We were able to speak with several members of the “Women in Games France” association who are campaigning for more diversity within the industry. Our interview.
According to the latest report from SELL (Syndicate of Leisure Software Editors), women today represent almost half of video game consumers in France. However, the industry remains a predominantly male environment with numerous obstacles to hiring and daily life for women and non-binary people in France.
We took advantage of the 2024 edition of the Paris Games Week show to meet the members of the “Women in Games France” association and better understand their motivations, issues and challenges.
The general public may not know you. Could you introduce yourself and the “Women in Games France” association?
My name is Daphnée Zouankouan, I am a graphic designer and create content on Twitch and I am also a member of the Board of Directors of Women In Games France and a member of the “Afrogameuses” association.
“Women in Games France” is a professional association under the 1901 law which aims to strengthen diversity and mix in the Video Game industry in France. To do this, we mainly go through three areas of action with highlighting people who work in the industry, training and networking evenings, and finally we raise awareness among actors and actresses already present in the industry of interest. diversity within their companies.
The goal of your association is to “double the number of women and non-binary people in the industry within 10 years”, do you have an idea of this figure today?
Yes, currently we have 24% women and 5% non-binary people working in the Video Game industry in France. Figures that we highlighted in particular through an infographic that we produced a few months ago.
What actions has the association put in place to achieve this objective?
We mainly support actors and actresses in the industry and put in place guides and solutions for people who are already in Video Games or wish to enter it. For example, we have a guide to recognizing and preventing sexist behavior within a studio. It is also possible to call us for daily advice or for specific tasks. In particular, we create resources and offer training to help studio designers not to get lost in stereotypes when creating their characters and so that they are not too clichéd.
We also offer mentoring and “Boost!” workshops. to help people who work in the JV or who wish to work to find out about tips of the trade, advice for creating a network, etc. We also allow several members of the association to participate in events free of charge JV professionals in France (ADDON, Game Camp) or internationally (devcom, Game Developer Conference, etc.) in order to expand their network and learn lots of things!
Do you think the biggest difficulty for a woman or a non-binary person is in recruitment or even within the industry?
I’ll say both. When recruiting, women and non-binary people often tend not to be prioritized over men. As in any business, there are a lot of people or cronies who tend to recruit their friend rather than someone equally, if not better qualified. However, we feel that this tends to change over the years.
Access to recruitment is one example of difficulties in the industry. To help women and people of marginalized genders who are already in the studios, we have our “Boost!” conference series which offer various thematic workshops to help you enhance your skills, improve your CV, negotiate your salary, etc.
What actions and activities are offered by “Women in Games France” during Paris Games Week?
At the show we have a rather educational approach. We have been at the PGW show for around 5 years and we have our own stand in the “Games Made in France” area. For three years, we have been offering an interactive wheel called “inclusion” which allows you to learn about several themes such as the place of women in streaming or in the studio or even historical figures in Video Games. Visitors are asked questions and if they find the answer, they get small gifts like a badge or stickers.
We also present three games made by French studios with mixed teams or with women in charge. We have “Purrfect Brews”, “Multi Maze Party” and “Caravan SandWitch”.
Finally, we have several activities and conferences planned on different stages such as the Ubisoft stand or the Xbox stand where we are presenting the association. Our entire program is available on our website for those interested.
The question of gender and the place of women in video games has taken a worrying turn in recent months. How to explain such a phenomenon?
For us, this is a sign that we are doing our job well. Studios are increasingly playing the game of diversity and mix and it is logical that this does not please big toxic or misogynistic gamers unfortunately. They will have to get used to it because we will continue to be educational about all that! I don’t think it’s something that is really linked to Video Games, but to the society itself. As soon as we see a black character, a disabled character or simply a woman who is not sexualized, it is enough to trigger reactions today.
In particular, we observed a list of games and studios, but also of companies outside the JV which are highlighted to highlight diversity and gender diversity. It’s stupid but it helps us at the association because we better see the companies that are going in the right direction, so thank you to them! (laughs) We see these studios and their progress and this allows us to thank them directly.
The latest SELL report mentions that women represent almost half of players in France. How would you explain that stereotypes are still conveyed today?
Very good question (laughs) because in this figure, we generally include all the supports for playing Video Games, including mobile. The stereotypes about female gamers have certainly accompanied the stereotypes about mobile video games which are still considered by some people as “casual” and therefore less well perceived than the so-called “real” games on console or PC.
We also forget that there are still many women who have to take care of their children and/or are housewives. These people generally have less time to play video games and therefore consume them the way they can, namely on the phone. This doesn’t stop you from having excellent games on mobile.
We are on the “Games Made in France” stand and it must be said: French video games are not doing well recently. How can “Women in Games France” help industry players facing layoffs, poor game sales, etc.?
This situation does not only concern the Video Game sector. It is above all a repercussion of the Covid years when the studios recruited en masse to produce more, without worrying about “after”. Actors and actresses in the industry then suffer the full brunt of the backlash and this blocks us a little in our desire to advocate diversity within studios and recruitment. It’s difficult to encourage the arrival of new people when the industry is doing poorly.
However, a person affected by this situation can turn to us and contact us on our website or our official Discord server. We have several members of the industry there who can provide advice or even job offers that can help us bounce back.
But even if everything is going well for you, you can still chat with us, join “Women in Games” and our activities. It is possible to simply become a supporter or member of the association to keep it alive alongside us. Companies and studios can also become partners with “Women in Games France” to help us in our actions.