According to PriceWaterhouse Coopers, the gaming industry will experience above-average growth through 2011. In the US, the industry has reached $12.6 billion in 2006.
Yet, multiple studies have shown that video and computer games tend to under-represent or stereotype women and that the market for games is still predominantly male.
This is changing, however. The huge market success of games such as The Sims has shown that games that appeal to a more diverse audience can be blockbusters. Industry leaders recognize that designing games for a female audience will be a large component of the industry’s growth in future years. As Lucy Bradshaw of Electronic Arts said at the Women in Games International Conference, “the game industry leaves money on the table by focusing primarily on male consumers… I think we can make a strong case for the idea that if we involve more women in the development process, you will see more women playing the game. Why? Because a female viewpoint has been incorporated organically into the final product.” (reported by Games Press).
Hiring women gamers will be central to this growth. The percentage of women working in the gaming industry in the US is currently estimated at about 10% (Game Developer Magazine). In the UK, the percentage is estimated at 17% (Media Training NorthWest Study).
While these percentages are lower than the rest of the high-tech industry, women are increasingly emerging as prominent shapers of the gaming industry: see NextGen.Biz 2006 coverage of the 100 most influential women in Gaming.
At ABI’s upcoming Grace Hopper Celebration, the Thursday October 18 Panel “Joining the Game” will bring experts from Electronic Arts and UNC Chapell Hill in a discussion of how to increase female representation in the industry. Come “invent the future” with us!