Marissa Willow du Bois believes that the work she does should benefit people in a meaningful way. She does this through gaming technology, as it is a way to bring people together with new and exciting experiences.
Since 2004, du Bois has made an impact in software engineering, game enabling, and optimization. She currently holds the title of staff graphics engineer at Intel Corporation and was the leader of the LGBTQ Employee Resource Group from 2017 to 2019.
du Bois earned a diploma from Mount Si High School in Washington state in 2000. She then completed continuing education units in software development at Bellevue College. After earning these credentials, she excelled in diverse areas, including operations analyst, program analyst, and software developer consultant.
During the formative years of her career, du Bois landed roles with Gray Cat Films, AudaExplore, Software Planning LLC, Walla Walla Foundries, and San Mar Corporation. As Intel’s staff graphics software engineer, she optimizes video game performance for GPUs and CPUs. du Bois also collaborates with game developers to ensure their software harmonizes with Intel’s technology.
A champion of diverse, accessible gaming experiences, du Bois seeks to enable players to immerse themselves fully in the game worlds she helped bring to life. “The best games,” she says, “are those where you can connect organically with other people through the mechanisms offered by the game itself.” Her work spans major titles, including World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, the latter of which won the prestigious Game of the Year award.
du Bois also values inclusivity and empathy. As a former leader of Intel’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group, she helped foster a supportive workplace culture. In 2019, she played a role in the filing of an amicus brief in the landmark Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County, which led to a significant civil rights victory for LGBTQ+ employees nationwide.
When she is not optimizing video games for Intel hardware, du Bois enjoys gardening and LEGO electronics. Her signature project, a 2015 award-winning LEGO telescope, demonstrates her knack for bending playful curiosity with great technical skill. She has even made a name for herself among LEGO enthusiasts for her unique approach to “thinking beyond the brick.” du Bois was also a LEGO Prototyping Challenge Finalist from The LEGO Group in 2015.
du Bois aspires to become a principal software engineer at Intel and looks to expand into artificial intelligence (AI). She is eager to see how AI can be utilized to create even richer, more meaningful interactions in gaming and beyond. “AI has so much potential to shape how we connect with technology,” she states.
du Bois strives for a harmonious blend of technology, creativity, and human connection. While many engineers might look solely at numbers and performance benchmarks, she measures success differently. du Bois’ idea of success also includes the smiles of people connecting over the game, the support of LGBTQ+ causes, and the spark of curiosity a LEGO telescope can ignite.
