POSITIVE PLAY
How EA is making the games industry a more welcoming place to work
Chris Bruzzo, chief experience officer at EA, tells us about what the publisher is doing to create a more diverse, welcoming industry, and the work it’s doing to reduce harassment inside and outside of games.
Chris Bruzzo, chief experience officer at EA
EA has increased its investments in organisations working to advance equality this year. What prompted this increase, and do you think the games industry is doing enough in this area? Video games can be a powerful tool for change – they open us up to new ways of thinking and can connect us when we are apart. Time spent in virtual worlds and in gaming communities can carry great meaning in our lives. As the creators of these worlds and the guardians of these communities, we have a responsibility to reflect the diversity of those we serve through our games and be a positive driver for change. At Electronic Arts, we are committed to inclusion and equality and consider these two principles an important part of the wellbeing of our communities. That’s why we support organisations in the UK and around the world who share those values.
In the UK specifically, we’re really proud to be one of the five founding members of the #RaiseTheGame pledge and this year we are sponsoring the LGBTQ+ Gayming awards for a second time. We also have a long-standing partnership with SpecialEffect, the UK-based non-profit that specialises in helping physically disabled people play video games. As an industry, there’s no denying we have a lot of work to do to live up to the responsibility that our communities trust us with. We’ve made good progress but it’s an ongoing
effort and we’ll continue to hold both ourselves and our peers to the high standards our players deserve.
You have also strengthened your inclusive recruiting strategies – What measures have you taken to make EA’s workforce more diverse, and why is this so valuable? Inclusive recruitment strategies are crucial. In the last 18 months the video games community has grown substantially: we serve more people than we ever have before and as we’ve grown, our audiences have become more diverse. If we want to reflect our players in the worlds we create for them, then we have to have that same diversity reflected in the makeup of our people. Inclusive recruiting has long been embedded in the way we do business but it continues to be a priority. In this past year, over 300 managers received our global ‘Hiring for Results’ training, in addition to nearly 1,500 participants. We have inclusive recruitment strategies developed specifically for each business unit and review every job description for requirements that may have unintentional bias in their language. Last year we saw an increase of 11 per cent more diverse applications than the year prior thanks to these efforts. We also focus on fostering an inclusive culture once people join EA and we’re very proud to see those efforts recognised for making an impact. Earlier this year The Human Rights Campaign gave EA a perfect score for its LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and Anita B, a non-profit dedicated to the recruitment and advancement of women in technology, awarded Electronic Arts the Top Companies for Technical Women award in 2020.
The industry is currently grappling with high-profile stories of abuse and misconduct. As such a large company, how do you ensure bad actors are weeded out and workers have their voices heard? We are deeply committed to having a respectful workplace that allows all of our employees to thrive. We know that diversity strengthens our teams, and believe that our
32 | MCV/DEVELOP January 2022
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