Data-Driven Play: How Digital-Native Developers Redefine Game Analytics

The American Center in Moscow invites beginning entrepreneurs and small business owners across Russia to join the “Data Analytics for Entrepreneurs” series, which will take place throughout September 2025. The Data Analytics for Entrepreneurs series is designed to show how data can work for you, even if you don’t have a background in numbers or technology. Each lecture highlights practical ways to use data in running and growing a business — from making everyday decisions to spotting trends and opportunities. You’ll hear real examples, discover simple tools for organizing and visualizing information, and explore how new technologies like AI can support your growth. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale, this series will give you ideas and strategies you can apply right away. All lectures will take place online and will be livestreamed on YouTube and VK. Each session will include a presentation from a US-based expert and live Q&A with participants. September 18 at 20:00 MSK/13:00 EST: Data-Driven Play: How Digital-Native Developers Redefine Game Analytics What happens when the people making games are the same people they’re making them for? This talk offers a rare and timely perspective from Jenny Xu, a digital-native developer who has been creating games for her own generation for over a decade. As a Gen Z creator who grew up immersed in online culture, Jenny brings a unique lens to game development, one that challenges traditional pipelines, redefines community engagement, and reimagines what games can be when they’re built from the inside out. In this session, we’ll explore how digital-native developers, those who have never known a world without the internet, approach data, iteration, and player connection in radically different ways. Drawing from meme culture, social media dynamics, and real-time feedback loops, these creators are building games that feel less like products and more like living, breathing extensions of digital identity. Jenny will share firsthand insights into how younger creators are bypassing traditional gatekeepers and forging direct relationships with their audiences. These developers aren’t just making games, they’re building ecosystems of expression, identity, and belonging. Target audience: Early stage founders (0-2 years out), or early stage career operators (PMs/game designers) interested in leveraging more data to make better products. Speaker: Jenny Xu is a long-distance runner, fitness instructor, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, CEO of Talofa Games. She began running and making games at age 12, studied Computer Science at MIT, and has shipped 10 mobile titles with over 10 million downloads. A Niantic Beyond Reality Contest grand prize winner, she raised $ in venture capital, making Talofa one of 2025’s Top 25 innovative gaming companies. She taught 1,000 consecutive virtual fitness abs classes, holds a professional group exercise certification, and sets marathon PRs (2:56). Jenny also successfully completed Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp, Google’s Growth Labs, and a16z’s SPEEDRUN program.