More Girls Need Industry Jobs

The Guardian has an editorial up discussing the need for more women in the games industry. From the article: "The development team of the Sims Online game, for example, was 40% female, while 60% of its players are female. The contemporary life-simulation setting has attracted a non-traditional (ie female) audience in a way no other game has, says the Elspa report. Jessica Lewis, producer of The Sims Online, has said: 'I think simply because more women are involved in the designs and development, a different kind of contribution happens. Diversity ... is a good thing when making a mainstream game.'"

Comments

New and More Correct Headline

[kc32]

Industry Jobs need More Girls.

Meh...

[Krater76]

Is this really a problem? Some people on here think that we are 'keeping them down' and some think women 'just aren't hardcore gamers.' I don't agree with either.

My wife and I dated in college. As computer savy as she is, and let's be honest, she can USE a computer not build one or install one, she has really no interest. As a software engineer she always expected me to know what's wrong with windows (frankly, no one knows what's wrong with windows - just reinstall). She now plays WoW but doesn't really care about any other games but I guess I don't really either.

She majored in Interior Design/Decorating which had about a 95%+ female class. The few guys that were in there were gay (and when I say 'gay' I mean 'gay', there is no stereotyping here). In my CS department they were trying to reach out to get more women interested, but were they doing that in her department for men? No. They just accepted that it's just not something men are interested in doing as careers and moved on. Everyone can debate about whether or not it's societal or 'just the way it is' but the plain fact is when a department honestly tries for diversity and fails due to lack of interest then you just have to let it go.

I never repressed any minorities or women (women are NOT a minority) and I don't know anyone in my department that did. And when there were women in our classes they were treated exceptionally well by all of us CS nerds.