Why closing the gender gap can help igaming reach its full potential
Image source: Bettor Media

Why closing the gender gap can help igaming reach its full potential

As with many other industries, online gambling can be considered guilty of fostering a gender imbalance, writes Jack Holmes, Affiliate & SEO Marketing Manager at Bettor Media.

But while there are similar levels of females and males within many positions, certainly those in the entry and middle levels, the same cannot be said for the ‘positions of power’ higher up – included in this list are roles such as company directors and CEOs.

In order for igaming to adopt a similar approach to other leading industries when it comes to closing the gender gap – which will allow the igaming industry to reach its full potential –  there is certainly more that can be done to champion female voices.

To this end, we have seen many companies create specific initiatives that are focused on appealing to women who want to get into the esports industry. Throughout all types of gaming, it would be great to see this replicated. 

This could be from behind-the-scenes work, such as game development within the casino or console gaming industry where there is a lot of room for growth and demand to get better. These kinds of roles are becoming more and more important, especially in the casino gaming industry where there is a real expectation that games will just continue to move forward as they take advantage of technology to become bigger and better. 

Could we see more gender diversity in those types of companies driving the production of big named titles in the future? If you check it out on the latest casino sites, you will see a long list of brand new games created each month, so there is certainly demand for this. 

Women Who Have Been Successful in the Gaming Industry

Whilst the outlook in terms of gender equality in the industry is slowly (but surely) starting to improve, we wanted to shine a light on some of the inspirational, talented, and hardworking female role models.

Lauren Duke works for Kabam, a studio that has had a lot of success with the Marvel Contest of Champions. Having joined and progressed through the igaming industry over the last few years, she is now the senior director of business development at the company, and one of the big decision-makers who are entrusted to push this company forward in the future. 

Someone else I believe is certainly a strong role model for younger women is Camilla Avellar,  a game designer for the company Supercell. She believes that she can offer different perspectives to those of her male colleagues when it comes to game development.  

In 2021, it goes without saying that every company should strive to have a diverse team – with diversity not confined to gender. Having people from different backgrounds on your team can offer a range of different opinions during the game development stages, something which can be hugely beneficial in the long-term.

With this in mind, and with companies wanting to branch out and become more diverse, that could lead to even more opportunities for the women that want to get involved.

Having Passion for Gaming

If you look at work of any kind, those who succeed – regardless of gender – are often the people who have the most passion for that particular subject, as they often possess the motivation to succeed.

But go back 20 years and gaming was very much aimed at the male market, so those young gamers who were neglected slightly were certainly put at a disadvantage. Whilst there is no definitive gender allocated style for gaming, when you look at the ‘male / female factors’ – there has undeniably been an increase in features which are more inclusive of all gender types. 

Examples of such are demonstrated in customisable characters which now allow a range of appearances and traits which go far beyond traditional gender definition. This is typical of something which has been constructed with inclusivity in mind.

For gaming to continue its growth, push boundaries and continue to include and inspire future generations, female voices are essential. The more gaming companies that embrace all types of diversity – whether that be race, gender, sexuality, or any other kind – the more representative of our society their games will be. This will encourage gamers of all backgrounds, new and old to use their keyboard, joypad or VR headset.

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