Recent News
Microsoft Marketing to Women the Old-fashioned Way
Remember Tupperware parties? In its day it was an ingenious way to introduce women to a new product that they might otherwise be hesitant to purchase. By having someone demonstrate its use and demystify it, it became a must-have in every household. Microsoft is hoping to attract women to their Xbox 360s the same way, by hosting a house party.
10 February 2009 :: courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal
Women Earn More Than Men in UK Games Industry
A survey of developers in the UK has revealed that while there are fewer women working in the gaming industry, their average salary tends to be higher than similarly employed men. The survey also shows that women feel much more optimistic about their career prospects.
19 January 2009 :: courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal
Tracy Fullerton Receives USC Chair Endowment
Tracy Fullerton, Associate Professor and Director of the Electronic Arts Game Innovation Lab at USC, was recently named the holder of USC's Electronic Arts Endowed Chair in Interactive Entertainment.
The chair was first created by Electronic Arts in 2004, as part of their gift to the School of Cinematic Arts. Bing Gordon was the first holder of the chair, and helped to establish the curriculum for the program in Interactive Entertainment as well as teaching and mentoring.
Passing the endowed chair is an honor meant to recognize the work that Tracy has done to help establish the Game Innovation lab and the Interactive Entertainment program as a premier place to study game design. As the chair holder, Tracy will keep working to grow the program and the field of game studies, as well as continuing her work in the Game Innovation Lab. Tracy is a long-term member of IGDA Women in Games.
16 January 2009 :: courtesy of Fiona Cherbak
Cerise interviews Karen Clark of BioWare
News
Karen Clark, Project Manager of the new Dragon Age game at BioWare, talked to Cerise Magazine about her views on the portrayal of women in games and in the industry, "We should let people know that the game industry is a serious business where you can have a real career. The stereotype is that video game companies are filled with guys running around shooting foam darts at each other and there definitely is a playful aspect to working in this industry. However, this industry is driven by business and companies must produce on a tight deadline. Without professional, intelligent and dedicated people, we can’t succeed. It’s up to us to educate all types of qualified people who may avoid the industry because of these preconceptions."
12 January 2009 :: courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal
Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act at risk
Dame Dev points out that you can contact your Congress-person to let them know that you want them to support a mandate that women receive equal pay for equal work. This Act failed to get the necessary votes to pass in the Senate last year.
8 January 2009 :: courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal
Brenda Brathwaite on Women, Games and Design
In her blog, Brenda Brathwaite has re-posted a recent interview she had given on being a woman in the industry, "From my own experience, the single best effect of having women on the team was that the female character's breasts were a) shaped properly, b) located on the right place on her torso, c) didn't defy laws of physics and d) weren't the most critical thing about her character."
8 January 2009 :: courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal
Chess for Girls!
From Zen of Design, an old SNL skit that proves what the video gaming industry has been doing recently is exactly the way to go. If you make a "boy's game" pink and provide avatar customization, girls will, like, totally love it!
8 January 2009 :: courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal
Four Women Named in Edge Online Names Game Industry's Top 25 Heroes of 2008
The Women in Games SIG would like to congratulate the four women named in Edge Online's Top 25 Game Industry Heroes of 2008.
Tanya Byron, a clinical psychologist, Jennifer MacLean, current chair of the IGDA, Susan Panico, Senior Director, PlayStation Network, and Louise Copley, Executive Producer of Fable II, were all named for their contributions in '08.
Congratulations once again!
8 January 2009 :: courtesy of Tristin Hightower
Gears of War 2 Executive Producer Gives Keynote at MIGS
Last week at the MIGS (Montreal International Game Summit), Laura Fryer, Executive Producer of Gears of War 2, gave a keynote speech on creating a culture of production. "Production is for everyone," she announced. "It's not just for the producer. Everyone in the team should be focused partially on what the team needs to get done to get the game shipped." Her speech drew from her experiences at Microsoft Game Studios, where she personally would do whatever it took to get the job done, including building a server for automated testing so that others could do their jobs more efficiently.
25 November 2008 :: courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal
Pratchett Wins Best Videogame Script at 2008 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards
Rhianna Pratchett won Best Videogame Script at the 2008 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards ceremony. She won for her work on Overlord, but was also up against herself for her contribution to the Heavenly Sword script. Codemasters has already announced that Rhianna will return to write the sequel to Overlord. Congratulations to all nominees!
25 November 2008 :: courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal
