Jenny Windom is a knowledge bank in the indie games scene. Working across the beloved Wholesome Games, Windom is a part of the team that helps people find comfort through curating rich, innovative, and cosy indie games. She also heroes games in a monthly book club podcast format with Geeks & Grounds. And on top of all of that, she is the Communications Director for Ivy Road, as well as leading the production and marketing at Soft Not Weak.
She brings a wealth of experience from the gaming industry, in being able to champion games through community marketing, influencer strategy, game funding and so much more.
Shantelle Santos had a chat with the wonderful Jenny Windom (who is also known online as Kimchia), who gave her insight on the indie games community, how she feels her work can reach different communities of gamers, and some of the games she’s played at this year’s PAX Australia 2025.
Shantelle Santos: You wear a lot of different hats in this industry, so how would you describe yourself and what you do to people who don’t know who you are or what you do?
Jenny Windom: I feel like that description changes depending on the context! But really my work is in helping video games get made and helping games get seen; like those are kind of two classifications of what I do. A lot of that now is focused on working more on the publishing side of things so I help specifically with influencer relations and strategy and marketing; just helping the developers get that final push of getting their game visible and out the door. But I’ve also done work in making games in production – I co-own a studio, so there’s that! Then I do content creation which means I’m also highlighting games through my own channels telling people about them because I want folks to discover a game that gets them excited about gaming and makes them feel like they are welcome in this world. I feel like a lot of people see games and feel like it’s not something they have access to or they feel welcome to, so that’s a big part of like everything I do – is making people feel welcome in games hopefully.
SS: And feel like they’re a part of a community! Well that actually leads to my next question because I struggled feeling like I was a gamer in this space just because if I wasn’t good at a mainstream game I didn’t consider myself a gamer. Do you get a lot of like people from Wholesome Games or Geeks & Grounds sharing that same sentiment with you?
JW: I feel like it’s a pretty good mix! I think more so from the Wholesome Games side, a lot of people come into gaming either later in life or maybe they were into games earlier and fell out of it and then came back in again. So Wholesome Games is where I hear that type of story more. With Geeks & Grounds, it’s really interesting because it’s a lot of people who’ve maybe played games for a lot of their life but are looking to reconnect with games in a different way. So it’s been really interesting through both of those projects to see “how can we make games feel more accessible or approachable”. If you’re familiar with games, what are the ways that you can evolve your relationship with games as you get older, because when I was 11 I could spend a whole weekend playing Stardew Valley and just kind of grinding through it and not doing anything else. But I feel like as an adult I do want a little bit more with games and I think games are also a huge part of how I find my community. So being able to talk about games for Geeks & Grounds in a book club format really helps me find that community in games as well.
SS: What was the first game that you played when you were younger that felt like you were finally a part of a community?
JW: Oh man! Honestly probably Harvest Moon 64. That was also back in the days where people would make GeoCities websites, like the website rings that would happen and forums! Harvest Moon 64 was the first game that I would seek out community online and not just in person. So yeah, Harvest Moon 64 is like origin story level!
SS: Is there a game now where you feel like you’re a part of the larger community?
JW: Oh that’s so tough! I feel like because I play a lot of shorter indie games, where it’s a little bit harder to find yourself – for me at least – it’s harder to find myself as a part of the individual Discords because I don’t really do Discord very well. But the indie community as a whole, like people who are just excited about these types of experiences, I feel like very much a part of that, which is really exciting!
SS: It’s always so nice being a part of a fandom or a community because you really find like that the group of people that you can talk to about all these! And it’s such a good way to bring people together.
JW: And indies in particular! Because I’m a person who likes to play a lot of different games versus sit into one game for a long time and it’s really fun because I will have friends who find a game and they message me and they’re like “oh I thought of you with this” and I do the same for my friends. It’s just like a really fun way to connect with folks and recommend to one another and then once you’ve played it talk about the experience.
SS: Have you always felt a natural pull to indie games?
JW: Yeah actually there was! I was a Nintendo kid – we were a Nintendo household – I always loved quirkier experiences, for sure! But I was also an RPG fan, but as I grew older indies were definitely what I gravitated toward most. I fell out of gaming in college and felt like maybe I had grown out of it and then I discovered indies and realised there’s a whole world that I hadn’t realised existed. So yeah I think indies are truly special and they definitely are what kept me gaming after all these years.
SS: Do you have a top 5 picks of the indies you’ve played here at PAX Australia?
JW: Loftia for sure – a cosy MMO! I’ve been looking forward to that one for a long time and this is the first time I got to play, and I’m just so excited for it! TOYA as well, it’s a square rotating block puzzle game and it’s so chill and beautiful. PROXIMATE too! It’s a game where you only see through a minimal UI. As soon as I played the demo the other day and got back to my hotel room I bought it, I was like “I have to have this game right now!” and the developer is so sweet! Momento is a super cute room decorating game. Key Fairy, a pacifist bullet hell, that’s such a fascinating concept and it’s all hand drawn! And I also really liked Bits & Bops which is a rhythm game. It’s so cute, very rhythm heaven-esque. That’s just like the top five that immediately came to my mind, but there are so many good games!
SS: What’s next for you and your team? I know that you’ve got a lot going on – you’re traveling the world, you’re doing a bunch of conventions, and you’re also doing showcases for Wholesome Games. So is there anything in the pipeline?
JW: For Wholesome Games we’ve got our “Wholesome Snack” coming up in December. We have two events every year and this is our second hallmark event that we’re really excited for! We’re in the process right now of scripting and getting everything ready to record! For myself with Geeks & Grounds we’re getting ready to vote for next year’s titles and next year’s selections. So this is the time of year where you start reflecting and also culminating the year itself, summarising it and then looking forward to what’s coming up!
SS: How do you spread your time and how do you like organise yourself with all of these different creatives ventures?
JW: I love a planner! I love making sure that I have my day somewhat organised and I block it. Some people block it down to the minute, but I could never. But I do try to block out time for each thing and try to make sure I’m balancing work as well as life. I think it’s really important to not forget you have to have a life outside of games. I am a consummate “yes person”, where I will say yes to a lot of things and then maybe regret it later and I have learned over the years how to say yes to less things and no to more things. I’m still working on it but I try to think a lot about “okay if I say yes to something, it means no to other things and so what do I really want to put my time and energy into?” Versus trying to do everything. So I think having a good planner and then also remembering to say no is really important.
SS: And finally, what is your favourite top indie game of all time?
JW: That is the hardest question! Oh man, that’s tough! I think the game that really comes to mind for me is A Short Hike. I think it is probably one of the most pinnacle experiences in terms of being a relatively small game in a relatively small footprint, but having so much content packed within that, that’s playful and whimsical and silly. But also if you’ve played through the narrative you know that it can hit really hard, especially depending on what you’re going through or what you’ve been through in your life. So I think A Short Hike is probably like my peak indie game.
Thank you to the team at Rocket Comms for organising the interview, and to the incredibly lovely Jenny Windom who took the time out of her hectic schedule to have a chat!
