Industry Review: Women in Games

Tara Johnson

We sat down with Harmonie Freyburger, vice-president of Women in Games France to discuss everything gaming industry in France.
She is also the Diversity & inclusion project manager at Ubisoft in France for 4 years, learning to play Ukulele for 6 months and crazy about improv theater (playing and watching).
What is the state of the gaming industry in France?
In France in 2021, 22% of workers in the video game industry self-identified as women. It’s not much, but this figure keeps improving every year: in 2020, it was 19%.
Although Women in Games France doesn’t have the exact figure for each job, it is reported that core and technical jobs (programming and game design for example) have less than 15% of women. When it comes to other fields (art, narration, audio, quality assurance, producing, et), women are more represented but not yet enough.
The gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors but seriously lagging behind when it comes to gender equality. Why do you think this is?
To make progress in gender equality, mentalities and stereotypes are the main things that need to evolve. And mentalities are not as fast-growing as the industry, for sure! It takes years and years to show (in many ways) to girls that can imagine themselves in the tech industry, and it also take years and years to create powerful characters story to make the video game industry appealing to them.
Finally, the gaming industry has only recently begun to take diversity and inclusion seriously. Unfortunately, that change really only came as a reaction to the controversy.
Why do we need women in games?
Video games were, for a long time, a media created by (most of the time white) men for boys (and men), even if girls have always played games. The consequence of this self-centered creation is a lack of diversity in the storylines and the characters: the male protagonist (preferably good looking, muscled); hypersexualized female characters which are, at best, in the background of the story (when they are not presented as trophies or inexistent).
To summarize, there are 2 consequences:
- Women gamers have a hard time identifying themselves (and when they do it is typically because they are used to doing so through stereotypical movies or series) and do not like how women are represented in this media
- They do not project themselves in a career in the video games industry
Today, the video game industry is the first cultural industry in the world. More and more people are playing video games, and this phenomenon particularly increased with the rise of COVID19. We need more diverse games, characters, and stories, to enable each gamer to identify themselves, regardless of their gender, nationality, background, sexual orientation, etc. And this dynamic is already on the move for a few years now!
How to get more women in games?
Companies need to challenge the way they recruit, pay, develop, train, and listen to their workers, to improve the processes and fight the discriminations which can be hidden in small details (from the way the job ads are written, the way people are evaluated, etc).
The video games industry is going through a period of denunciation, where people point out discriminations and dysfunctions. It is a shame that the industry needed this period to take the topic seriously. Now, we expect big changes to build a brighter future for all the developers!
So what does Women in Games France do to change the industry?
Our actions are summarized in 4 points:
- Raising the profile of women in the industry – because lots of wonderful women have a great career and show the possibilities (talk, articles, streams, interviews …)
- Raising awareness to all the actors of the industry in France to impulse the change (newsletter, social media presence, meetings …)
- Supporting women with community, coaching, and learning opportunities (through our Discord, Job coaching, GDC, and other great events sponsorship .)
- Enhance video game jobs and careers to girls and show them all the paths they can choose to create video games.
Our co-founders, Audrey Leprince and Julie Chalmette like to say that the goal of Women in Games France is to not exist anymore. If we, and all the industry’s players, are doing our job well, diversity and inclusion will be at the heart of the industry and we won’t need any association to be inclusive.
What is some advice you can give…
To a woman interested in going into gaming but unsure because of the lack of diversity? Or harassment?
If you want to create games, then go for it! You will find your place in any case: in big or small studios, as a freelance, consultant, employee, or even founder of your own studio. Find the way you like to work and with whom. Find your allies, at work or in organizations like Women in Games. And more importantly, diversity and non-discrimination are becoming an important topic for lots of studios, and it gets better and better. Don’t give up your dream!
To a woman currently in the gaming industry considering an exit?
They are many reasons that lead women to quit the video game industry (as the tech industry in general). Before taking this decision, they should seek help, or advice, in organizations such as Women in Games. There are lots of organizations that create safe spaces and help for minorities: Women in Games International, Pixelles in Canada, Black Girls gamers, Women in Games in Italia, Spain, UK, FemDevs in Spain …
But after all, self-care must be a priority: no job should be more important than our health and wellbeing. So, if you want to quit to take care of yourself, do it. You may come back later… or continue to play casually!
To game companies with poor gender balance statistics?
That change takes time, but it is possible. It also needs strong actions and to challenge the way we usually work (internal processes, recruiting, etc). Many companies, in tech and beyond, choose to have a strong action plan and have great results.
Who are some inspiring women in games?
For the francophone audience: Audrey Leprince (co-founder of Game Bakers Studio) and Julie Chalmette (Managing Director of Zenimax France), Women in Games France co-founder, of course! But also Ina Gelbert (CEO of Xbox France), Jehanne Rousseau (CEO of Spiders Studio) and Muriel Tramis (CEO at SensastiC Games). A little article here: https://womeningamesfrance.org/femmes-de-culture-elit-5-personnalites-feminines-du-jeu-video-en-2021/
For the international audience: Jade Raymond, Amy Hennig ; Aya Kyogoku ; Robin Hunicke ; Brenda Romero ; Kim Swift ; Bonnie Ross, Rebecka Coutaz … You’ll find some of their biography here: https://thewomanpost.com/36978-the-most-important-women-in-the-video-game-industry.html
How YOU can get involved
Join Women in Games France membership is free, so don’t hesitate to join us: https://womeningamesfrance.org/contact/
Join 50inTech to connect with other women in your industry….