Female players make up almost half of the world’s gaming population. If you’re into gaming at all, it’s unlikely that this is a surprising statistic in itself. It is remarkable, however, that this is certainly nothing new; in the US alone, gamer distribution has hovered at just above 50% female for the past twelve years:
This is as the average age continues to shift upwards, too – with the majority of gamers currently between the ages of 35 to 44.
So, that’s the players. But the industry lags behind. How many developers are prioritising female leads, both in their games and on their boards? What percentage of leaders are pushing for inclusion as priority within their organisation? Predictably few, given that women account for just 20% of the workforce amongst European developers, and only around 26% of firms use deliberately inclusive hiring practices to attract a diverse pool of candidates. Collectively, Asian, black and Hispanic employees make up fewer than 22% of the highest-ranking gaming execs.
Sadly, reported harassment, gatekeeping and dismissiveness of women in online gaming communities are still ever-present, too. Not to mention the systemic sexualisation of female characters across hundreds of leading titles. The status quo raises a key question; how might all of this change for the better if women held a large share of leadership positions, more of our favourite protagonists had the life experience of Michael de Santa or Marcus Fenix, and minority ethnic groups became well-represented in video games?
Ensuring diverse representation across the board is crucial to building a fair and sustainable industry. Yes, it is a huge challenge, but it’s also a massive opportunity. Collectively, the gaming industry has what it takes to foster a diverse and inclusive environment, propelling it to unprecedented levels of growth and creativity.
In a nutshell? Everyone.
We all know that great transformation comes from small, yet consistent and meaningful steps. But there needs to be an element of strategy too.
So what’s the next step for the gaming world? As Mission One partners share their own perspectives with our team, a few common themes emerge:
Whilst there is a sense of growing awareness in gaming, including the inception of groups such as Black in Gaming, Gameheads and Women in Games whose mission it is to promote and fight for diversity and equity, the conversation is not yet loud enough to transform industry-wide behaviours for good.
Things might well be moving in the right direction, but for the future of our beloved gaming world, we all need to level up rapidly. And the evidence shows that shareholders also benefit from diverse teams.
We want to hear your experiences and challenges – are you a #GamingLeaderlookijng to build DEI practices into the thread of your organisation? Get in touch – we’re waiting to hear from you.