The Entertainment Software Association Foundation, in conjunction with Red Bull Media House, have launched an initiative called We Are. The initiative is “designed to to connect women with diverse backgrounds in the video games industry, to educate on the impact of women in the community and the legacy they have achieved, and to inspire new voices and talent to contribute passionately to games”.
The initiative began today, with the launch of a website that will play host to content from industry veterans, as well as photo galleries, that seek to inspire women who may already be involved in the industry, and perhaps encourage those who are interested in joining it to follow their dreams.
The initiative will also have a booth at E3 that will include discussions, exhibitions, custom merchandise, an arcade, and more. There will also be talks and panels from industry insiders like Siobhan Reddy (Media Molecule), Robin Hunicke (Funomena), Kiki Wolfkill (343 Industries), Meghan Camarena (Strawburry17), Janina Gavankar (actress), and Eunice Chen (Cloud9). For those who are interested in a full list of what will be happening, and when, you can find it at the We Are Videogames website.
Anastasia Staten, executive director of the ESA Foundation, highlighted the reasons as to why an initiative like this is important.
I hope you will agree that the initiative certainly has a worthy cause. The greater the variety of people contributing to the hobby we love, the more interesting and deep that hobby will be.
Inspiring new female voices and talent to join the video game industry begins with showcasing the legacy of women and the impact they continue to have on video games. Only 21 percent of game developers are women, but their contributions to video games are immeasurable. This initiative is about showing the next generation the difference they can make and guiding them on the path to make it happen.
