It’s no secret that the video games industry has an inclusivity problem, particularly when it comes to women.
Throughout the years, women have been underrepresented in games studios around the world, despite the fact that the gender breakdown of people who play games is quickly approaching 50/50. Not to mention the consistently low female representation in the games themselves. The women who do manage to break into the industry are often faced with sexism from within. Just over the summer, for example, more than 70 people in the game industry — most of them women — took to Twitter with allegations of workplace discrimination, harassment and sexual assault.
This toxic environment is what led Laura Deutsch, Heather Ouida, Verta Maloney and Rebecca Dixon to co-found the*gameHERs, a platform that aims to connect, support and empower exceptional women in gaming.
Ouida says that, while facilitating conversations about the struggles these women face is important, that is not the overall goal of the*gameHERs. Instead, it is meant to be a place where women celebrate their successes and each other.
“There’s a lot of toxicity in the gaming space, especially toward women ... but what was fascinating for us was, when we were interviewing women from all over, that’s not what they wanted to talk about,” Ouida told Built In. “What they wanted to lead with was how gaming has positively impacted their life, what they’re doing in and out of gaming that brings them joy.”
For instance, Ouida says she spoke with a trans woman who was able to use gaming as a safe way to experiment with her gender identity. Another woman turned to games as a way to overcome the trauma of a sexual assault, while another, who is on the autism spectrum, uses Dungeons and Dragons and other roleplaying games to help build her social skills.
“It’s really been about leading with light and positivity,” Ouida said.
In keeping with its mission, the*gameHERs just launched its first-ever awards series last week.
The eight-week-long event is featuring weekly online programming and events hosted by prominent women in the gaming industry. The event is culminating in an awards ceremony on November 19, which will be live streamed on Twitch and hosted by YouTube star ‘Narz’ (Jennifer Vargas) among other favorites in the industry. The*gameHERs is planning to give out about 25 awards across five categories, ranging from “Twitch Streamer of the Year” to “Female Protagonist of the Year.”
Deutsch says that, although nominations opened just a week ago, hundreds have already come in. Voting will begin next month.
And of course, because this event is so new, the*gameHERs has been able to adapt to the hurdles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To be honest, we feel very lucky because, if you do it online, for obvious reasons, you can reach such a broader audience,” Deutsch told Built In. “I think, in a way, it’s going to be able to help us highlight even more women.”
Creating communities for women is something Deutsch and Ouida have spent years doing, starting with another NYC startup called Mommybites, which was created to be a space where moms can connect.
“Way back in 2006, we were both new moms at the time. And, in 2006, really that was before Facebook, it was before new moms could FaceTime. So women really struggled to make other mom friends and share experiences and share resources,” Ouida said. “We both really love bringing women together and, equally as important, we love creating really good content.... Not only do we love it, but we’re good at it.”
Mommybites went on to become one of the largest social and educational communities for moms in NYC before launching nationally in 2010. The company was then acquired by Davler Media in 2016.
Looking ahead, Deutsch and Ouida say they hope they can replicate the success of Mommybites and inspire other similar groups to grow.
“When we started Mommybites in 2006, there were really no groups out there for moms. But if you look at the moms market today, it is saturated with so many different types of groups for moms, which is amazing,” Deutsch said. “In my opinion, we’re in 2006 for women in gaming right now. I’m hoping that we inspire other women to create unique communities as well so that, 10 years from now, a woman in gaming can Google ‘communities for women in gaming’ and feel supported. We’re hoping to just break ground for everyone.”
Programming for the*gameHERs Awards begins on October 7 and the final awards ceremony will be held on November 19. Those interested in learning more about the event can do so here.
