It’s a known fact that males outnumber females in the gaming industry (heck, and just about everywhere else). Attitudes are changing though, and Lionhead creative director Gary Carr predicts that by the next decade we’ll see an even split between the number of men and women on a development team.
Speaking to Official Xbox Magazine, Carr stated that, “Isn’t there a stat now that says that 55 per cent of gamers are now girls? I think handheld devices and things like the Nintendo DS, these are really accessible, and girls are drawn to the market perhaps more than in our day, where it was either a console or the Amiga or something like that, a PC. I think as developers, in terms of job applicants, we’re noticing now that we’re at last getting the diversity we want when you’re coming up with a creative team. I don’t want to sit in a studio full of blokes, I want to be part of a diverse team.
“I don’t just want guys making games for guys. I want guys and girls making games for guys and girls. You have to reflect that in your workforce, and it’s starting to happen. I think that five to ten years from now, it’ll be pretty much 50-50.”