Last month, on March 28, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) hosted a panel called #1ReasonToBe, a discussion on gender diversity in the games industry inspired by the #1ReasonWhy hashtag. Now, you can watch it for free online, and if you've got an hour to spare, you totally should.
The #1ReasonWhy hashtag became a trend on Twitter back in November last year (2012) as women shared their reasons why they or others like them can feel unwelcome in the industry. #1ReasonToBe was a hashtag that sprung up as women also began to share positive stories, reasons why women should be joining the industry.
This panel covers both sides of the discussion, both negative and positive experiences that the speakers have had. Here's the official description from the GDC page:
“Inspired by the #1ReasonWhy and #1ReasonToBe hashtag discussion, join us for a rapid, fun microtalk-style celebration and exploration of what it means to be a woman in games. Each panelist will share her experience, its highs and lows, and explore a vision for a future industry that is inclusive for all. Panelists include Brenda Romero (Game Designer in Residence, University of California at Santa Cruz), Robin Hunicke (Co-Founder, Funomena!), Leigh Alexander (Editor at Large, Gamasutra), Elizabeth Sampat (Game Designer, Storm 8), Kim McAuliffe (Microsoft Studios) and Mattie Brice (MA Student, Creative Writing, San Francisco State University).”
The video shows both footage of the speakers and the presentation slides. Helpfully, it also splits the discussion into labelled parts, so you can watch some now and some later, or jump straight in on what a particular speaker says. If you do decide to watch, let us know what you think.
