Anita Sarkeesian Says Gaming Diversity Initiatives Are "Broken" At GDC
thegamer.comVideo games are played by people all across the world, enjoyed by more than three billion, if approximate figures are to believed. That is to say, gamers come from anywhere and everywhere, and represent basically every variety of person that exists. However, the companies making these video games are often staffed rather uniformly and homogenously, when they could be benefitting from the proven advantages of having more diverse teams.
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) recently held its annual summit, in San Francisco, and it is where media critic and games academic Anita Sarkeesian made use of her GDC session to talk about DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion). In short, Sarkeesian thinks DEI is not only making little tangible impact but represents a broken system (via GamesIndustry.biz).
Related: Gamer Girls: 25 Women Who Built The Industry Book Review
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are framed as attempts to transform workplace environments into a space that is welcoming for all people, especially those historically underrepresented," Sarkeesian said, who is executive director of Feminist Frequency. "I'm not here to tell you that DEI is broken; I'm here to tell you that DEI is working as intended and that that's the problem".
Sarkeesian believes that DEI efforts as they exist and are implemented now can other people who are not white, cis, straight, or abled, and that even the best intentions behind these efforts often have little impact. The academic and director has spoken with executives and managers along with employee resource group (ERG) leaders and DEI stakeholders over recent years as part of her work.
According to a DEI manager Sarkeesian said she spoke with, DEI is often a panacea and is "an
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