The contribution women make towards gaming development

[Orogun01]

The contribution women make towards gaming development?

 

Erm they work on teams that make games, seems obvious really. Why should their gender come into it?

This was something I didn't understand until I began trying to get into the industry; which is really ****ing tough, it helps to have anecdotals. I would look down on shows where actors would go and tell stories of their lives as being for their benefit; but they help, they help define a path from where the aspiring actors/directors are to where they want to be and that gives hope. It is not a matter of moments to build such a career, it takes years and there will be moments when people lose hope, so it helps to know that one is making the right moves. It helps to look at oneself as treading through the path that those at the top took.

Gender has no bearing on making games but these stories matter to anyone trying to one day make games because they show what they should aspire to.

[Chaz]

It seems like the industry has gotten far away from really recognizing developers.  Roberta Williams, Jane Jensen, Lori Cole, Linda Currie...these were all big names in development in the 80's.  Now the only people that get any recognition tend to be independent or on small teams, the big developers hide everyone away.  I'm not sure what my point is, I just think it's odd.

 

What games did this devs worked on?

[NWN_babaYaga]

Colonels bequest, quest for glory i think, kings quest, gabriels knight! that what i can recall immidiately

[Chaz]

Colonels bequest, quest for glory i think, kings quest, gabriels knight! that what i can recall immidiately

 

Well, I can't say I've heard of those, I only started playing after the 90's, console games at first and then switched to PC

[Malcador]

Well names like Carmack, Meier, Schafer still carry some weight. Molyneux too, I suppose. As for more recent, I have no idea - Levine ?

[Blarghagh]

Levine is a pretty good one, but on a whole I'd say those are the classic rock guys who keep touring, not big hit rockstars (to keep the analogy coming). How can we really know what the contribution of women towards game development is when we don't really know anyone's contribution to gaming development anymore?

[Malcador]

Well to be fair, the contribution people talk about here is being in charge I feel - no one cares about the female tool developer rather than the female lead designer. In those cases, I feel the companies will trot them out for the marketing.

[Oerwinde]

 

 

Colonels bequest, quest for glory i think, kings quest, gabriels knight! that what i can recall immidiately

Well, I can't say I've heard of those, I only started playing after the 90's, console games at first and then switched to PC

Mostly Adventure Games, Sierra and Lucasarts were the top of PC adventure gaming in the 80s and early 90s, and these were the people who drove the genre. The Quest for Glory games are still thought of with reverence by many people on these boards. GoG has the collection, definitely worth checkig out if you can look passed the graphics.

[NWN_babaYaga]

The female devs mentioned were pioneers in adventure games alongside the lucas arts Team, ron gilbert or Al Lowe with Leisure suit larry etc. So they influenced the adventure genre definately and i consider their games as very memorable gems of my past. I realy admire these persons cuz they not only gave me very good memories of gaming but they inspired me for the later days when i changed into the fantasy realm of modding. I would say that they are key personalities in gaming. You just have to play colonels bequest and see how she wrote that game... if you can stand the old EGA graphics.

 

so i would never dismiss their contributions at all. But the press should be specific about what exactly they have influenced and what went wrong maybe. With the dying out of the classic adventure games these woman´s ideas got pushed back by new kind of games. And one thing about Carmack. He was a monster back then writing 3d engine stuff with quake. Without him who knows where we would be. Same as with others. Everyone influenced something in one way that made our games today what they are capable of.

[Immortalis]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/arts/video-games/those-underappreciated-female-video-game-pioneers.html?_r=1

 

Guys here is a good read. Because of all the negative publicity around the Zoe Quinn incident  we don't  want to loose sight of the objective of gender equality in games on all levels

 

This article discusses what women developers have done for the industry

 

To quote the last paragraph  of the article " Video games will never be widely accepted as the art form of interactive culture if half of humanity doesn’t help to shape their future"

 

In other words we need more female involvement and representation in gaming development, that's what I understand by this?

 

I definately agree that woman should be treated equally and there should be more of them in game development.. (or just the field of software engineering in general).. However.. I think it's kind of hypocrytical to say "The Contributions women make towards.."

 

Why does gender matter.. isn't the point of equality to not judge achievements and performance based on gender.. I am being a little pedantic.. but.. is inequality only bad when its negative?

 

I am gonna get misquoted and yelled at..

Edited August 26, 2014 by Immortalis

[Nonek]

Amy Hennig? Her work on the Legacy of Kain games stands out for me, but i've heard that Uncharted was popular.

[kirottu]

Let's not forget our very own Green Shirt Girl or girls who wear other color shirts at Obsidian.

[Blarghagh]

I read something on this board recently about a female designer on Assassin's Creed?

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/arts/video-games/those-underappreciated-female-video-game-pioneers.html?_r=1

 

Guys here is a good read. Because of all the negative publicity around the Zoe Quinn incident  we don't  want to loose sight of the objective of gender equality in games on all levels

 

This article discusses what women developers have done for the industry

 

To quote the last paragraph  of the article " Video games will never be widely accepted as the art form of interactive culture if half of humanity doesn’t help to shape their future"

 

In other words we need more female involvement and representation in gaming development, that's what I understand by this?

 

I definately agree that woman should be treated equally and there should be more of them in game development.. (or just the field of software engineering in general).. However.. I think it's kind of hypocrytical to say "The Contributions women make towards.."

Why does gender matter.. isn't the point of equality to not judge achievements and performance based on gender.. I am being a little pedantic.. but.. is inequality only bad when its negative?

 

I am gonna get misquoted and yelled at..

 

 

I don't think you are. You made your point logically. I'd say the entire point of inequality is that it's always a negative for someone, however.

[Malcador]

Why does gender matter.. isn't the point of equality to not judge achievements and performance based on gender.. I am being a little pedantic.. but.. is inequality only bad when its negative?

It is, but "equality" for some means to just get not give, in my experience. As why gender mattering, who knows, referring to yourself as a $gender $occupation does nothing but subtly align your audience into camps.

[Chairchucker]

As long as the game is good I don't care the gender of the developer, to suggest that it HAS be 50/50 is sexists and has nothing to do with equality.

 

In other thread I commented I study two careers, one is 10% men and the other is 10% women. I'ts not an issue as long as people are FREE to choose.

 

But if we're going to celebrate women in the games industry, the first ones that come to my mind are the women doing voice acting, like Jennifer Hale or Felicia Day, i really liked her as Veronica in Fallout New Vegas!

 

Sometimes it's not as simple as 'if they wanted to be in X job they would'.

 

But don't take my word for it. Take this guy's.

 

http://whatwouldkingleonidasdo.tumblr.com/post/54989171152/how-i-discovered-gender-discrimination

[Nepenthe]

[Bos_hybrid]

 

[Blarghagh]

 

As long as the game is good I don't care the gender of the developer, to suggest that it HAS be 50/50 is sexists and has nothing to do with equality.

 

In other thread I commented I study two careers, one is 10% men and the other is 10% women. I'ts not an issue as long as people are FREE to choose.

 

But if we're going to celebrate women in the games industry, the first ones that come to my mind are the women doing voice acting, like Jennifer Hale or Felicia Day, i really liked her as Veronica in Fallout New Vegas!

 

Sometimes it's not as simple as 'if they wanted to be in X job they would'.

 

But don't take my word for it. Take this guy's.

 

http://whatwouldkingleonidasdo.tumblr.com/post/54989171152/how-i-discovered-gender-discrimination

 

 

Single experience can't be translated to statistical importance but that is a super interesting read. The tl;dr version for people who don't have time to read is:

 

"I'm a dude named Kim. I never got invited to job interviews. Then I put "Mr" in front of my name on my resumé and now that doesn't happen anymore."

[Fighter]

Sometimes it's not as simple as 'if they wanted to be in X job they would'.

 

But don't take my word for it. Take this guy's.

 

http://whatwouldkingleonidasdo.tumblr.com/post/54989171152/how-i-discovered-gender-discrimination

 

Personally I don't find this believable, at least not on average. Outside of internet crazies I have never met a business person that would just brush off an application because it is a woman.

 

But lets suppose this exists and is massively practised. What would the reasoning be? Just that "I don't like women" or is there some perception that a woman with kids will work less and is more high maintenance?

[Nepenthe]

 

Sometimes it's not as simple as 'if they wanted to be in X job they would'.

 

But don't take my word for it. Take this guy's.

 

http://whatwouldkingleonidasdo.tumblr.com/post/54989171152/how-i-discovered-gender-discrimination

 

Personally I don't find this believable, at least not on average. Outside of internet crazies I have never met a business person that would just brush off an application because it is a woman.

 

But lets suppose this exists and is massively practised. What would the reasoning be? Just that "I don't like women" or is there some perception that a woman with kids will work less and is more high maintenance?

 

They ruin the atmosphere in a workplace. Ask any (most) woman...

[BruceVC]

 

Sometimes it's not as simple as 'if they wanted to be in X job they would'.

 

But don't take my word for it. Take this guy's.

 

http://whatwouldkingleonidasdo.tumblr.com/post/54989171152/how-i-discovered-gender-discrimination

 

 

 

. Just that "I don't like women" or is there some perception that a woman with kids will work less and is more high maintenance?

 

Yes its as simple as that, there are certain cultures and people that have a view that a women in a particular job cannot be as efficient or effective as a man doing the same job. Therefore they prefer not hiring women. It sounds ridiculous but its a real form of bigotry and discrimination that exists in most societies which is why  we have certain legislation in many countries that aims to prevent this practice of sexism

[Fighter]

Yes its as simple as that, there are certain cultures and people that have a view that a women in a particular job cannot be as efficient or effective as a man doing the same job. Therefore they prefer not hiring women. It sounds ridiculous but its a real form of bigotry and discrimination that exists in most societies which is why  we have certain legislation in many countries that aims to prevent this practice of sexism

 

By legislation you mean forcing people to hire X amount of women? This cannot be a long term solution. No doubt this has resulted in a different kind of unfair hiring practices.

[Orogun01]

 

Yes its as simple as that, there are certain cultures and people that have a view that a women in a particular job cannot be as efficient or effective as a man doing the same job. Therefore they prefer not hiring women. It sounds ridiculous but its a real form of bigotry and discrimination that exists in most societies which is why  we have certain legislation in many countries that aims to prevent this practice of sexism

 

By legislation you mean forcing people to hire X amount of women? This cannot be a long term solution. No doubt this has resulted in a different kind of unfair hiring practices.

 

I imagine that they have those in place but there are so few women/minorities interested in gaming and willing to relocate that they can't fill those posts.

[BruceVC]

 

Yes its as simple as that, there are certain cultures and people that have a view that a women in a particular job cannot be as efficient or effective as a man doing the same job. Therefore they prefer not hiring women. It sounds ridiculous but its a real form of bigotry and discrimination that exists in most societies which is why  we have certain legislation in many countries that aims to prevent this practice of sexism

 

By legislation you mean forcing people to hire X amount of women? This cannot be a long term solution. No doubt this has resulted in a different kind of unfair hiring practices.

 

 

You may see it as forcing people to hire women, or other minorities, I see it as correcting an imbalance around employment practices in the work place and corporations. I see it as a progressive and necessary social step in order to have all people of any particular country fairly represented in the business sector. You  should see this as something positive

[BruceVC]

 

 

Yes its as simple as that, there are certain cultures and people that have a view that a women in a particular job cannot be as efficient or effective as a man doing the same job. Therefore they prefer not hiring women. It sounds ridiculous but its a real form of bigotry and discrimination that exists in most societies which is why  we have certain legislation in many countries that aims to prevent this practice of sexism

 

By legislation you mean forcing people to hire X amount of women? This cannot be a long term solution. No doubt this has resulted in a different kind of unfair hiring practices.

 

I imagine that they have those in place but there are so few women/minorities interested in gaming and willing to relocate that they can't fill those posts.

 

 

I agree with this, in  South Africa we have open positions in various businesses that don't always get filled because they are affirmative action positions and companies battle to find suitable candidates