thank you for taking the time to read this

I went to college for game programming, though I'm actually working in web development right now. I was the only girl in a class of 40ish. Luckily I was never harassed about it and my classmates were very chill, but there's a pretty obvious gender gap. An all girls dev team would be pretty awesome, but I think it'd be doomed to fail. Not because of the gender of the devs, but because of the judgmental nature of gamers. They'd never take it seriously :/.

I was lucky enough to see the "Girls in Gaming" panel at Calgary Expo this year, and a lot of what you said was what they said. And they were all for women-only events and groups, too!

So you're not alone in thinking what you are, and don't let a bunch of dinks change your mind. :)

I guess the mentality still leans towards "girls don't play video games". I'd love to see a far more balanced workplace...whatever the environment is.

I know in recent years...the Library I work at has hired more MALE staff than female. And when I started 20+ years ago, there were only two males. With the exception of one guy (fired for harassment)...the males hired fit in the environment pretty well.

So I think females can fit just fine in the gaming industry. I think the industry probably needs to change if their views and the views of the gamers think females have no real place in the industry. It's too bad your proposed "all female" group couldn't find a way to completely design a game anonymously and see how it could sell!

This might interest you: http://www.themarysue.com/julie-ann-horvarth-github-investigation/

A girl (who's a friend of mine) got into video game design this year, and she's the only girl in the entire career. From what I've seen and what she's told me, there's people who either treat her like a queen or like the scum of earth.

Now, I'm kind of scared because I'm gender neutral and I'm going to college next year for the same career but a different university (there's currently only two universities in my country that offer said career) and I'm scared of the reception I'll get ; o;

I'd want to add something to the conversation but I don't think I can really. But as long as we keep talking about it, hopefully smart people that somehow thinks like that will change their mind and younger people will get educated.

Oh, and I dunno if it happened yet, but I'd be interested to see a indie game made by a couple of girls. That could be a place to start with that idea. Anything new happens in Indie gaming anyway.

A lot of this has to do with science education - young girls lose an interest faster than boys for whatever reason (location, culture, etc., in terms of America, other countries it doesn't seem to be as big of a problem, especially if poor girls in Africa can turn urine into a machine to generate power of sorts and they're under 16, I believe). A lot is being done today to ensure girls don't lose an interest in science and whatnot. The results aren't going to be ideal, because let's face it: not all girls want to grow up making games, but there will be a boost in other fields of science, too. Schooling also has a lot to do with it: I went to an all girls private religious high school. I was never told being part of the gaming industry was an option for me, but marrying, cooking, etc. and having babies was. Of course I thought that was BS. I was never aware of the many options out there, and this is a huge issue I've seen. Luckily one girl was a kick-ass programmer in the school and I became her friend, so that kept my interest in site coding which led me to other coding things (C++, trying to learn java, etc.). I now encourage my younger sister to get into 3D and games - her and her friends are obsessed with games now. She's not that interested in making them yet, but if she never is, that's ok. I can at least give her the option to try it.

Some companies do discriminate, yes, but I don't expect it to be as common as it was back in say...the 50's or so. Yet even women back then were able to work at companies like Disney, and I cannot imagine how difficult that could have been. There is no reason why females can't get into the industry today when it's most likely 10x easier than it was then, except for a lack of women who know this can be a career. I know that Disney and other companies are specifically looking to hire females right now. I've been /told/ this by people working there. Discrimination is out there, it exists, I've seen it, but that's not a reason to give up, be upset, or use it as an excuse as to why job hunting is so hard right now. Pick yourself up, and try again. That's a very nice trait to have, to never give up regardless of how bleak things look, and is beneficial in a workplace. I think that's why women are definitely beneficial in any workplace, I think we tend to have that 'it's ok, we can do it!' attitude more than guys sometimes.

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ElizabethSampat/20140324/213806/Women_Dont_Want_To_Work_In_Games_And_Other_Myths.php (Even hints that Riot Games isn't the best place to work, name dropping!) This is a great article, written by a female in the game industry, about women working in the game industry, and a very realistic approach to how to get women interested without forcing them.

I think watching the credits in a lot of games for female names (though it's hard to tell sometimes) will help encourage you to see that yes, females are there! "Pom gets wifi" was made by a female (I enjoyed every second of it). http://www.cnet.com.au/leading-ladies-amazing-indie-games-made-by-women-339345174.htm Some more games produced / created by women. Journey was one, fucking beautiful game!! The numbers may not be high, but the women that are there in the positions to make actual games in that link are encouraging, and can the number can only get higher. And if you're not encouraged by it, I'm sorry. Maybe this isn't the industry for you.

This is completely possible, it's not impossible. I don't want anyone ever thinking 'I'm a female it's going to be so hard to get into this industry and find a job because I'm a female'. You HAVE to work hard, not because you're a female, but because that's what it takes to stand out. You've got to push yourself to the limits to show employers you're awesome, you're creative, and you are going to be that one thing the company has always been lacking, that it's your work they are hiring you for, not just because you're female. Hell, with all the game maker programs out there, there's almost no excuse why anyone right here can't make their own game, except you not doing it. Game Maker Studio by yoyogames, the basic package is free. Easy to learn. RPG maker, basic package is free. It's not too difficult. I've played with both and in a few hours got some weird 'game' thing made. Youtube has a ton of resources. DOTA allows you to make game assets for characters, here, watch this female do it on Twitch: www.twitch.tv/anuxinamoon She uses Zbrush most of the time, I think. Every female interested in game design is fully capable of designing, creating, and publishing a game of sorts. Any game. Even if it's a 'Barbie makes breakfast' game (which has hilarious possibilities). This, from my research, is the best way to get into the industry anyway: design and make a game, no matter how simple it is, even if it's a board or card game. Or, you know, all the women commenting on this journal can band together and make a game to make a change in the industry. It's the best thing you can do: Just MAKE a game.

slow claps Go get em!!
In most categories in the entertainment arts industry there is extreme sexism.

I went to an animation convention and it was really strange to me that all the girls drew in one style, and the boys in another... It seemed to me like all the successful professional women had a very cute fluffy graphic style, while the professional men drew in more diverse ways... Went home wondering what was up with that.
And when I say girls I mean- 10 out of 90 were women (probably less)

Absolutely preaching to the choir here. It disgusts me that people refuse to admit that this is so much of a problem.

i really hate the negative feedback that females get when they go into the gaming field, just because it's a "man's field, made by men, played by men". it's a huge issue and it really needs to be addressed and acknowledged

I agree with you 100%

As a transman, I spent a long time being seen and recognized as a women. I was often ignored, mistreated, or abused when I tried to get involved in things I was interested in, for instance Magic the Gathering. I've never been "pretty" by any stretch of the imagination so I was never wanted because I was a girl ewww get out this is for boys only. It absolutely disgusts me that now that I am seen and recognized as a man I NEVER get that kind of push back, I never get mistreated when it comes to these things, and other men will actually listen to me when I tell them to stop being sexist asses. Honestly I never realized how bad it was until I realized how differently I've been treated now that society sees me as a man.

It used to be comics, and now comics have kind of come to this begrudging "FINE GIRLS CAN COME I GUESS" state and now it's video games. It's like... we're all fucking people why the fuck does it matter what dingly dangly parts we have?

I work on indie games with people all over the world. A programmer/engineer I work with in Australia recently mentioned that the gaming industry there has hiring mandates for women and LGBT people because there is so little of them within the industry. Which is pretty nice :>

Also, just adding onto previous transman comment, I've also transitioned as male and find that I'm generally taken more seriously. If I say something now, I'm really listened to, and with fairly little effort. I've always been really mousy, but as a girl I'd have to repeat myself and try multiple times for my needs or opinions to be heard. On the flipside, though, I can't do a lot that I used to, particularly in the realm of expressing myself freely in public. Previously, I could wear anything I wanted and do most things without anyone really caring (aside from the occasional condescension). Now, I can't even look at children without fear of people thinking I'm a total creep, or get excited about someone's pet in public without being considered strange and awkward. God forbid I wear something not strictly masculine in design. It's really weird. There's a lot of nonsense on both sides.

I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED BY MOST OF THE JOURNAL BUT I MOSTLY UNDERSTOOD: THE GAMING INDUSTRY IS STILL AFRAID OF ANYTHING WITH A VAGINA.

It's sad to know people are still like this. xD
I think you need both genders involved with something like gaming to have reasonable well-rounded outcomes.

IDK-- I thought we had gone for a change since the CEO of OUYA is a chick-- and the musician for Child of Light was a chick-- albeit that's just the music but still.

But it looks like we still got another decade or two before the old 'girls don't play video games' mentality goes away. I still can't believe I grew up in a time where that and 'girls don't whistle' was actually an acceptable thing to think/say. OTL

I read all this. I feel ignorant to be shocked at the atmosphere that's is still perpetuated in the work force. I still work in a field that , though is lifting the glass ceilin, sexual assault, harassment and rape is still an issue. We have policy to protect people and punish those that hurt but there's still things that get in the way of justice and that means the victim (usually a woman) gets the shaft in one form or another.

And when I hear a small amount if men who feel comfortable to open up to me, they feel threatened and harvest an agnst towards women. But i'm "cool" because I'm not like most women, according to them. Obviously, theres ignorance to their mentality just like it'd be ignorant for me to complain to a man that all men are rapists.

I'm at the point of my career where I'm literally waiting for it to happen to me. Just trying to mentally prepare myself so that maybe, just maybe, it won't be such a sucker punch.

And that right there is why women get out of the service or are too afraid to sign up. You get assaulted or harassed, guess what, you still get to live and work with the person who assaulted or harassed you only for that person to get a slap on the wrist and not have to register as a sex offender.....

Hope I didn't go too 180 in my comment but wanted to share that there are equally sensitive situations elsewhere and its a real shame that we all have to deal with it wherever we choose to work or make a career out of.

I really do not get how or why the internet is currently the huge, annoying hot bed of controversy where completely obvious, simple truths like "women have it harder in gaming" are suddenly being extremist. They do. They SO do. And yet saying this is enough to start an argument filled with anecdotal evidence, biased/quote mined sources, and general lazy research all because people don't like it being said. And I say people because BOTH GENDERS DO IT (though it is majority male, yes).

All you need to do is look at ANYTHING that has happened to or has been said about Anita Sarkeesian to see how messed up, skewed, and in general broken gaming is about the topic.

I just wish it wasn't going down like this. I am in some ways glad that this is talked about so much, but I hate that extremists have been center stage of the discussion.