As a child, Gina Nelson couldn’t stop drawing. While other students focused on their lessons, she was busy doodling comic books and filling exam papers with illustrations, much to her teachers’ frustration. “It used to drive my teachers crazy,” she recalls. “We’d do our exams and mine just had drawings, like illustrating my whole exams. Everything had doodles all over.”

Born in Munich, Germany, to South African parents, Nelson’s path has been anything but conventional. Her family moved to South Africa when she was eight, where she would later face a pivotal moment in her career journey. With no formal education in game development and limited exposure to video games growing up, Nelson had a revelation as a teenager: “One day it kind of clicked. I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, there is a world out there where people are drawing monsters and getting paid for it. This is wild.'”

This epiphany set her on a determined path. After an animation studio where she interned suddenly shut down just two weeks into her placement, Nelson made a bold move. She approached one of the few game studios in South Africa at the time, essentially begging for a chance. The studio gave her an ultimatum: bring her own PC and software, complete a complex animation project in two months with no help, and maybe—just maybe—she could stay.

“I worked like a crazy person for two months,” Nelson explains. She taught herself animation, rigging, texturing, 3D modeling, and storyboarding within that short timeframe. When she successfully delivered the project, they simply said, “Alright, well, I guess you can stick around then.”

From these humble beginnings as a self-taught artist willing to do anything to break into the industry, Nelson’s journey has taken her through roles at Relentless, Hasbro, Disney, Lions Gate, and Media Tonic. Today, she’s the co-founder and art director of Oxalis Games, where her boundary-crossing background perfectly positions her to lead a boundary-crossing approach to gaming.

The Genesis of Oxalis Games

A Mother’s Realization

The birth of Oxalis Games is intertwined with another birth in Nelson’s life—that of her son. While on maternity leave from Media Tonic, where she had what she describes as “probably the best job that I could have had as an art lead,” Nelson experienced a profound shift in perspective about the value of time.

“I realized suddenly how precious my time was,” she explains. “My time, not my skills, is the thing that is most valuable that I can offer. My skills, all of that is just around that, but my time, that’s my life. Any time that I give to a project, that is my life—that is stuff that I’m never getting back.”

This realization made her question the traditional employment model where she was spending 10-12 hours a day thinking about work. “I don’t want to go back to spending my entire day working for someone else,” she decided, when her son was just five months old.

Finding the Right Partner

Nelson’s path to founding Oxalis crossed with Rick, her eventual co-founder and business partner. The two had history—Rick had previously founded Bossa Studios and then The Secret Police, where Nelson had her first art director role before moving to Media Tonic.

When Rick was looking to start something new and needed art help, Nelson proposed a more ambitious collaboration: “Why don’t we just start a studio? You start studios, I don’t want to do this job anymore, let’s do something new.” That conversation was the spark that would eventually become Oxalis Games.

“My boy was five months old at that point,” Nelson recalls, “and we really started looking at this quite seriously.” What began as a desire to reclaim her time transformed into an opportunity to build something that aligned with her values as both a creative professional and a mother.

Building Bridges – The Web 2.5 Approach

At the heart of Oxalis Games’ mission is creating a middle path between traditional gaming and the emerging Web3 space—what could be called a “Web 2.5” approach. This vision didn’t crystallize immediately but evolved from Nelson and her co-founder’s growing frustration with the traditional gaming industry.

“We were very jaded by the games industry,” Nelson explains. “We found it wasn’t enough anymore to just make a good game. Games had to be in the top 10 or monetizing, otherwise they get canned.” She describes the painful cycle of spending months or years developing a game only to see it canceled despite having “a million players” because it wasn’t meeting arbitrary business metrics.

The existing model felt increasingly oppressive: “Platforms were taking a huge cut, and it was just the same thing over and over again.” Games were becoming platform-dependent rather than player-focused, hurting developers and stifling innovation.

We found it wasn’t enough anymore to just make a good game. Games had to be in the top 10 or monetizing, otherwise they get canned.

The Web3 Catalyst

When Nelson and her team began exploring Web3, they discovered a space where experimentation was not only allowed but encouraged. “People were doing things that were nuts,” she recalls. “Sometimes the ideas we’d see were daft, but people were doing them. People weren’t afraid to just try them out.”

This creative freedom was invigorating after years of industry constraints. “The games industry needed a bit of a shake-up,” Nelson says. “Platforms taking big cuts—it doesn’t work. It’s not good for games. It’s not good for the industry. It’s not good for developers.”

What excited Nelson wasn’t just the technology but the opportunity it represented: “Suddenly, this was happening, and we were like, ‘This is it! We have to be a part of this because this is exciting.'”

Platforms taking big cuts—it doesn’t work. It’s not good for games. It’s not good for the industry. It’s not good for developers

Making Technology Invisible

A key principle of Oxalis Games’ approach is making blockchain technology seamless rather than a focal point. Nelson is adamant that the technology should serve the game experience, not define it.

“We need to collectively combat the negativity around the concept of NFTs,” she explains. “A big part of that is really focusing on what the game is, what the game offers. I play this, I get this thing, I can extract this value. But it’s got nothing to do with NFTs—who cares? It could be anything that offers that. We’re choosing to use NFTs.”

For Nelson, the future means integrating blockchain in the same way we use other technologies without understanding their inner workings: “We all use mobile phones. A lot of people don’t understand how they work. The same with microwaves or computers. It’s everyday life.”

Building for All Players

Perhaps most importantly, Oxalis is creating a gaming experience that welcomes both traditional gamers and those interested in Web3 elements.

“We have a really large cohort of traditional gamers playing this game,” Nelson notes. “It’s very important to us that this game is about players—people who are investing time in the game, playing the game—and we don’t want any barriers for those players.”

This means making NFT integration entirely optional: “We are making use of NFTs in the game—they are going to offer some very special things to players who are making use of those—but you do not have to engage with that side of the game if you don’t want to.”

The goal is harmony between different player groups: “Players who are not engaging with that side of it are not going to negatively impact the players who are engaging with that side of it, either. We are really managing to find that balance and hopefully make everyone happy.”

Reimagining Stardew Valley for the Next Generation

Origins in Iteration

Moonfrost, Oxalis Games’ flagship title, began as a response to the popular farming simulator Stardew Valley. Having worked on the mobile version of Stardew Valley, Nelson and her co-founder were intimately familiar with both its strengths and limitations.

“We were talking a lot about the problems with Stardew and the flaws,” Nelson explains. Their industry experience gave them a unique perspective: “We were both very experienced, and we were just wondering what would our take on that be, rather than just another indie dev take on that?”

What began as discussions about creating “a bigger, better version of Stardew” evolved as they considered how to distinguish their vision in a market saturated with similar games.

The IP Exploration

Initially, Nelson and her team explored partnering with established intellectual properties through Lions Gate Entertainment. “We thought, okay, maybe something that could be interesting would be one of the Lions Gate IPs,” she recalls.

This led to a surprising concept: “We basically had put together a pitch like ‘Stardew Twilight.’ We thought that was going to be it, because there’d be no Twilight games or anything like that.” However, the famous author behind the Twilight franchise wasn’t interested in video game adaptations.

This setback proved valuable, as Nelson realized: “What we wanted to do didn’t entirely fit with having an IP attached to it, because an IP brings constraints. Everything has to work within the constraints of the IP.”

Finding Their Unique Direction

After the IP exploration fell through, the team entered what Nelson describes as “a bit of a slump” before discovering the possibilities of Web3. This technology opened new avenues for reimagining what Moonfrost could be.

Rather than simply cloning Stardew Valley with minor improvements, they’re creating something designed for longevity and community: “We’ve built Moonfrost in a way that it can scale and hopefully becomes something very big for us. We wanted this to be something that people are going to pick up as not just a game, but as a hobby.”

Social features are central to this vision: “It has a lot of social aspects. We have a lot of social spaces. We have multiplayer in the game.” Combined with their free-to-play model, these elements are designed to encourage wide adoption and create a sustainable player ecosystem.

“Hopefully this is something that people are spending a lot of time on for a very long period of time,” Nelson explains, “and as long as there are players, we’re going to be making this game.”

Community-First Development

For Oxalis Games, community isn’t just a marketing buzzword—it’s fundamental to their development philosophy. Unlike traditional game development, where products are created in secrecy and revealed only when polished, Moonfrost is being built in full view of its players.

Embracing Imperfection

This community-centered approach means embracing a level of transparency that many developers would find uncomfortable. “We release updates that are buggy. We release updates regularly,” Nelson admits. Rather than seeing this as a weakness, she frames it as respect for the community’s involvement.

The development team maintains active communication channels with players, ensuring feedback is not just collected but implemented: “We are invested in our community. We listen to everything that they say.”

Rewarding Early Believers

One of the most innovative aspects of Moonfrost’s community approach was their surprise reward for dedicated early players—Genesis NFTs.

“We didn’t make any money off these NFTs at all,” Nelson explains. “We essentially rewarded them to our players for being dedicated players. We gave out 500 NFTs to players who were just playing the alphas of the game.”

We essentially rewarded them to our players for being dedicated players. We gave out 500 NFTs to players who were just playing the alphas of the game

What makes this approach particularly novel is that players had no expectation of receiving these rewards: “They had no idea that they were going to get these. None. We didn’t tell anybody this. We were just like, ‘Play the game as much as you can in this time.’ That’s what we’re telling you.”

These Genesis NFT holders will receive exclusive benefits as the game develops, creating a virtuous cycle of engagement and reward.

Direct Developer Access

Perhaps most remarkable is the direct access players have to the development team. When asked where people can connect with the Moonfrost community, Nelson emphasizes their Discord’s unusual level of transparency: “Our entire dev team is on the Discord, so you can ask us anything. We are there. We’re online all the time.”

This level of accessibility breaks down the traditional barriers between developers and players, creating a collaborative environment where feedback can be implemented rapidly and community members feel genuinely valued.

The Generalist Advantage and Creative Leadership

From Doing Everything to Leading Everyone

Nelson’s unusual career path—starting as a self-taught artist willing to tackle any aspect of game development—created a foundation for leadership that many specialists lack.

“I was doing everything all at the same time,” she reflects on her early career. “I was doing UI, VFX, a bit of shader stuff, loads of animation, loads of 3D modeling, every part of the 2D side, all of those different things.”

Instead of immediately specializing like many artists, Nelson developed as a generalist with a comprehensive understanding of game art: “That was really, really important as a foundation for where I am now.”

The Unexpected Value of Breadth

This broad skillset positioned her uniquely in the industry. “When you’re hiring for games, you find very quickly where the niche roles are. And funnily enough—probably the opposite to what everyone thinks—one of the hardest roles to hire for are generalists, really good generalists who can do a little bit of everything, because everyone becomes so specialized so quickly.”

While Nelson eventually moved away from 3D work to focus on 2D art, she maintained her generalist approach within that domain, working across “2D VFX, 2D animation, 2D UI, implementing all of that in-game, characters, concept art, all of these different things.”

Orchestrating Creative Teams

This comprehensive understanding became invaluable when Nelson stepped into leadership roles. “Because I understood every aspect of the game art pipeline, it set me up really well for being an art lead,” she explains.

The breadth of her experience meant she could coordinate diverse teams effectively: “I didn’t have to be the best at any of those disciplines, didn’t have to be the best animator, didn’t have to be the best tech artist, but I knew how to bring it all together, how to make everything fit together.”

This ability to synthesize different creative elements became her signature strength: “When I was leading art projects, I was dealing with teams that were really, really big. At Media Tonic, at some point my art team was like 15 people, and then we had two or three dedicated outsourcing companies that I would manage as well.”

Her responsibilities extended to coordinating with publishers, marketing teams at Microsoft, and art directors from different studios: “Having that kind of broad understanding meant that I could really orchestrate everything, bring it together, make sure projects were cohesive and make sure that every need of the project was met.”

From Leading Art to Leading a Business

The transition from art direction to co-founding a studio wasn’t planned but followed naturally from her expanding skillset: “Learning all of that leadership as an art lead ended up being very transferable to running a studio. It’s all kind of lined up in this weird sort of way.”

What began as a lack of specialization ultimately created the perfect pathway to creative entrepreneurship: “Not having a direction in the beginning is really what has pushed me this way.”

Lifting Others Up

Despite her busy schedule as a studio head, game developer, and mother, Nelson dedicates significant time to supporting other creatives—particularly those who face barriers similar to those she encountered.

Trojan Horse was a Unicorn (THU)

Nelson speaks passionately about her involvement with Trojan Horse was a Unicorn (THU), an organization that has played “quite a big role in my personal development.”

“THU puts on some of the biggest events for creatives,” she explains, “spanning games, film, animation—all creative industries.” Beyond events, THU runs “creative circles” focused on “empowering creators to get into entrepreneurship,” helping them develop pitches and connecting them with investors and mentors.

Nelson’s unique position as “a creative who has moved into business” makes her especially valuable as a mentor. “For the most part, studios are founded by biz dev people who then hire art directors. Because I’ve come from art, it’s very different.”

Her work with THU includes extensive mentorship: “I have done a lot of mentorships for them, mentoring people who are hopefully on a similar journey to what I have been, talking about what it’s like being a founder and how to get your business hat on when art is really what you know.”

Creating Opportunities for Non-Traditional Paths

Nelson’s commitment to supporting others stems directly from her own experience: “Because I had come from South Africa, because I didn’t have necessarily the same opportunities as people here, because I know what it’s like not going to university and then getting a placement, I understand a lot of the struggles of people who have been left with less opportunity.”

This understanding drives her volunteer work: “I don’t get paid to do mentorship. I put a lot of my time into that because it’s offering people the opportunity to push forward.”

BAFTA and Elevating Indie Developers

Nelson’s involvement with BAFTA reflects her commitment to recognizing excellence regardless of budget or team size. She describes the power of BAFTA’s approach: “You are seeing games made by one or two people sat alongside games that have like $200 million budgets. At the same level.”

For Nelson, this recognition is transformative for indie developers: “If you’re a BAFTA award-winning game, that opens a lot of doors for you, especially as an indie developer.” She contrasts this with big-budget titles: “Big triple-A games don’t necessarily need a BAFTA, because they’ve had tons of money thrown at them.”

She challenges the assumption that higher budgets equal better games: “A game that cost $100 million to make isn’t necessarily a better game than one that was made by one person on their own with shitty graphics.”

Documenting the Journey

Nelson extends her mentorship through her YouTube channel, “Diary of a Boss Witch,” which has grown explosively to over 9,000 followers in just one month. The channel documents her journey building Moonfrost and running Oxalis Games.

“I try not to edit things too much,” she says of her approach to content. “It’s just like, ‘Oh, this is happening.’ I’ll film it, just put it up.” This raw, authentic documentation offers aspiring developers insight into the realities of game development and studio leadership.

Wrapping Up

The Foundation That Supports Everything

When asked how she balances her multiple roles as art director, CEO, mother, and mentor, Nelson returns to the fundamental realization that transformed her approach to work and life.

“My time is very important,” she emphasizes. After observing other founders struggling with stress, she had a revelation: “One day it kind of clicked where I was like, ‘Okay, it’s not going to change. In fact, I’m pretty sure my stress levels are going to increase.’ The amount of stress that you deal with as a founder is not going to ever go away, but my ability to cope with all of that is something that is in my hands.”

She describes her approach using an analogy: “I am the table, and everything in my life sits on that table—my YouTube channel, being a mother, running Oxalis, all these different things. If the table is not strong, if my foundation is not strong, none of these things have the support they need.”

This perspective leads to a radical prioritization: “I put myself above absolutely everything else. I do find time for myself. I make sure I’m in the gym very regularly. I eat very well. I turn my phone off from time to time. I find time to do all these things because if I am not functional, none of these other aspects in my life function.”

Building the Future of Moonfrost

Looking ahead, Nelson’s vision for Moonfrost is expansion-minded but player-centered: “We’ve built Moonfrost in a way that it can scale and hopefully it becomes something very big for us.”

Rather than focusing on developing multiple titles simultaneously, Oxalis is committed to nurturing Moonfrost’s growth: “Instead of focusing too much on what happens next, we have put so much into Moonfrost. This is the world we’re building, this is the world we’re creating.”

The coming year represents a crucial period: “We have a very big year ahead of us. We’re going to be launching our early access in the coming months.” With a substantial community already supporting the game, Nelson is optimistic: “If things go well, hopefully we can support this game for a long time.”

From a child who couldn’t stop drawing to a studio founder building bridges between gaming worlds, Nelson’s journey embodies the creative persistence she encourages in others. By valuing her time, trusting her generalist skills, and prioritizing both personal wellbeing and community support, she’s not just developing games—she’s modeling a more sustainable and inclusive approach to creative leadership in an industry hungry for new perspectives.

Key Insights from Gina Nelson’s Journey

On Creative Development

• Self-taught success is possible: Despite no formal education in game development, Nelson built a career spanning major studios like Hasbro, Disney, and Media Tonic through determination and hands-on learning.
• Generalists have unique value: While the industry pushes specialists, Nelson found that her generalist background gave her the comprehensive understanding needed to lead creative teams effectively.
• Time is the most valuable currency: Becoming a mother transformed Nelson’s perspective on time allocation, leading her to prioritize building something she owned rather than giving her time to others.

On Web 2.5 Gaming

• Finding middle ground: Moon Frost represents a bridge between traditional gaming and Web3, offering blockchain elements without requiring players to engage with them.
• Technology should be invisible: For mainstream adoption, blockchain elements should be as seamless as using a smartphone – users don’t need to understand how it works.
• Player choice matters: Making NFT integration optional respects player preferences while still providing added value for those interested in ownership.

On Studio Leadership

• Community co-creation: Building alongside players with transparent development and regular updates creates stronger engagement and better games.
• Rewarding early adopters: Surprising dedicated early players with unexpected rewards (like Genesis NFTs) builds loyalty and goodwill.
• Personal foundation first: Nelson prioritizes her own wellbeing as the “table” that supports everything else – including the studio, motherhood, and other responsibilities.

On Industry Evolution

• Platform fees are problematic: Traditional gaming platforms taking large cuts hurts developers and stifles innovation.
• Indie games deserve recognition: Organizations like BAFTA placing indie games alongside AAA titles helps level the playing field.
• Budget doesn’t equal quality: A $100 million game isn’t necessarily better than one made by a single passionate developer.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Gina Nelson

Q: What is Gina Nelson’s background?
A: Gina Nelson is a self-taught artist born in Munich, Germany, who grew up in South Africa before moving to the UK in her twenties. Without formal education in game development, she broke into the industry through determination and hard work, eventually working with major companies like Disney, Hasbro, and Media Tonic before co-founding Oxalis Games.

Q: How did Nelson get her start in the gaming industry?
A: After an animation internship fell through, Nelson approached one of the few game studios in South Africa and convinced them to give her a chance. They challenged her to complete a complex animation project in two months with her own equipment and no help. She taught herself the necessary skills, succeeded, and earned a place at the studio.

Q: What led Nelson to found her own studio?
A: After becoming a mother, Nelson reassessed the value of her time and didn’t want to return to spending most of her day working for someone else. She partnered with Rick (who had previously founded Bossa Studios) to create Oxalis Games when her son was just five months old.

About Moon Frost

Q: What type of game is Moon Frost?
A: Moon Frost is a free-to-play game inspired by Stardew Valley but designed to evolve the farming/life sim genre. It features multiplayer capabilities, social spaces, and is being built as a hobby that players can enjoy for extended periods rather than just a game to complete.

Q: How does Moon Frost incorporate blockchain technology?
A: Moon Frost takes a “Web 2.5” approach, incorporating NFTs as optional elements that add value for players interested in them but aren’t required to enjoy the game. Traditional gamers can play without engaging with blockchain features, while NFT enthusiasts can access special benefits without disrupting others’ experience.

Q: When will Moon Frost be available to play?
A: According to Nelson, Moon Frost will be launching in early access “in the coming months” (as of the interview date), with regular updates planned as long as there’s a player community.

About Web 2.5 Gaming

Q: What does “Web 2.5” mean in gaming?
A: Web 2.5 represents a middle path between traditional gaming (Web2) and fully blockchain-based gaming (Web3). It incorporates blockchain elements like NFTs as optional features while maintaining accessibility for traditional gamers who may not be interested in cryptocurrency or blockchain technology.

Q: Why is Nelson taking this hybrid approach rather than fully embracing Web3?
A: Nelson recognizes the stigma around NFTs in traditional gaming communities and wants to make Moon Frost accessible to all players. By making blockchain elements optional and focusing on gameplay first, Oxalis aims to bridge the gap between communities and gradually introduce more players to Web3 concepts.

Q: How is Oxalis making blockchain technology accessible to non-crypto users?
A: Oxalis is focusing on making the technology “invisible” – much like how people use smartphones without understanding their inner workings. By emphasizing what players get (benefits, features, value) rather than the technology itself, they aim to reduce friction and make the experience seamless.

On Game Development

Q: How does Oxalis incorporate community feedback?
A: Oxalis takes a transparent approach to development, releasing regular updates (even if buggy), maintaining active presence in their Discord where developers directly interact with players, and implementing community feedback throughout the development process.

Q: How did Oxalis reward their early players?
A: Without prior announcement, Oxalis surprised dedicated alpha testers with 500 Genesis NFTs. Players had no expectation of receiving these rewards – they were simply asked to play the game as much as possible during a specific period, then received the NFTs as a thank you.

Q: What advantages did Nelson’s generalist background give her?
A: Having experience across multiple disciplines (UI, VFX, animation, 3D modeling, 2D art) gave Nelson comprehensive understanding of the entire game art pipeline. This allowed her to effectively coordinate diverse teams, communicate with different specialists, and ensure cohesive project vision without needing to be the best at any single discipline.