Wing Che Wong Smits

Name: Wing Che Wong Smits

Epithet: The Renaissance Woman

Role: Support: Habitat, Finance, Talent

Abilities: Q - Direct Communication | W - High Empathy | E - Multilingual | R - Make Stuff Happen

Mains: Heimerdinger, Soraka, and Sona

What did you do before joining Riot?

I used to be a policy adviser for the Dutch government. I originally focused on social projects, one of them being an exhibition on the monks of Egmond Abbey. And then I switched to a more sports-oriented position.

Eventually my husband and I wanted something new, so we quit our jobs and moved to Hong Kong looking for an adventure. We arrived with two suitcases and I shortly found a job as an Office Manager for a TV production company. My first task was helping them expand into mainland China and Singapore.

The experience I gained there was enough to help me transition into my role at Riot.

So what is your job, exactly?

I joined Riot to help run the Hong Kong office, and when we expended to Shanghai I helped set up the office remotely.

And as for now, when you’re in a smaller office you sort of need to wear multiple hats. We’re not as big as the main LAX office, so we all kind of do a lot of jobs. I take on a lot of the office running responsibilities, like making sure we have a lease, the physical office design, making sure the facilities are working, finance, driving the 360 reviews for the studio, payroll, benefits, and stuff like that. Basically, I make sure everyone who comes to work to make cool stuff can do that without worrying about anything else. I take care of the first three layers of Maslow’s Hierarchy: physiological, safety, and social needs.

What made you want to join Riot, specifically?

To be honest, I wasn’t a gamer when I first joined. My husband is, though! And it was a surprise to everyone that I got a job at a big game studio like Riot instead of him. But I’ve grown to love gaming since I’ve been here!

When I was interviewing at Riot the biggest things that stuck out to me were the people and culture. It was really no nonsense and everyone was honest when they answered my questions. It’s hard to explain, but I felt like we were equals; Riot wanted to get to know me, and I wanted to get to know Riot.

You said you became a gamer after you joined Riot. Can you explain what that was like?

I’ll never forget the day I felt like a “real gamer.”

We have weekly in-office game nights on Thursdays, and, as is normal at Riot, everyone is at vastly different skill levels. We try to balance the teams to make it fun and fair for everyone. I was usually put against the second worst player or anyone who was new to League, but finally, one day, after three years of being “the worst” all of a sudden I just… wasn’t. I was average.

I know that sounds stupid, but I was so proud of myself. My team had been really supportive over the years and spent so much time coaching me. To have the best person in the office consider me average at League made me feel respected and included, especially as a non-gamer in a very gaming-centric environment.

Do you have any advice to aspiring Rioters?

Don’t feel intimidated if you don’t have certain knowledge or skills (yet!). What you don’t know today is something that you can learn tomorrow with the right drive and motivation. This is how I landed a job in office management without knowing a single thing about it. You just need the courage to take on something that’s unfamiliar while trusting your general skills and competencies.

And when you’re interviewing don’t be afraid to show your true self! I went in knowing that I wasn’t a gamer, but I showed who I was and what I had to offer, and here I am!

You can find Wing traversing the streets of Hong Kong or carrying her bot lane partner on Summoner's Rift.