Joowon MacDowell, MFA

Question and Answer

Can you share the backstory behind what brought you to a career path in game development?

I grew up in Korea, and with both my parents working full time, my older brother, who is seven years ahead of me, was really the person I spent most of my time with. He was more than just a sibling, he was like a parent to me. My brother introduced me to everything that would eventually shape my career: art, technology, anime, and manga. When my parents brought home a Sega Master System from Canada, we both got hooked. Gaming became our shared language, and we would sneak in playtime whenever possible.
Watching my brother at the arcade was inspiring. He was an absolute legend at Street Fighter, quietly taking down every challenger even without spending a coin. But I also saw him struggle with game addiction, which at one point almost cost him his life. Seeing that made me cautious, and I shied away from addictive games and instead have always wanted to create games that do good, games that have a positive impact.

After earning my degree in Computer Science and Software Engineering, I was on a safe, corporate track at a Fortune company. But the more I looked ahead, the more I realized I did not want to just climb the ladder. I wanted to do something that meant more to me. So I took that risk and enrolled at SMU Guildhall to pursue game development, chasing the dream my brother and I shared in those early years. The curriculum and industry connections there set me up for a real career in games, and I have never looked back.
What I am really proud of is that I took the leap to honor that part of myself and my brother’s influence by turning those childhood passions into a lifelong career. Every project I tackle, I still carry that sense of wanting to make my brother proud and pay forward the inspiration he gave me.

What personal achievements or highlights, past or present, are you most proud of in your career in game development?

One of the things I’m really proud of is how I’ve been able to leverage my background in game development to drive innovation in healthcare. For example, I co-founded Oncomfort to design a VR tool that helps reduce patients’ pain and anxiety during medical procedures. Watching that technology advance into clinical trials and actual patient use has been incredibly rewarding.
During my time at the Texas Medical Center Biodesign Fellowship, I collaborated with a diverse team to explore hundreds of unmet healthcare needs and transform some of those ideas into viable projects. One of these early projects evolved into VastBiome—now known as Pragma Bio—which uses artificial intelligence combined with microbiome science to discover new medicines. It’s inspiring to see how AI and biology come together to tackle some of the most challenging immunological diseases.

I also launched an AR/VR camp for kids called LevelUp Camp because I wanted to share the creativity and problem-solving skills I gained from gaming. It’s amazing how much impact we can have by inspiring the next generation of innovators. For me, the biggest highlight has always been using what I’ve learned from game development to create real-world solutions and make a positive difference.