'WOMEN IN GAMES' STATES THAT 77% OF LEADERSHIP TEAMS IN UK GAMING COMPANIES ARE ALL MEN, YET 50% OF GLOBAL PLAYERS ARE WOMEN OR GIRLS
We recently attended the Women in Games meet up at gaming conference, Develop: Brighton. The CEO of Women in Games, Marie-Claire Isaaman, made a speech announcing strategic partnerships and some concerning statistics:
“Women and girls now make up 50% of global game players and the share of revenue is rising faster than men’s. However, women and girls are still underrepresented in this industry. Just 25% of the games workforce are made up of women, and with only 16% of executive roles held by women. At the most senior level, with over 21 years of experience, 87% are men. Men who make all the decisions also drive company culture. Without naming names we’ve seen reports on some incredibly toxic work environments for women.
We need to change these numbers, to change the culture. We need more women in leadership and more women-led and mixed start ups. Currently, only 6.6% of UK gaming companies are led by all women teams, while nearly 77% have all male leadership. Why is this still the case? How do we address these systemic biases? This forms much of Women in Game’s strategic thinking, because it isn’t about a lack of talent, it’s about lack of opportunity. Women founders receive less than 2% of venture capital, and investment is falling.
The recent announcement of the government’s 30 million into the sector is good news, but unless some of those funds are invested into girls and women, the gap will only grow. We need to make sure our voices are heard.
Games are at a crossroads. As old models falter and new processes emerge, we do have the opportunity to shape a more dynamic and fairer future. People talk about “the good old days” but we should take this as an opportunity to make something good out of something bad. Let’s ask, “how can we turn this around?”.
We believe the gaming industry will be more innovative and more profitable if girls and women and girls are fully and fairly participating. The future can’t build itself and we can’t do this alone.”
Women in Games are forming strategic alliances, including UKIE, UNICEF, Women in Games Awards (with new sectors in Asia and India), Inclusive People, Video Games Museum in Rome, and many others.