Time to think!

Who am I?

I make games. Video games! I am a dev, I am a managing director of a multi award winning games studio. I work, live and breathe this industry.

That is me.

That is Fee.

I am also female!

Do you now look at me differently? Do you think I shouldn’t be here in this industry? Do I do a crap job? Should I be looking after my three kids and cleaning the house? Do I have any less right to be a dev then you?

I hope the answer to this is NO a big NO!

Usually I shut up about things and appear impartial, this is due to several factors, usually because having been somewhat in the limelight most of my life for one thing or another, I have learnt to not be controversial. Now however I feel it is time to speak out.

I work in a male dominated industry. I love this industry with an extreme passion. I love the people I work with, socialize with and collaborate with. They are in the main ALL boys. I do not have issues with this. I have never suffered any discrimination because I am a girl on the whole and if I have I am a strong enough personality to say stop. I am treated as a game dev and that is what I am.

However… due to the recent events involving Zoe and now Intel pulling out of Gamasutra I would like to voice my recent experiences involving a few select males in the industry and no no names are going to be mentioned by me simply because this wasn’t a case of knowing sexism this was a case of lack of thought which I am now aiming to change.

In the past week on four occasions I have, as usual, been the only girl amongst a group of male devs. I am known by most people in the industry as I travel around to events a lot and am outgoing. On these occasions an unknown to me, male dev has joined the group and shook hands and talked to everyone in the group except me. Usually I would throw myself at them (I am known for hugging everyone) but on these occasions I chose not to, to see what happened. I was ignored and this can only be down to the fact I was female. It was later confirmed at one such meeting when another game dev said that this other male had thought I was a girlfriend or wife of another male dev. Why is it that we are so rare as females in this industry that the boys natural assumption is that the girl is not a dev.

Things need to change!

We all know we need more girls here. Girls think differently. We bring something different to development. We compliment development .We make it whole and inclusive. I miss girls as much as I love the boys I miss girls too.

All this scandal and nastiness is doing is putting girls off coming into what is an amazing, friendly, family of game devs with a very small percent of idiots which all industries have male and female.

Please stop and think!

Think that girl in the group could be or is a dev not someone’s wife or girlfriend!

Girls stand up and tell the world how much this industry means to you!

Think about perceptions.

Change the future.

That is all……

Fee… a game developer, MD, mother, giraffe, friend and female … in that order.