Why more studios and partners than ever are supporting next week’s Women in Games Conference

MCV is proud to partner with this year’s annual Women in Games European Conference taking place next week on the 11th and 12th September in London – not that there’s only a handful of tickets left for anyone considering attending.

The conference this year is being supported by a number of new studios and partners. Including Creative Assembly, Sumo Group, Ubisoft and Rockstar, with Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games (pictured above) noting that they are “all looking to progress their equality and diversity programme to realise the benefits, both to their businesses and to their employees.”

With less than a week to conference now, representatives of some of the new partners were keen to speak on the benefits of the event and the organisation’s Corporate Ambassador Programme. 

“The work Women in Games does is incredibly valuable for inspiring, supporting and empowering diverse people within this global industry,” said Gareth Edmondson, Chief Operations Officer at Creative Assembly. “Our industry is making great progress and the right conversations are happening, but we need to continue pushing to ensure women and diverse talent across the board are represented and included.”

“Sumo Group is delighted to join the Corporate Ambassador Programme and to sponsor the Women in Games Conference and Awards 2019. We are committed to addressing gender inequality in the video games industry by inspiring the next generation of female game developers to enter the industry and by ensuring that the women already working in games are empowered and supported to reach their potential. We are proud to support the WIG’s fantastic work and join the community of studios and organisations that share our commitment,” said Karen McLoughlin, Group Director of HR

CJ Stockton, Head of Communications and Strategic Partnerships commented: “Ubisoft Reflections and Ubisoft Leamington has always been strongly committed to celebrating and promoting diversity in the workplace, so, it goes without saying that we are absolutely delighted to be sponsoring the 2019 Women in Games HR Summit in London. We’re also incredibly excited to be participating in this year’s Corporate Ambassador Programme, too. We look forward to helping educate, inspire and empower women already working in the industry, and those looking to pursue careers in the industry.”

“It is proven that a diverse workplace fuels creativity and success by bringing more depth and perspective to the table”

 

Existing partners such as 2K & Hangar 13, Outplay and Dovetail Games have continued their relationships with the organisation for this year.

“The games industry is one that celebrates uniqueness and encourages individualism. It welcomes people from all walks of life and strives for greatness by promoting diversity and talent. It is important to continue improving the growing industry’s community by introducing more women to opportunities within games. Women in Games is an organisation which helps achieve this and uses the power of voice and collaboration to get this important point across. It is proven that a diverse workplace fuels creativity and success by bringing more depth and perspective to the table, which is something that 2K and Hangar 13 promote throughout their studios.” says Rebecca Sampson, Studio Operations Manager.

The conference’s core theme this year is ‘The Future of Women’ in the game industry, with strands on play, technology, workplace, education, social impact and entrepreneurship. a dedicated HR summit, lab demonstrations and awards. 

Beyond the conference there’s plenty more to come from the organisation: “It’s full steam ahead to implement our vision of a games industry, culture and community free of gender discrimination, where full equality of opportunity, treatment and conditions empowers all women to achieve their full potential”, Isaaman explains, “we have identified four core verticals of action: Policy, Education, Industry and Community these spaces enable us to engage with and coordinate activism across the sector nationally and internationally. 

“With the growth of our strategic partnerships across games studios, with AHRC research initiatives and diversity collaborations with other organisations within the sector, such as Ukie and the BGI, we are positive significant and lasting change can be achieved. What’s absolutely crucial, is that we must all work together to form a strong, focused community capable of directing, implementing and sustaining lasting change.”