Local developer goes viral promoting new video game aimed at inspiring women

EDMONDS, Wash. - For about a decade, a local developer has been creating a video game aimed at inspiring women, and this month her TikTok blew up with more than a million people seeing her work.

Renee Gittins started her career in Biotech. However, she was always passionate about video games.

She taught herself programming, so she could start developing games. To test her new skills, she began working on a video game in her free time.

Nearly ten years and 10,000 hours later, she is still working on that same game, and it is about to be released.

"I think that it is unstainable, and nobody should ever work that much, but I really want to see this project through to the end," said Gittins.

Gittins worked on her game, "Potions: A Curious Tale" in her free time while also working a full-time job. She wanted her game to stand out from titles that she grew up playing.

"I designed a game built around the frustration of heroes being encouraged to like, kill everything they see," said Gittins.

In Potions: A Curious Tale, players take control of a 12-year-old witch named Luna. The game's story is inspired by the adversity and even sexism that Gittins has faced being a girl in the gaming world.

"My game launches on March 7. International Women's Day is March 8, and I wanted the game to help inspire the next generation of girls to follow their dreams," she said.

Gittins' dream of releasing the game is nearly here, and it’s already getting massive buzz. She posted a TikTok about it two weeks ago, and more than a million people have seen it.

While Potions: A Curious Tale is her game, she says she is so thankful to the 19 other people who helped her along the way. Especially one specific graphic designer.

"He was just like the sweetest guy. He always was so positive. He had an absolute heart of gold and was always helping other people. And it just seems so unfair that he was taken away early," she said.

During development of the game, Gittins' best friend, Jason, died from an accidental fentanyl overdose. 

Jason created the logo for the game, which every player will see each time they start up the software. Gittins also created a character named and inspired by Jason, that players can interact with in the game.

"Having him be an actual part of the game, where his bright personality and silly jokes could shine through, felt like a much better nod to who he was as a person," she said.

This project is more than a game, it’s ten years of Gittins' life, and she says she is so excited to finally get a chance to share it.

Potions: A Curious Tale is coming out on the online video game platform Steam.

You can find more information about the game here.