#GAReads | 'I was always told I was unusual': why so few women design video games
photo credit: Andre Hunter, via Unsplash
“'I was always told I was unusual': why so few women design video games”:
There’s a stereotype that women don’t play video games, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. The numbers don’t lie: 52% of gamers were female in the UK’s last major study in 2014. But if we look at the proportion of female workers in the games industry, it’s just 28% in the UK, and roughly 20% worldwide. If so many women are playing games, why are so few making them?
The problem lies in the feedback loop of under-representation in the video games industry. Women are less likely to see themselves represented in games, games advertising or working in games design and development roles. That means they’re less likely to pursue a degree or career, because they don’t feel like they belong.