U.K. Game Devs Would Hire Women If There Were Any
- Thread starter Greg Tito
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I've seen plenty of women into gaming in the UK, but I've never seen anyone with an interest in any areas of game development.
I know for sure they exist but there's definitely a male majority.
If we did have more women in the industry they'd be better off making games that appeal to both sexes, rather than suddenly making casual women-only games. Things like Cooking Mama and Style Boutique strike me as slightly sexist, "but women just do shopping and cooking right?".
If anything I'd rather see a male version of Bayonetta than another Cooking Mama spin-off
I know for sure they exist but there's definitely a male majority.
If we did have more women in the industry they'd be better off making games that appeal to both sexes, rather than suddenly making casual women-only games. Things like Cooking Mama and Style Boutique strike me as slightly sexist, "but women just do shopping and cooking right?".
If anything I'd rather see a male version of Bayonetta than another Cooking Mama spin-off
The people to blame here is not the gaming industry but the EDUCATION system!Wing Dairu said:
That is the only possible reason for such a discrepancy at the applicant level, women are just not getting the insight, support and guidance as much as males. Though this could be largely down to societal prejudice that of games being "boys toys" though THE PLACE to dispel that prejudice would be in the actual school/college/university system. The industry could be more pro-active to counter that with outreach programs and guidance on entering the industry, what skills/degrees are wanted.
Typical. No wonder UK is failing so hard, no wonder the only part of the UK that is Tax positive (contributes more tax money that it takes in) is the London inner city bankers wheeling and dealing with money they don't own or doesn't really exist.Sun Flash said:
Video games are the perfect product combining artistic talent and excellence with cutting edge technology for a globally exportable entertainment product. Entertainment export = money coming into the UK with minimum expenditure. One video game can makes billions of revenue in a month, easily rivalling the biggest Hollywood blockbusters and WE can be a part of it!
I think U.K devs need to remember that the UK sucks ass and that the few females who would look into that probably knows enough about the industry to go to America or take up moonspeak and hit Japan. Britain is incredible in that people are really quite obsessed with self-image (as a Brit, I will admit myself included) and thanks to long standing stereotypes about aforementioned spotty boys, they're never really given ANY incentive to even think of pursuing it. And honestly? This doesn't look likely to change on British society's end much for years to come, meaning it's up to the Game's Industry to work unfairly hard to try and bring more of them in.
It's really society's problem, but I do see a more balanced, mature and professional evolution of storytelling in games helping significantly. But sadly, this is a cycle as it is hard for Devs to write a female-appealing story with so few females among them. Apparently. I mean christ, it's pretty easy to assume that they have trouble talking to women the way their "strong female leads" tend to come across.
It's really society's problem, but I do see a more balanced, mature and professional evolution of storytelling in games helping significantly. But sadly, this is a cycle as it is hard for Devs to write a female-appealing story with so few females among them. Apparently. I mean christ, it's pretty easy to assume that they have trouble talking to women the way their "strong female leads" tend to come across.
In today's society, if you like video games, you're a tomboy that doesn't have class. And I don't mean to say this as an insult. But let's just face it- if relatively young male politician were found playing Halo, it may not necessarily go over well, but it would more likely be taken as a "boys will be boys" thing. If a relatively young female politician were found playing a non-casual video game? Take whatever backlash the young man would get and add the fact that it would severely damage her reputation as a lady.
And don't say "It doesn't matter." There's a difference between it not mattering and you not giving a damn about it.
Really, I can't go into game design and fine art, unless I want my being a game designer to define how I am perceived as an artist. I could probably write gruesome snuff novels and not have it affect peoples' judgment on my work as much as making video games. I'm not saying this is how it is for everyone, but that's how things are for me and many of my closet-gamer female friends.
And don't say "It doesn't matter." There's a difference between it not mattering and you not giving a damn about it.
Really, I can't go into game design and fine art, unless I want my being a game designer to define how I am perceived as an artist. I could probably write gruesome snuff novels and not have it affect peoples' judgment on my work as much as making video games. I'm not saying this is how it is for everyone, but that's how things are for me and many of my closet-gamer female friends.
Who says you have to? "Games that appeal to women" and "crap" are not synonymous.Sun Flash said:
Here's the thing. Even if a woman doesn't set out to "make games for girls", her perspective cannot help but be shaped in part by her gender. We are a product of many things - our family, our geography, our gender, our experience, and the sum total of those things it what makes us unique individuals. So a female influence in design might be something as big as a main character that's a strong, believable woman, or as small as putting a heart on the side of the Companion Cube - both, however, are elements that make games more appealing to females.
I think someone at that age who decides jobs by how cool they are, doesn't deserve the supposed good pay.
But I don't like that as an insentive either. These women shoudl want to work on it because they enjoy it and are into it, not just because they get paid. But, of course that relates to them thinking it's not cool.
We need to improve the image of games by having only attractive guys show their faces in public!
But I don't like that as an insentive either. These women shoudl want to work on it because they enjoy it and are into it, not just because they get paid. But, of course that relates to them thinking it's not cool.
We need to improve the image of games by having only attractive guys show their faces in public!
Well, I'm doing a game development course in the UK... (it's a correspondence course, but anyway...)
And guess what? Of the 30-40 students I've actually learned the gender of, 2 are female.
And one of those is me. (And I'm a transsexual at that.)
So yeah. 1 in 20, if that, and you wonder what's going to happen with the jobs themselves?
And guess what? Of the 30-40 students I've actually learned the gender of, 2 are female.
And one of those is me. (And I'm a transsexual at that.)
So yeah. 1 in 20, if that, and you wonder what's going to happen with the jobs themselves?
This is true. It's really sad that women can get marginalised for their choice in hobbies.Erana said:
The frustrating thing is that most gamers, male and female, will agree that the more people playing the games, the better. But through the combination of politics, the media and plain old peer pressure - it often feels like women are being forced out of 'the boys club.'
I've seen women I used to work with descend upon another woman like a plague of Hitchcockian pidgeons and peck her apart just because she wanted to drink a pint, for God's sakes. Another girl I worked with got ridiculed for admitting that she likes Led Zeppelin because that's 'lads music.'
How can society progress when there's always people trying to drag it backwards?
It takes a strong person to rise above the stereotypes inflicted upon us, if I were a woman I'd never feel comfortable admitting that I'm a gamer in public. When I put on the dress at weekends I feel this weird sense of embarrasment whenever someone takes a picture of me near an X-box.
It's always the way though, popular, mainstream society just can't keep up with what's actually happening in the real world. Hence why some fat cat types and the Terminator are even now plotting to destroy us in California.
This is a sad world - I'm off to drink paint thinner until I see pretty colours, who's in?
Yeah that's pretty much the problem right there. I meen I can accept Duke Nukem, that's a classic, but having 99% of all main characters be like that gets very old very quickly.SinisterSpud said:
It is a shame, I can understand that people will find it hard to work within the industry, what with the current situation of grad students being stuck for a job in the UK.
I am female and my games are not what is termed as 'girly', so far my female friends like dress up games. I like action and horror, at times I like puzzles.
I did do art at school but never followed it, there was not many graphic courses when I was a teen, all I say is fellow females good luck...take no prisoners!
I am female and my games are not what is termed as 'girly', so far my female friends like dress up games. I like action and horror, at times I like puzzles.
I did do art at school but never followed it, there was not many graphic courses when I was a teen, all I say is fellow females good luck...take no prisoners!
