W
e are delighted to once again host the Women in Games Awards, with this year’s event taking place on March
4th, in the heart of London. And while it is always a delight and an
honour to celebrate the amazing talent in the games industry, we also want to acknowledge why we host these awards in the first place In these pages, we want to provide women
a space to, in their own words, describe their experiences working in the games industry – an industry that, despite progress, still has a long way to go in terms of treating women fairly when compared to their male counterparts. The topic of sexism in the industry is,
unfortunately, constantly relevant. However, ongoing abuse scandals at a number of companies – such as the recently acquired Activision Blizzard – have thrown a spotlight on a pernicious problem that exists across the games industry. These stories are not new, and indeed are all too familiar to many.
HOW FAR WE’VE COME These problems are not exclusive to any one company, and will require the industry as a whole to address. And so we asked some of our judging panel
to share how their experiences as a woman working in the industry have changed over the years. Not to congratulate ourselves on how far we’ve come, but to remind ourselves that this is an ongoing journey. “I joined the games industry in 1992, so as
you can imagine, have seen dramatic changes over the years,” said Kim Parker Adcock, owner of OPM Jobs. “It was incredibly rare that I’d have another lady to talk to in a meeting, networking and other events. I often felt like an anomaly, not necessarily uneasy, but the odd one out who was not part of ‘The Club.’ There were certainly some men who made that obvious. But I’m still here! The industry is completely different now and I must pinch myself sometimes when I see just how many brilliant women are thriving in games. I’m in excellent company now.” “There’s been significant change in
the 25 years I’ve been in the industry,” adds Cat Channon, head of international communications at EA. “There are numerous practices and approaches that were engaged in during my early tenure that thankfully aren’t acceptable now. With companies like EA setting a high bar on ensuring that our cultures and practices are both inclusive and diverse there is less and less room for the bro culture that’s plagued the industry for so long. That said, you still hear of patriarchal pockets and leadership for whom an industry convention or a night out doesn’t seem complete without a trip to a strip
joint or laddish banter. It’s disappointing and short sighted. The tone that leadership sets can permeate every aspect of a company and in a world where our players are ever more diverse, cultivating an employee base that reflects that diversity and ensuring your culture is inclusive just makes good business sense. “In addition to these thankfully rare
instances, the majority of issues are more subtle now, so while headline offenses like strip clubs might be an obvious ‘no’ for most, more subtle elements of bro culture are much more hard to dislodge - but potentially are even more damaging in making women feel unwelcome and excluded on a daily basis.
“Businesses need to change their thinking on what leadership roles look like.”
“The progression of women in our industry
remains a challenge. We have more young female talent entering the sector but as primary caregivers the careers of highly capable and talented women can still stall because of maternity leave. Then there are recent figures suggesting that more than one million women in the UK could be forced to leave their jobs due to symptoms of the menopause. While policies remain light or entirely absent, factors like these will continue to perpetuate the gender imbalance in the most senior positions in the industry.” While the industry may be diversifying (if
perhaps slower than we’d like), there certainly still seems to be a gender gap when it comes to positions of power. What does our panel make of this imbalance, and how can we remedy it? “Although we as an industry have diversified,
we are committed to improving our support for women in games and ensure new, unique and different ideas and approaches are represented in our teams and games,” says Louise O’Connor executive producer at Rare. “Businesses need to change their thinking
on what leadership roles look like, leaders can be and should be empathetic, caring, decisive and inspiring. If companies consider fast- tracking processes to move individuals into positions quicker, they should be aware of the support they need to provide those individuals throughout. “Give up-and-coming leaders space to grow into the role in their way. I would also
Keza MacDonald, video games editor at the Guardian
Louise O’Connor, executive producer at Rare
February 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 17
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