BALANCING THE SCALES M


Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, explains why the Women in Games Manifesto matters


ore than a century ago, women in the UK published a manifesto demanding the right to vote. They


understood something that still holds true today: progress does not happen by accident – it happens when people come together with clarity, courage, and purpose. With the launch of the Women in Games


Manifesto 2026, we are following in those footsteps, not as an act of nostalgia, but as a call to action for the future of one of the world’s most powerful cultural industries. Games are no longer niche entertainment.


They are the most influential storytelling medium on Earth, shaping how billions of people see themselves and each other. Yet despite women representing nearly half of all players, they remain under a third of the workforce that designs, builds, and leads this global industry. This is not a coincidence – it is the result of systems that were never designed with fairness in mind. Our Manifesto exists to change that.


What is the Women in Games Manifesto? The Manifesto is both a declaration and a blueprint. It sets out 14 reasons why empowering women in games is essential – not just for women, but for the sustainability, creativity, and future of the entire industry. It connects equality in games to equality in culture, linking who makes games to whose stories get told and whose voices get heard. It also introduces a new evolution of our


work: Women in Games Voices: The Living Guide, a dynamic, global platform that documents, interprets, and amplifies the real experiences of women across the industry through video, podcasts, essays, and teaching tools. This transforms our long-


20 | MCV/DEVELOP December/January 2026


standing mission of Women in Games Guide: Building a Fair Playing Field into something living, breathing, and continuously evolving. In other words, this is not a Manifesto that


gathers dust on a shelf. It is designed to move, grow, and respond to the world around it.


Why now? Because the scales are still uneven. Despite decades of progress, women and


gender-diverse people in games continue to face disparities in pay, leadership, safety, and visibility. Creativity is too often undervalued. Talent is overlooked. And toxic behaviour still drives many women out of spaces that should belong to them. Fairness is not a passive state – it is an


active process of rebalancing. The Manifesto recognises this and positions Women in Games as both an advocate and a partner in that work, operating across five spheres of action: Industry, Education, Policy, Community, and Culture. From mentoring and education to


corporate partnerships, policy advocacy, research, and global community building, we are working to ensure that fairness becomes the shared standard of every studio, every game, and every community.


Why should the games industry care? Because fairness is not charity — it is strategy. Diverse, inclusive teams are more innovative, more resilient, and better equipped to serve a global audience. Women bring empathy, complexity, and originality to storytelling, game design, and leadership. When they thrive, the industry thrives. But this isn’t something any one


organisation can solve alone. That is why the


Manifesto places such a strong emphasis on partnership. Our ecosystem of Corporate, Education, and Individual Ambassadors, alongside our global Chapters and Networks, proves that collective action is how barriers fall and opportunities open. The future of games will be shaped by


technologies like AI, virtual worlds, and the metaverse. Who builds those systems will determine whether they are fair, safe, and creative – or whether they replicate the biases of the past. Women must not simply play in that future; they must help design it.


A living commitment The Women in Games Manifesto is not an endpoint. It is an invitation – to studios, educators, policymakers, investors, and players – to join us in rebalancing the scales and building a fair playing field for everyone. The power of partnership got us here.


The Living Guide will take us forward. And together, we can ensure that the future of games is one where everyone belongs.


To find out more, visit www.womeningames.org


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