In most industries, the struggle by women to secure certain roles or even get employed is a cause for concern. This problem, also existent in the gaming sector, shows a 70:30 employment ratio difference between both genders in the industry, spurring organisations to take new steps to ensure the inclusivity of female gamers, developers, marketers, and other roles available for hiring in the industry. One of such organisations is Aristocrat Gaming, a top company in the industry, who have just begun an annual event to celebrate the International Women Day for females in the gaming industry. Branded as the “Gaming Industry’s International Women’s Day” event, the aim of the event is to celebrate the accomplishments of women in gaming field, and initiate discussions on how other organisations can leverage diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to drive progress within their own operations and the industry as a whole.
In today's article, we shall analyse the ideas laid down by Aristocrat Gaming, discussing the importance of onboarding more women into high/relevant positions within the gaming industry, how organisations can make an impact to reduce the employment gap, and more. Let’s head right in.
Women in the gaming sector often struggle with normalised gender biases and stereotypes that promote “gaming” as a masculine concept. These biases can manifest in subtle ways, influencing perceptions of competence and suitability for certain roles, including customer support. Some of these biases and challenges women face in this scenario include condescending treatment, profiling, gatekeeping, segregation, underestimation, and sometimes, sexually assaulting actions/comments. The occurrence of such cases creates an environment not conducive for female players and workers, further complicating the attempts for balance in employment.
Overcoming these preconceptions requires not only proving one's capabilities but also challenging and dismantling the existing stereotypes to foster a more inclusive industry culture. And to achieve this, there becomes the need for more women in positions of higher authority (eg C-Level executives). The scarcity of female leaders can act as a deterrent for the women who strive to advance their careers. Typically, women in positions like support can assist other women who show interest in gaming with their onboard process, but when more intricate challenges like pay gap, promotion rate, etc arise, top level female executives will have more voice to make an influence in these decisions and how they affect women.
Thus, it becomes undeniably clear that for more women to get into the gaming industry, more women have to be given room to shine and rise to the pinnacle of success. When this becomes a common occurrence, more women will also be inspired to grow like their role models, ultimately reducing the gap between males and females in the industry.
The responsibility of effecting changes to this status quo in the industry lies upon the organisations who bear progressive thoughts about the future of their sector. Such organisations employ certain ideas and strategies tailored to their specific needs, all to bolster the confidence in aspiring females, encouraging them to focus on their career development and not be deterred by negative conceptions. Below, let us look at some key strategies that these organisations employ to achieve their impact.
The primary benefit of mentorship is to create an avenue for structured learning. Especially for people who suffer several forms of setbacks to their growth and improvement, mentorship provides the necessary structure that helps women maintain consistency in their learning process, and actualization in their career goals. Mentorship comes with various forms of benefits offering guidance, advice, and access to the wealth of experience from seasoned professionals, improving their improvement process by 65%. For instance, having a mentor in customer support role helps the mentee gain insights for navigating specific challenges they may be confronted by, helping the mentee hone their skills faster, based on the experiences of their mentor.
While a mentor acts as a bridge, access to this bridge is another challenge that organisations can help solve. The use of conferences, meetings, seminars, etc, are strategic avenues for businesses to connect their low-level female staff to other female high-level executives who they naturally cannot meet through the course of their daily responsibility. This networking facilitates the sharing of experiences, helping women interact, share ideas, and leverage their network not just for individual growth, but for the collective future of women in the gaming industry.
A review by Women in Tech reports that only 16% of leadership positions in the gaming industry are occupied by females. This means that 84% of executive level positions in the entire gaming industry are occupied by men. On one hand, some may like to argue that the males may have been best fit for these roles, however, one negative impact of such leadership is the problem of segregation that such statistics can cause. For example, as discussed above, the chances of women feeling underrepresented is one of the problems associated with such a structure. Absence of adequate female representatives in the corridors of power will leave them feeling unheard. And in terms of welfare, such executive structure may unintentionally overlook some peculiarities in daily work operations that may not be ideal for female staff.
Having more women in leadership positions comes with numerous benefits. From diverse opinions for creativity, to fresh ideas in concept development, and innovation through diverse perspectives, a positive company culture can be developed to attract and retain a positive reputation.
Organisations who claim to be interested in supporting women must first begin from creating and advocating for inclusive workplace policies. Practices such as sexism, stereotyping, and other toxic masculine practices that may be found in male dominated workplaces must first be eliminated. Creating a conveniently safe and sane environment for female staff helps them grow in confidence of their abilities, and not be distracted by the excesses of masculinity.
Saner workplace practices like diverse hiring practices, flexible work arrangements, safety distancing, and cross-collaborative staff activities can be used to replace the toxic routine in male dominated work environments that may be threatening to women participation and contribution. Statistically, inclusive workplace policies are likely to improve staff efficiency by 22%, keeping them active regardless of where they may be..
Ultimately, a fundamental practice that helps to boost the participation of women in the gaming sector is by publicly celebrating and promoting women who make outstanding strides and contributions within the sector. Naturally, the act of promoting outstanding contributions is a powerful way to encourage people to strive better. And when women are celebrated this loudly, more women can learn a thing or two from the celebrated woman, and strive to be like her.
One of such women is Amy Hennig, game writer and developer with over 30 years experience in interactive entertainment and game concept development. Her work ranks high with some of the most popular and successful games and gaming companies like Uncharted, Naughty Dog, and Nintendo. As one of the most celebrated female game contributors, she has been of impact to companies like EA in reality game development, dozens of females who have also grown in the gaming sector.
When asked about sexism in the gaming industry, Ann Hennig says that although she had not encountered sexism in the companies she worked with, she attests that the differing perspectives of men in the industry has helped her navigate successfully to where she is today.
In essence, by fostering a culture of inclusivity, providing support and opportunities for career advancement, and celebrating women's achievements, the gaming industry can truly empower women to realise their full potential and contribute to its continued growth and innovation
