Jessica Horton, a digital environment designer for IllFonic, a video game developer, had no idea that gaming could be a legitimate career path for her. “It wasn’t until I had gone to school for a little while and was accepted into an art program that I realized that gaming was actually an option for me,” she said.

From the beginning, Horton noticed the clear gender imbalance in the games industry. “When I first started in games, me and my friend Felicia were two of three women in a company run by a woman,” she said. “That was it in a company of 60 or 70 people.”

This imbalance persists today. In 2020, women made up 46 percent of gamers but only 24 percent of those working in the gaming industry according to Forbes. In the top 14 companies, men hold 121 executive positions while women only hold 23, making up only 16 percent of executive roles.  

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“Going to game conventions, it’s usually very male dominated,” Horton said. In her own experience, however, the industry always welcomed women. “They would often be very accepting of me and my female friends and even be excited to see the variety of ideas that would be present.” That said, Horton has heard plenty of stories. “I have heard comments like ‘We don’t need to hire someone just because they’re a woman.’”

Game control

When she moved to IllFonic in 2018, she recognized the appeal of working at a smaller studio, where relationships within the company are paramount. “Everybody seems set on having the best working environment as possible and hiring people that would work out,” Horton said. “That was appealing to me because in game jobs you don’t always have control of who you work with.”

Horton said that inclusiveness in the workplace is driven by the willingness of the team to create a welcoming environment, as well as listening and adapting to every team member’s concerns. “These companies are made out of people and people aren’t perfect,” she said. “You’re definitely going to always have someone who has their biases or even a general atmosphere of not as much acceptance or not as much effort being made towards acceptance, but I think there has been a lot of change.”

Since Horton began her career, she has seen improvements in opportunities for women in gaming. “There’s a lot more women in games now than from when I started, but there is still room for smaller improvements,” she said. “Give women a few more chances to interview, or maybe seek out talented women. I do think with men and women, there are different life experiences so they can approach things differently.”

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While encouraging women to make more room for themselves in gaming, Horton wants the quality of her work to come first. “I don’t want to be discriminated against because I’m a woman, but I also don’t want to be given any special treatment just because I’m a woman,” she said. “I want my work to speak for itself. I know a lot of women who work in games who feel the same way. It’s not fun to feel like the only reasons you were given an opportunity is because you’re a woman. It can take away from that feeling of [having] worked really hard to get here.”

When she was studying, Horton was told that gaming was a competitive industry that she’d be unlikely to break into. Horton encourages anyone considering a career in gaming to follow their passion. “Figure out what you love the most and build your portfolio around that,” she said. “Your portfolio and how you represent yourself and how you advocate for yourself is so important. That’s how these companies get to know you.”

To learn more about opportunities in gaming and to explore other titles, visit https://www.illfonic.com/.

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Lucy Rissik, the marketing and partnerships director of Women in Games, shares her experience as a woman in the gaming industry, while giving advice for those looking for mentorship in a male-dominated field.

Before joining Women in Games in March of 2020, Rissik had been working in the gaming industry for ten years in a variety of roles. She worked at several different agencies and was a brand partnerships manager at Electronic Arts before co-founding her own agency. Throughout all of these ventures, Rissik has been involved with the women-in-gaming community, surrounding herself with others who aim for equity and parity for all women in the video game industry. 

Despite the fact that 46 percent of gamers are women, there are very few who work in the gaming industry, let alone in leadership positions. “Women and girls don’t openly talk about being gamers. Often, this is a reason why they dismiss the industry,” Rissik said.

According to Rissik, there are only two ways that this will change — either women in leadership roles have to transition over from other industries, or women have to be educated about the jobs that are actually available to them in the gaming world. 

 “There are many varied roles [in gaming],” she explained. “For example, outside of Women in Games, I have a brand partnerships agency focused on the industry. I am someone who puts brands into games and creates marketing campaigns outside of them. Beyond marketing, there are people who work on the music in games, create amazing concept art for characters, or develop beautiful worlds where the games are set.”

A larger issue

Rissik acknowledges that the lack of women in senior roles is an issue across the tech fields in general, but hopes that with further education, more girls and women will see gaming as a thriving career opportunity. 

Another area of potential influence is inside the content of the games themselves. Strong female characters and storylines may help draw women into the community, but there are surprisingly few out there.

“Seeing diversity in any form across video games is an amazing thing,” Rissik said. She mentioned that the gaming industry can take notes from other marketing campaigns, such as Dove’s campaign for “real beauty,” where all types of bodies are celebrated. After all, as Rissik said, “Not all women are built like Lara Croft.”

Finding mentors

Many women who are interested in gaming may seek out mentorship or community-minded organizations. In such a competitive industry, women supporting women feels paramount. With this in mind, Rissik offers advice to other women thinking about pursuing working in video games. 

“If you’re looking to come into the industry, I would research the different roles, companies, and games that interest you,” she said. “Reach out to them and see what events they are attending and speak to their HR or recruiters. Definitely attend events, many offer discounted rates for students, and learn.”

She recommends reaching out to other female professionals in the industry, as mentorship is a sure-fire way to help bolster your network. 

“Many companies have set up groups to support women internally and are looking at their diversity policies,” Rissik said. “There are some great games companies out there that are doing so much to get more women into the industry, and many who recognize the issue and are doing as much as they can to change it.”

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At what age did your love for gaming ignite?

Like many game devs, I was quite young when I became obsessed with games, five or six, with my own Gameboy. But I don’t think you need to play games from a young age to be a great game dev — all it takes is a love of our art form and its unique potential, which can start in adulthood.

When did you first become interested in pursuing an education/career in game design?

In college, I discovered actual humans were responsible for the stories and worlds of the games I loved, like the “Elder Scrolls” series (“Morrowind” was very big at the time). I decided that was what I would pursue by hook or by crook, even though I was a biology major.

How do you think your experience in this program varies from other more traditional programs? What’s it like being a female game designer in a traditionally male-dominated field?

SMU Guildhall, where I received my graduate degree for game development, remains uniquely focused on multi-disciplinary team game development taught by industry veterans in the same style and pace of today’s game studios, and the development of your professional portfolio – which is what you need more than anything. As for being a woman, I’m proud I co-founded Pixelles, a non-profit helping women make games. Join us!

What piece of advice would you give to young girls who are interested in pursuing an education/career similar to yours? What role do you see women in gaming in the future?

We don’t have enough good designers of any gender, so if you’re interested, just do it! When you play games, try to analyze exactly how and why they make certain experiences fun or interesting. And stay curious, about everything — it will keep your creations unique and personal.

Miray Hepgular

Game Design MFA Candidate, Laguna College of Art and Design

At what age did your love for gaming ignite?

I’ve loved video games for as long as I can remember. Definitely since childhood. When I was a child, playing games was a solitary practice; but, today, more and more people are beginning to realize that, perhaps more than any other entertainment medium, games provide enriching experiences and make positive impacts in people’s lives. 

When did you first become interested in pursuing an education/career in game design?

After working a variety of jobs, I knew I wanted to continue my education so that I could apply and improve upon all of my previous academic knowledge and professional skills in a field as exciting and diverse as Game Design. Pursuing Laguna College of Art and Design’s (LCAD) MFA in Game Design proved to be the perfect choice for me.  

How do you think your experience in this program varies from other more traditional programs? What’s it like being a female game designer in a traditionally male-dominated field?

LCAD’s Game Design MFA is truly unique in that it offers a holistic, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary approach to game design. Students learn from industry professionals what a game development cycle really is: from management to marketing, from monetization to business, from game engine technologies to narrative and audio designs, and on and on. 

What piece of advice would you give to young girls who are interested in pursuing an education/career similar to yours? What role do you see women in gaming in the future?

First, I want to say I don’t see any gender-specific roles in gaming. If you have the talent, the drive, and the spirit for collaboration, you can do anything, regardless of your gender. My advice for young girls (and boys) is to find the thing that you do best and keep doing it, over and over, no matter how long it takes. 

Staff, us.editorial@mediaplanet.com

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