Six journeys towards a more equal game industry

Across Europe, game design is included as part of degrees ranging from animation to management and sound design. Europe has around 5,500 game development studios (Statista 2024). In 2023, the sector employed over 114,000 people, but only 24% of the industry workforce were women (Video Games Europe 2023).

In the NuGamers project, we started studying the current situation and landscape of girls and women in gaming and gender equality in the game industry and education. As a result, we are looking for ways to create more gender-inclusive gaming education to bridge this gap.

As we gathered more information, it quickly became apparent that these challenges are not limited to the game industry. We should also look at the broader picture in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields since 35% of the STEM workforce is women (National Girls Collaborative Project 2024). Many of the challenges women face in these fields are the same as those in the game industry, so by widening our perspective, we could better understand what motivates them to choose a traditionally male-dominated industry.

But why does it matter if women are a minority? As with any other industry that creates products, games are marketed to a diverse customer base. Games are now more popular than ever, so the reasons why diversity and inclusion are important in the workforce should by now be a commonly recognised fact.

Insights from students, teachers, and industry professionals

To understand the main obstacles and reasons why women would or wouldn’t consider working in the game industry, we interviewed people in Finland, Sweden, and Croatia. We wanted to find vocational school and university students in the game and STEM fields, their teachers, and industry professionals and ask about their thoughts, opinions, and experiences in their journey. In addition to what motivated them to choose the field, they told us about the challenges along the way and what kind of things they would change to solve these obstacles.

In an overview of the group’s demographics, the interviewees’ age distribution was between 15 to 46+ years old, focusing on 15- to 20-year-olds. 70% of the interviewees were women. This group consisted of twenty students, eight teachers and six people already working in the fields.

Naturally, the interviewees were in different life stages and professions and had varying personal responsibilities outside their studies or work. Most younger respondents were engaged in community-driven hobbies and enjoyed spending time with people who shared similar interests, such as video games. For older respondents, family and home were the most important parts of their free time. Teachers especially emphasised maintaining a healthy work-life balance and the importance of recovering from work.

From motivators to solutions

Based on the interviews, we found many common motivators that are not gender-specific. Creativity and passion were the most important ones. People also value expressing their unique ideas and combining personal interests with a career. Rather than trying to fit into traditional career molds, choosing this career allows people to stay true to who they are.

Personal growth, recognition for one’s work, and a good workplace environment were also often mentioned as motivations. For some, the decision to choose their field was influenced by family members in the industry, but most often, the interest in gaming, technology, or using one’s creative skills was the deciding factor. Some interviewees also considered societal factors, such as improving gender representation in a male-dominated field, and desired to challenge traditional gender stereotypes.

On the other hand, many of the challenges that arose from the discussions were either highlighted or caused by being a woman in the chosen industry. Students felt isolated or overshadowed in male-dominated classes. Teachers struggled to find female role models to invite as guest speakers or mentors for their students. Industry professionals suffered from an unhealthy work culture and felt limited in their career prospects. Also, those who play video games in their free time spoke of their negative experiences in gaming communities.

We created personas based on the gathered data to raise awareness of these issues. These personas highlight the journeys of six individuals into the game and STEM sector. Personas are a useful tool for development and design (Service Design Tools n.d.). They provide a fact-based context for who the girls and women in the game and STEM industries are and their needs, motivators, and challenges. Our interviewees had the chance to read the drafts and comment on what they thought was missing.

Three personas represent vocational and university students; one is a professional in the game industry, and two are teachers from different fields. Each of them has their own background, goals, motivations, challenges, and interests, along with a deeper dive into what kind of solutions they would like to see, risks included in these and some advice from their perspective. They provide a more fleshed-out image; each persona has a story of their own journey.

The interviews and gathering data on the current state of equality in the game industry were a starting point for the NuGamers project. Going forward, we will focus on finding ways to make the field’s vocational education more interesting and inclusive to girls.

Explore the Women in Gaming fact sheet and the six personas: https://nugamers.eu/nugamers-factsheet-shedding-light-on-gender-dynamics-in-the-gaming-industry/

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This article was first published in Xamk READ online magazine (3 December, 2024).

NuGamers – Creative orientation activities for a more gender-inclusive gaming education project aims to make vocational education in the gaming industry more inclusive and interesting to women from the perspective of equality. Implementation 1.1.2024–31.3.2026. Funded by the European Union, Erasmus+ KA2 initiative.

References

Statista. 2024. Video game industry in select regions in Europe. Web page. Available at: https://www.statista.com/topics/11661/video-game-industry-in-select-regions-in-europe

Video Games Europe. 2023. All About Video Games, European Key Facts 2023. Pdf document. Available at: https://www.videogameseurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Video-Games-Europe-2023-Key-Facts-Report_FINAL.pdf  

National Girls Collaborative Project. 2024. State of Girls and Women in STEM. Web page. Available at: https://ngcproject.org/resources/state-girls-and-women-stem

Service Design Tools. n.d. Personas. Available at: https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/personas