What is it like being a woman working in the video
games industry? Well, it’s probably very different from what you
think. You might not know that women have considerable influence within
games development due to a good number of development studios and
conferences being either run by women, or having women
as part of their senior management. Maybe you also didn’t know that it’s a
thrilling, cutting edge, and very creative industry where you can make a
very nice life for yourself.
Two of the reasons you may not know this are first, that there is an ongoing
discussion about the lower numbers of women in the industry, and secondly
that the negative stories about female experience tend to outweigh the
positive ones. The recent
Twitter hashtag ‘#1reasonwhy’ shows a revealing and
shocking outpouring of these bad experiences from women who have encountered
sexism in games.
My experience has been so different to the stories of continuous sexism, and
abhorrent attitudes. So much so that I have had a real problem with the
negative starting point of the women in games dialogue. I’m a ‘glass half
full’ person and want to celebrate the successes we have made, how far
things have come and where things can go if we can attract a more diverse
set of makers to the party.
Stubborn and feisty
But then, I am stubborn, feisty and have very thick skin. I started life in Australia with a feminist mother and an amazing older sister as role models, who both instilled in me the belief that I would be able to do whatever I wanted, and that my gender would not stop me. I was into punk and riot grrl, made a fanzine and short films, played dress up, ran away to the city, and then further afield to England. At school, I had a teacher who indulged three of us in buying lots of amazing editing equipment, which was the stepping stone to a love of technology and to where I am now.
But the clincher for my 'glass half full' attitude is that I have always
worked for women in the industry and so whilst there have been debates,
disagreements and teasing between men and women, there has also been a
baseline respect. The toughest parts for me have been discussions where it’s
clear that the female audience is being taken less seriously than the male.
With female players making up near to 50pc of players these days, this is an
outdated attitude. But this growing percentage of women gamers means we are
going through an unavoidable phase which, most importantly, needs women to
be there to follow this through. And so it’s no surprise that at this
crucial moment, we are crying out for women and for change - and not
everyone likes change and it’s clear we will need to stomp out the old
school attitudes day by day.
As much as I want this to not be true, the cold, hard numbers speak for themselves - just 6pc - only one in 17 – people who work in the games industry in the UK are women.
This is truly a missed opportunity. Games are such a powerful medium and while women remain under-represented, the industry is poorer for it. Games are made by teams, and teams are only as good as the sum of their parts. Think of a band, a film crew, or a theatre company: the more interesting personalities you add to the mix, the more interesting the outcome will be. Merely by internally reflecting our broadening audience, the industry stands poised for ever greater success.
We should loudly celebrate success
BAFTA’s recent Career Pathways report, which examined the career aspirations of over 2000 young people, found that just 4pc of young women aged 16-24 are currently pursuing study or work related to games, compared with 18pc of their male peers. I know it may be a leap for a careers advisors or parents, but it shouldn’t be. It’s the future. This low number makes me want to pull my hair out, or visit every girls school I can.And so it appears to me that we have to tackle this from all sides. The women within the industry need to be more visible about the successes as well as the hardships, and I include myself. We have to support each other, I love that #1reasonwhy became #1reasonmentor so quickly.
I started out by having hobbies, which became my passions, which then mutated and became my career – much like the rest of the people I work with. Playing, collaborating, making things, can lead to successful careers. Most of the successful people I know are working in some offshoot of a childhood hobby. Expose young girls to the possibilities early.
Ultimately I am still learning what it is to be a woman in a male dominated field. A long while ago I was introduced to Dawn Steel and Lynda Obst, two inspiring Hollywood film producers who wrote about their experiences in Hollywood. I re-read them often as they write about things in a way that still gives me fire in my belly. They had to deal with rough times, and ridiculous men along the way, but they loved their craft and paved a path for future generations to come. That’s where we are – we can’t throw in the towel, we need to persevere.
We need to remember we are powerful. We should be unafraid to be feminine and we should help each other succeed and loudly celebrate successes. This is a moment of change for everyone; let’s use our gathered strength to create a better industry.
Siobhan Reddy is Studio Director at Media Molecule, the company behind the LittleBigPlanet game franchise. She is a member of BAFTA’s Games Committee.
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