Thoughts on DEI and the games industry from Amazon Games’ CFO

amazongames.com:

Across the games industry, from the biggest companies to smallest startups, the focus on creating work environments that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has never been more important.

In late April, Amazon Games’ CFO, Namrata Gandhi, joined other top female leaders for a timely panel discussion focused on DEI in the workplace at the annual GamesBeat Summit in Los Angeles. The lively conversation made note of the progress that’s been made—and got specific on how much more still needs to be done.

To bring further awareness to these important topics, Gandhi shared some of her own experiences and professional takeaways on DEI in the games industry. Read on for a Q&A on the topic.

There’s been significant focus on DEI within the gaming industry. Why do you see the industry as a good place for women, people of color, and other marginalized groups to work?

There has obviously been a lot of attention on this very real issue. However, while people naturally focus on the negative, we have also seen a big wave of change in the last few years, in many, if not all corners of the industry. What I’m seeing is a quickening pace of positive movement.

My career has had two distinct time frames—in the gaming industry and outside of it. By chance, I’ve always worked in male-dominated industries. The roles I held before I entered the gaming business were around analytics, investment banking, tech, and semiconductors, and honestly, diversity in representation there has historically been challenging and a point of discussion for years.

However, in gaming, I see both a push and a pull toward representation. Nearly 50% of the player population is now women, and there is a clear movement toward representation that finally breaks