Continuing the thoughts from my last post on chauvinism in game design ...
I saw a link to this video on Twitter via SL user GiannaBorgnine.
Let's play "count the women". Actually, let me spoil it for you. It's two. Of dozens.
The first is buried 2/3rds into the video at 1:00. Her word is "curiosity". This is Robin Hunicke, from TGC, and is the only one who says that word. TGC is a 12-person team, according to their website.
The second is a few seconds later, and her word is "imagination". Again, the only one who says that word. Also, this is Caitlyn Meeks, of Unity Technologies, and you'll note that all of the other Unity people interviewed said "Unity". If that doesn't scream my point about how women will in fact think differently than the echo-chamber male-dominated Silicon Valley boys' club, I don't know what will. I wonder if Caitlyn got a demerit from her superiors for taking the questions seriously and not kowtowing to her brand name? ;)
And that's it.
Oh, but the company who did it put Robin on their banner when you click to the site.
I'm not sure if this makes it a little bit better or a lot worse.
Maybe next time they'll get a non-white person there, too.
(Oh, snap. I went there.)
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Clever, huh? ;) [Flickr]
1 week ago
4 comments:
I'm so glad you wrote this (and your previous post on the topic) and I couldn't agree more!
I don't think the game industry set out trying to exclude women by purposely making games that don't appeal to them. However, even now that spotlights are being cast on this issue and a potential additional audience has been unveiled, publishers still don't want to make a change when they already have a working formula for guaranteed profits.
Unfortunately, that just enforces a male dominated industry full of male-centric similar games and themes that lack creativity and originality. They continue to pump out one possible experience and the missed opportunities are piling up.
The game industry desperately needs women, and a change. It's women who have to bring the change. It's already happening. Not only are women designers breaking through the doors and doing incredible things, but women in general are more computer savvy, and spending more time on computers and mobile devices. They have money and want to play. So watch out boys, because as history as proven, women are a legion too.
Saying one word and then using a compound word is cheating :P
@Trinity:
Tish tosh. :P
Besides, some people in the video used compound words.
I'm new to your blog.
Good vid, hadn't seen it but it was insightful.
I'd like to play more vid games but when I've tried WoW, Aion, others I got so befuddled by the killing when all I wanted to do was explore. Yanno?
I was curious about what was there. I wanted to see what the landscape and villages and towns and castles looked like, but i found myself running for my life as fiends were blowing my brains out everywhere I went. hehe
I'm not sure how other women feel, maybe they just do the shootem up to get in the game. But I think given the choice maybe women would visit the towns and stores before they get stucked into warfare.
Good post.
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