Waiting for an awesome conference
The issue of gender equality in the gaming industry has, perhaps, never been more relevant than this year, with women knocking on the, seemingly, locked doors of gaming. Organizations are struggling to become more inclusive, and inviting, to both female and male gamers.
Next week I’m leaving Stockholm to take part in the Gotland Game Conference (3rd to 5th of june). It will be an exciting continuation of last week’s participation in Nordic Game in Malmö. I especially look forward to ”Diversity Means Dollars” with Tom Abernathy from Microsoft Studios. But it’s far from the only exciting and groundbreaking happens during the conference. Sara Lempiäinen from Stardoll will give a lecture entitled ”Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and Heidi McDonald will give us inspiration under the headline ”Narrative as a Tool for inclusiveness.” Not least, we will hear an update from Andrea Hasselager and the project Game Girl Workshop in Palestine. What an amazing conference this will be, I’m so excited.
The cherry on top, and what I feel extremely privileged to do, is that towards the end of the conference, I have the honor to summarize much of all these smart conclusions in a panel with absolutely amazing intelligent and interesting people; Jenny Brusk, Åsa Roos, Thor Rutgersson, Annika Bergström… and me of course. At this panel, ”Creating Equal Cultures”, we will ask us and the audience the seemingly basic question: Why has it suddenly become controversial to not be a sexist?
At this discussion we will explore the following issues:
- what possibilities and limitations does the current games industry offer women and men; all the way from the game educations, to the work places to audience
- how can you help take action and be a positive change?
- how would education, the work place, and game development look in a more equal society?
To survive while waiting for this awesome conference, I recommend everyone to immerse themselves in Feminist Frequency, with Anita Sarkeesian, when she gives her series ”Damsel in Distress”. Part one and two embedded below, number three is coming up.
See you at the conference.
Damsel in Distress: Part 1
Damsel in Distress: Part 2
Gender Equality at Nordic Game 2013
At Nordic Game 2012 my session was about revealing myths about gender equality and gaming. The room was filled up to every seat and people were standing in the alleys. So the urge for gender equality was obvious. My presentation at Nordic Game 2012
This year I got upgraded to a larger room and had two sessions, a good grade I would say. It was so much fun and people in the audience had so many interesting questions. You can find my presentations here:
Arguments for Gender Equality
The issue of gender equality in the gaming industry has perhaps never been more relevant than this year. Women are knocking on the seemingly locked doors of gaming and organizations are struggling to become more inclusive and inviting to both female and male gamers.
The Intersection Between Stress and Creativity
Creative environments are often lined with hard to define goals and committed people with high performance requirements. This lecture will give you knowledge in areas which could prevent burnout and how to manage stress. Be inspired in how you as a leader and as a committed employee can act to create a more results-oriented team spirit, where the inevitable feeling of stress becomes a driving force to make the most of the diversity of the group, instead of a wall to crash into in. Become the best leader you can be – in the intersection between stress and creativity.
My thanks to the team behind Nordic Game for giving the Gender Equality-issues a ”bigger room” this year, and hopefully we’ll meet again next year.
Gamers gillar bra spel
Idag kan man läsa i DN om Charlotte Hagström och Jessica Enevolds treåriga forskningsprojekt om mammors roll i spelvärlden. Jag som är mycket engagerad i jämställdhet och spelvärlden tycker att detta är mycket intressant. Det är som om en gammal unken trasa ligger över spelbranschen och hindrar den från att bli så bra som den skulle kunna bli.
I artikeln kan man läsa att gamern Frances Blaxell anser att problemet är inte ”att det finns för få ‘kvinnliga’ eller ‘mammavänliga’ spel. Det som fattas är fler kvinnor inom spelutvecklingen.” Hon säger också: ”Det finns inga specifika spel som mammor gillar. Vi gillar bra spel, punkt.”
Det här är samma slutsats som jag kom fram till i min kandidatuppsats ”Jag kanske är lite nörd” 2008. Det finns en utbredd föreställning om att det finns tjejspel, ska göras tjejspel. Men precis då som nu så är det uppenbart att kvinnor, precis som män, gillar att spela bra spel. Spelen blir bättre om de som gör spelen har organisationer, ledarskap och anställda som kommer från hela talangpoolen, inte halva.
Känns alltid lite obehagligt att skriva sådana här saker som borde vara självklara år 2012 – men som inte är det tyvärr.
PS. Här är en länk till min föreläsning jag höll på Nordic Game i år om jämställdhet och spelindustrin: ”Myths about gender and gaming.”
