Developers speak out against sexism in gaming industry

Gaming has always been marketed as a gendered hobby. As a result, women continue to fight for a space at the table

While the misogyny is not unique to the gaming industry, the few women who have made their mark have had to fight to make space for themselves. Poornima Seetharaman is working towards changing this by creating a community for women and marginalised genders in games.

Late last month Bengaluru-based Poornima Seetharaman won global acclaim by becoming the first Indian game designer to be inducted into the ‘Women in Games Hall of Fame’.

Catharina Lavers Mallet, the head of studio at King, the company famous for its creation of ‘Candy Crush’; Rhianna Pratchett, scriptwriter and narrative designer of ‘Heavenly Sword’ and ‘Tomb Raider’ and Debbie Bestwick, managing director at Team17, known for its ‘Worms’ series are some of the past winners.

The recognition is important for two reasons. One, game design is still an up and coming and yet niche space in India and two, it is not a space that has fully accepted women. Today, women make up about 32 percent of all gamers in the country and yet, sexist stereotypes continue to exist and colour their experience. Despite this, there are many women who have been trying to break the glass ceiling. Metrolife spoke to a few female game developers to understand what it is like to be a woman in the gaming industry.

Equity for equality

Over the course of her 14-year-long career, Poornima has worked with some of the world’s best known franchises, from ‘BioShock’ to ‘FarmVille’. She is currently leading the design for ‘Farmville 2: Country Escape’ at Zynga. But it wasn’t always an easy journey. “I have seen my share of ups and downs. I have being called out as a hire for ‘diversity’ sake. I have had different questions directed at me during interviews that a male candidate wouldn’t be asked and have had to fight for designations and equal pay at every step of the way,” she says.

Work harder, and be loud, that is the only way to survive. “I think having a voice is important. If you are quiet, you are taken for granted,” she says.

While there is a change, and some companies do make an effort, she says that the industry still has sexism operating in silos. “We talk about diversity and yet when it comes to leadership, we don’t focus on it as much,” she explains.

Recognising this, she is working towards setting up a community for women and marginalised genders in the gaming industry.

“It is not only that it is harder for women to get ahead in this industry, but that many young girls don’t even know this is something they could pursue. Equity is needed to attain equality,” she says.

Visibility brings change

Saumya Iyer, mobile games producer and gamer, says that all industries face similar problems to varying degrees.

While she has not personally been subjected to harassment or outright sexism, she says that there is no shortage of stories from women colleagues and even some male colleagues who have been witnesses and whistleblowers. “On a few memorable occasions, I’ve had people in leadership positions let slip their shockingly misogynist beliefs in front of me,” she says. Being one of few women in the industry has put a spotlight on her as well, she adds.

Even though gaming has been marketed as a gendered hobby, women and girls have always played video games. They have gone through an evolution of sorts, from the first tentative steps of revealing their existence and being met with disbelief to often virulent exclusion and harassment, to fighting against this opposition, and ultimately, albeit slowly, garnering support and acceptance. The reason for this, she says, could be that playing video games has been a stigmatised hobby.

“Players in return developed a deep sense of personal identity from their chosen hobby, leading to a strong reaction of gatekeeping in response to perceived interlopers,” she says.

Visibility has been the biggest driver of change. “The internet allowed women and girl gamers to find each other, connect, and give us a presence that couldn’t be ignored. As the idea gained acceptance, more girls also took up the hobby. Slowly, games companies also began to court this new audience in their content and marketing,” she says.

Everyday sexism in gaming

Sapna Salian, art lead with Games24x7, is a self-taught artist who has been in the industry for nine years.

She says that while she has had experiences with individuals who have stood in the way of her growth, she doesn’t believe that it had anything to do with her being a woman.

She does, however, agree that female gamers face a lot of sexism. Much of this comes from the stereotypes that exist in everyday life.

“If there is a difference of opinion in a discussion then the woman is termed as ‘rude’ or ‘bossy’. While men can freely and confidently put forth their point, women need to be careful of their tone and be extra polite,” she says.