In a recent article, Julia Barry, song writer and director of “In Her Image: Producing Womanhood in America,” lamented that “games and toys aimed at the female population are often shallow, fluffy screen versions of dress-up and shopping—worlds where friendships and rewarded behavior revolve around looking one’s best for men and spending money.”
Joan of Arc: Not exactly “fluffy”
Although many games do present a distorted view of women, the landscape has changed significantly in recent years. Titles like Little Big Planet, Flower, and Super Mario Galaxy appeal equally to men and women. They are games with depth, intelligence, and salient imagery. Other titles portray women in strong leadership roles. One of these is Jeanne D’arc, a top rated RPG for the PSP in which players assume the role of the 15th century heroine of France. RPG’s and adventure games featuring female role models appeal especially to a generation of girls who grew up with Pokemon, one of the most popular role playing games of all time.
Women who find conventional fare unappealing have a wide variety of alternatives to choose from. Brain Age, Rhythm Heaven, Rock Band, and Shaun White Snowboarding are just a few of the many titles that have turned non-gamers of both genders onto gaming.
One of the complaints leveled against the industry is that most games are developed by men who simply do not understand the female psyche. To make games more appealing to women, the argument goes, studios need to hire more female developers.
In response, one developer commented that his “company has no problem hiring women, but there aren’t that many women in the industry to be hired.” However, this only becomes a problem when studios use a narrow range of training and skills in recruitment and selection.
Companies that want to increase the diversity of their organizations need to take a more broad approach. The most successful game developer in history, Shigeru Miyamoto, was a musician and artist, not a game developer. And yet he reshaped the industry. In our forthcoming book, we talk about the tug and pull between what we call the “success trap” and “strategy making at the periphery.” Basically the concept centers on the importance of bringing in outsiders and staying close to your customers. It is one of the key success factors of leading studios. True visionaries are those who are pulling in resources beyond the narrow field of software programming and game design.
Kellee Santiago, President of TGC
Take Kellee Santiago, President and Co-founder of indie studio Thatgamecompany. Like Miyamoto, she came to the industry with a fine arts background. Today, she is one of many talented women who are reshaping the industry with cutting edge innovations that appeal to both men and women.
Resources:
- Gaming Angels- news and reviews
- Women Gamers – news and reviews
- Women In Games International - a resource for women in the global games industry
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