Game industry has 'to do better' for gender equality

Women continue to feel the effects of a male-dominated video game industry, but they remain a necessary and needed voice, The Boston Globe reports.

The Globe spoke with men and women throughout the industry, including designers, developers and more. Tim Loew, executive director of Massachusetts' Digital Game Institute, said the workplace remains unequal for women in the gaming world.

"What you can pick up from women who work in the industry is that it's not a fair place for them," Loew said. "We have to do better because there is opportunity here for both genders."

Marleigh Norton, a cofounder and game developer at Green Door Labs, recalls problems of her own. At a lecture on software architecture in video games, a presenter included a prominent image of female buttocks as a slide background.

"If you are a woman in the industry, there are all these little signals that you are not part of the club, that this is not your tribe," Norton said. "After time, it wears you down."

The Globe reports that women account for only 11 percent of game designers and 3 percent of programmers in the industry today. In a salary survey published in 2011 by Game Developer Magazine, female programmers reportedly earn an average of $10,000 less than male programmers.

According to David Engle, chief executive at a Facebook game developer Nuukster, it's sometimes difficult to find qualified women to fill those programming or coding jobs.

Dave Bisceglia, another chief executive at a game developer called Tap Labs, called the female perspective "invaluable."

"When you build games for a male and female audience, you need men and women working on the games.," Bisceglia said.

The gaming industry continues to recognize sexism and inequality in the gaming industry. Polygon reported previously on the #1reasonwhy hashtag, which sparked conversation and attention on Twitter and industry-wide.