Abbie Heppe, Media Molecule
Rebecca Sampson, Hangar 13
AN IMAGE OF SUCCESS Putting women (and others from diverse backgrounds) in leadership positions is important, of course. But we also need to tackle a culture that has a very specific image of what a successful person in the industry should look and act like. “The science says that diversity of gender, (along with all kinds of diversity) leads to a stronger performing organisation creatively and commercially,” says EA’s Channon, “but I worry that there’s still a sense that to succeed as a woman in our industry we often need to exert stereotypically masculine traits, of which there are already too many in games. “When we reach a space where what are usually thought of as traditionally feminine attributes are no longer seen as a weakness and can be given space, be nurtured, accepted and rewarded for the tremendous positives they can offer in their own right, well that really will be progress. “Until we get there we all need to do and say more. We need to feel confident and comfortable in calling each other out on our behaviours, on checking our language, our approach and the support we show for individuals of every gender. I am immensely impressed by the way women, and in particular women in the generation below mine, have taken this on and challenged the status quo. The work they have done to redefine and interrogate the way we all think about issues of gender, power and representation is one of the most positive developments of recent times.” This issue of having to “exert masculine traits” is likely a symptom of the same perception issues that have kept many women out of the industry entirely. “Diverse people in games, specifically when it comes to women, are still greatly underrepresented in the industry and especially for those directly involved in development” says Amiqus’ Liz Prince. “When we look at the causes of these low numbers we’re faced with perception issues, low visibility of games as a career for entry level and experienced women,
parental influence to go into a ‘proper job,’ games being seen as a niche choice perhaps only for gamers, games are for boys or maths geeks and girls don’t think they’re any good at maths, the hours aren’t family friendly, there’s inherent sexism in games… the list goes on. These issues and more impact our ability to build pipelines of female talent and to retain them in games as their lifelong career.” While there are companies pushing for change, it’s important that businesses of all sizes not only seek change, but truly understand the problems they are trying to address. “I feel that our industry is changing,” notes Teazelcat’s Azhar, “but that the majority of change is coming from smaller studios. While large companies are hiring diversity officers, creating internal diversity groups and offering non-bias training, these are things that can exist in the company without the majority of the workforce engaging and really understanding the problem and thus fail to change the studio culture. “I continually encounter developers who don’t understand the additional challenges faced by underrepresented people getting into and advancing within the games industry. Without being given the knowledge of why it’s important for their company to make change, continual support on changing behaviours and ideas in the workplace (such as hiring and career advancement), and clear practical, enforceable steps on how to make change, very few staff who don’t already actively want to make a change will care and it will be difficult for anyone at the company to effectively do so. Without the buy in from the majority of employees the company culture can’t change enough to make a difference and become inclusive.” “One of the reasons that I launched G Into Gaming in 2018 was to help studios to focus on the ‘how’ of diversity,” says Amiqus’ Liz Prince. “My perception was and still is that the will is there for many studios who want to make change but having the time to stop and think about what to focus on first, when it’s a huge topic and there are lots of different
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