer engine that made it possible to do this, even without coding skills.

Marina was always up for a challenge, so she started piecing together a short game based on the book Alice in Wonderland. It combined so many of her creative passions—art, drawing, design, music. When Marina was finished, her body tingled with tiny sparks of excitement. She felt so proud of this game — this whole imaginary world that she’d created on the screen. She thought, this is what I’m meant to do. So, she made another game. And another after that!

Picture this: the computer screen is colored a soft mint green. In the middle is a black box with the words: “Hey, Dad: a brief story of a mental illness.”

Then, there is a small white figure that travels through a large house. As the figure moves from one point to the next, there are text boxes that tell the story of Marina’s childhood. You get to meet Marina’s beloved little dog, Boby, and hear about what it’s like to feel loved and alone all at once. Every time the figure reaches a new step, more text appears, sharing Marina’s struggle with her father’s bipolar disorder. Each player gets to experience Marina’s childhood and discover what her life was like.

Marina sobbed as she made this game, tears streaming down her face. Each word that she wrote down seemed to unleash more raw emotions she didn’t even know she’d locked inside.

When this game came out, it was unlike most video games. Marina called it “Hey, Dad: a brief story of a mental illness”. She really didn’t know what to expect in terms of other people’s reactions. But it became clear very quickly that players loved it. They thanked her for creating something meaningful, and vulnerable. They told her they could relate to her experience. They felt seen; less alone.

“This was a wonder,” a player wrote in the comments. “What I enjoyed most, hands down, was how real you were… it is an extremely sensitive and personal story.”

“Wow!” Marina wrote back to her fans. “I feel super, super grateful because of your kind words… I don’t know what to say, just that I’ll keep making games with meaningful stories.”

Marina went on to get her Master of Arts in Digital Games Theories and Design from Brunel University in London. And she is now the CEO of a company she started called 3 Of Cups Games.

It’s her mission to foster an ethical working environment, treating everyone fairly and kindly. She also works to ensure that women and people from diverse backgrounds have a place in what has been a white cis male dominated gaming industry. She makes sure there are always strong roles for women on screen and in the creative process.

Though it sometimes feels scary to open up so much with people she doesn’t know, Marina is motivated by the thought that her games can connect and help people all over the globe. 

“Sometimes,” she says, “people think that they are alone with what happened to them. And actually they are totally not alone.”

By sharing her experiences and baring her emotions, Marina is creating new ways for people to understand each other. She is making a safe space where everyone can listen, learn, grow, and even play.