WE ARE Seeks to Inspire More Women to Become Part of the Gaming Industry at E3

The Electronic Software Association and Red Bull Media have launched We Are, an initiative designed to connect women with diverse backgrounds in the video games industry, to educate on the impact of women in the gaming industry and inspire even more to pursue their career goals. 

We Are will also launch with a booth at E3 2018 which includes live discussions with prominent women in the video game industry, a photo exhibition, custom merchandise, an arcade and more. Current programming features talks and panels with women in the industry, highlighting their contributions to game development, eSports, content creation and more. 

The new association’s press release detailed the group’s purpose and its programming schedule:

“Inspiring new female voices and talent to join the video game industry begins with showcasing the legacy of women and the impact they continue to have on video games,” said Anastasia Staten, executive director of the ESA Foundation. “Only 21 percent of game developers are women, but their contributions to video games are immeasurable. This initiative is about showing the next generation the difference they can make and guiding them on the path to make it happen.”

 We Are began as a traveling photo gallery that captured and celebrated the perspectives and contributions of women in the video game industry at 2017 conventions and events. The ongoing gallery is now featured on the new We Are website, which also provides a hub for content highlighting the diverse roles women hold within the video game world and aims to inspire new voices and talent from all backgrounds to contribute to the community and industry.”

Their E3 booth programming will touch on a variety of gaming’s creation and advocate stages. If you’re at E3 in Los Angeles next week, this is something definitely worth checking out. Gamer Passes for E3 are also still available at E3expo.com

Tuesday, June 12th

 4:00pm

Journeys into Games – a candid discussion on unique experiences getting into and succeeding in the games industry, featuring:

• Kiki Wolfkill, 343 Industries

• Liz Fiacco, Naughty Dog

• Mairin Wilson, Facebook

• Rachel Weber, GamesRadar+ (Moderator)

 

Wednesday, June 13th

12:30pm

The World of Esports – a discussion focused on the many roles in the esports world, featuring:

• Emily Chow, ESL Gaming

• Eunice Chen, Cloud9

• Samantha “Persia” Hancock, Commentator

• Victoria “VikkiKitty” Perez, Commentator

• Zorine Te, Content Creator (Moderator)

 

1:30pm

Small Studios, Big Ideas – a focus on making creative games at small studios where one often has to take on several roles, featuring:

• Caryl Shaw, Double Fine

• Siobhan Reddy, Media Molecule

• Robin Hunicke, Funomena

• Kelly Wallick, IGF/Indie Megabooth (Moderator)

 

3:30pm

Content Creators Talk Games – a discussion on creating games-focused content for fans, featuring:

• Mari Takahashi, Smosh Games

• Meghan Camarena, Strawburry17

• Sonja Reid, OMGitsfirefoxx

• Anne Lewis, Bethesda (Moderator)

 

Thursday, June 14th

 11:00am

Voice Acting and Performance Capture – an intimate conversation on bringing video game characters to life, featuring:

• Janina Gavankar, Actress

• Sydnee Goodman, IGN

 2:00pm

Live Art Studio with Kelly Toki – a live painting session of an official We Are print and audience Q&A with artist Kelly Toki

 

After We Are makes its formal introduction to the public at E3 2018, the initiative will continue to host live activations and programs around the country, including live panels, networking and fundraising events for the ESA Foundation scholarships throughout 2018 and into 2019. 

Check out We Are’s website to see the charter group of women creators who’ve made artistic contributions to some of your favorite video games. It’s a tremendous resource for young women who believe a future in the arts is out of reach. Before looking through their website, I knew women worked in various developer studios but had no clue just how many parts of the industry as a whole they’ve become prominent in. With organizations like We Are, I’m even more stoked to see what becomes of gaming in the future.