What is WIGD, anyway?

What does it mean to have an organization for "Women in Game Development"? As a unifying topic, that's extremely large and vague. Can we realistically expect to find a single, central “issue” or “platform” that speaks for half of the human population? Not likely. And in fact, to attempt such would not only be foolish, but boring. It’s the richness of variation that has appeal.

As an example, some might contend that work/life balance is a female developer’s issue, while others would point out that such matters affect both men and women. And both would be right. Women DO still tend to be family caretakers, but as the EA_spouse issue has highlighted, quality of life issues affect male developers too. Still, it’s certain that the self-sacrificial attitude required by some developers and publishers prevents many women from joining the game development field. So, will WIGD highlight this topic? Sure. But we'll also remember that not every woman is a mom, or even a wife or girlfriend. Work/life balance for an individual woman could mean time to exercise, be creative, spiritual, or even just to party; it simply means the time you need to take care of your self, whatever that may mean for you.

Another example to look at is game marketing. After all, we’re talking about the field in which gender polarization is lingua franca. It’s also the medium which almost single-handedly represents our medium to everyone who isn’t already a player. So it certainly affects the perception of games as an interesting career path. In addition to game marketing, WIGD will especially look at the marketing and advertising used by game companies for recruitment of new talent.

And of course, what about content? Well absolutely, content is HUGE. Content that acknowledges the existence of a female buyer, or that is explicitly aimed at females, will generate female interest in games, spurring intrinsic motivation, creating passionate female developers. To stay actionable within the context of an industry-specific organization, WIGD's focus is on that other side of the chicken/egg – getting more women into the industry, in decision-making positions, to create games that might not have been conceived any other way. So, in discussions of content, our responsibility is to recognize that individual women (and men) have vastly different and deeply-held ideas about what “should be done” to attract female players.

For WIGD, our aim is both simple and devilishly difficult: Increase the numbers; increase the diversity. Make space in our industry for the integrationists and the separatists, the feminists and the traditionalists. The all-girl clans and the dress-up princesses. Keep the markets we understand, and open new ones. It’s not a zero-sum game.

Making this kind of change is not going to bring a miraculous harmony, peace and equality, hearts and flowers. It’s going to bring strife, disagreement…and growth. We don’t know what’s going to happen when the ranks of women in our industry start to really grow. But we're still here in this crazy business, still striving to make change, because we really want to find out.

- Heather Kelley, Game Designer - Ubisoft, WIGD Chair