作者：Michael French

今年的游戏开发者大会（GDC）举办的时间再合适不过了，因为它关注的是如何让女性在游戏圈中的继续发挥自己的积极作用。

GDC 13(from kontagent)

在一个男性至上的行业中，女性普遍感到受挫。国际游戏开发者协会（IGDA）在聚会时请衣着暴露的女性现场跳舞表演，此举引发众议。本文的论题正是受此事件的启发。

IGDA被迫为事件致歉的几个小时后，也是#1ReasonToBe座谈小组探讨女性在行业中的形象问题的一天后，Microsoft组织了一次“Women In Games”活动，旨在寻找破除女性在游戏行业中求职障碍的方法。

在主持人兼演员的Felicia Day主持的简短座谈讨论中， Double Fine的Anna Kipniss、Thatgamecompany的前执行官Robin Hunicke、343 Industries的首席Kiki Wolfkill、学者Jane McGonigal和教育专家Colleen Macklin共同探讨了女性在游戏行业中的表现。

除了上文提到的最近闹到峰尖浪头的事件，座谈参与者均认可游戏行业焕发了新的活力—-它在许多方面的进步超过了其他媒体行业，除了性别不平衡的现象。

Double Fine的Kipnis指出：“我们的行业正处于人类历史上一次难得的创意复兴时期。”

Wolfkill同意道：“行业即将改变娱乐的接收方式，使之变得更加有意义。”

Hunicke表示，她很高兴看到能量在产业输出以及产业关联中所发挥的重要作用。

“游戏是一种社交联系的媒介”，无论是对玩家还是对制作游戏的团队而言。

“我的目标是推广我们所做的各种各样的游戏。”

Day虽然主演过多部电视剧和电影，但她最为人所知的还是受MMO启发的喜剧视频《The Guild》。她认为，游戏行业在“Women In Games”活动中表现出来的反对歧视女性的积极态度让她自己所身处的职业领域—-好莱坞感到蒙羞。

“媒体表现女性的刻板方式已经是难以根治的弊病。”

电子游戏领域似乎有所不同。所以Day问参与者自己如何克服在游戏行业遇到的女性歧视问题。

Hunicke解释道她曾经在补习班教授游戏设计，所以正在研修的设计师会遇到并不那么刻板的男性教员。

Macklin还强调年轻一代开发者的教育问题。“如果你有机会在当地教学，那就趁早吧。她呼吁在场的其他200名从事游戏业的女性拿出行动。

“为了游戏从业者的多样性，我们应该从年轻一代入手。”

Macklin还给在场的男性提了建议：“如果有人邀请你参与某个大会的座谈，如果只有男性参加，那你就应该拒绝出席。”

与此同时，Kipnis解释了她在网上如何被评论者们区别对待。

她提到：“当你谈论游戏的视频在YouTube上播放时，评论谈的往往是你的长相—-因此我再也不参与录制任何公开影像了。”

但在组织受名为“Peter Molydeux”的Twitter帐号启发的Molyjam活动时，她表示发现了游戏行业中的另一种小群体—-独立开发者似乎更乐意接纳女性、平等对待女性，并且已经有不少女性设计师。说到这里，她的目光闪烁有神。

她认为消除偏见的方式之一是像独立游戏开发者们那样：“独立群体非常友好，我们必须表现得不存在男女性别差异—-假装性别不是问题。”

Wolfkill指出了另一个极端，以及传统的大工作室在待性别不平衡时所采用的另一种方法。

在组建制作《光晕4》的343Industries工作室时，她从大范围的行业领域中筛选人才。

关键是“创造一个让女性感到舒适愉悦的环境。”她提到，在《光晕4》团队的面试中，那些从事过电影和电视的人都呼吁友好的雇用方式。雇佣他们有助于之后在工作室中保持相同的认同态度。

McGoniga同意各种积极性歧视（给予弱势者优惠待遇）可以使游戏从事者的组成更加多样化。

她说道：“我参加过GDC之类的活动，与会者在发言时引用的总是男性。”

“我等在那里，希望听到有人说到自己曾受某女性的启发。”她补充道自己曾经编辑过游戏开发人才的文件和话稿，为了实现男女比例平衡。

所以，当一个观众问嘉宾他们的灵感来源时，他们列举了美国艺术、教育和游戏设计领域中的人才如Barbara Frederickson、Brenda Romero/Braithwaite、Roberta Williams、Donella Meadows和Bell Hooks（以上均为女性）。

但是，在GDC期间举办的活动，谈话的重心最终会落在所有游戏的核心上：编程代码。

Hunicke认为，在游戏行业乃至整个世界中，我们必须教育下一代“任何事物都是可以破解的。”

“电脑可以改变世界，但在向女性传达这个信息时，我们却做得很糟糕。”

Macklin一针见血地指出：“学习程序—-它会让你变得更强大。”

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

GDC 13: Women In Games panel on industry representation

by Michael French

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect this afternoon for an event at GDC that looked at how women can continue to have strong positive presences within gaming culture.

Frustration is rife at the moment with industry sexism, but a willingness to fight scenes like the controversial IGDA party, which featured a number of scantily clad female dancers, and call out dubious practices, has punctuated recent headlines on the topic.

And today – just hours after the IGDA was forced to apologise for offensive party girls and a day after a #1ReasonToBe panel shared stories about women’s profile in the industry – a Women In Games lunch event hosted by Microsoft shined a light on further ways to break down barriers stopping women getting jobs in games.

A short panel discussion chaired by broadcaster and actress Felicia Day asked Double Fine’s Anna Kipniss, former Thatgamecompany exec Robin Hunicke, 343 Industries (Halo) chief Kiki Wolfkill, academic Jane McGonigal and educator Colleen Macklin about the representation of women in the game industry.

Despite the fact the issue has come to a head lately, the panelists were all agreed about renewed energies in the game industry – that in many ways better position it versus other mediums, despite concerns about gender imbalance in the workforce.

“Our industry is in a creative renaissance that is a very rare moment in human history,” said Double Fine’s Kipnis.

Wolfkill agreed: “We’re at a time in the industry where we are about to change, in meaningful ways, how entertainment is received.”

Hunicke said she was excited about how that energy can be used not just in terms of industry output, but in terms of industry relations.

“Games are a medium of social connection,” both in terms of players and amongst teams who make games.

“My aim is to push forward the kinds of games we make.”

Day, who has starred in TV shows and films but is best known for online videos including MMO-inspired comedy The Guild, implied that the game industry’s proactiveness in addressing the ‘women in games’ issues put her industry of employment – Hollywood – to shame.

“The way the media there represents women is endemic – that scaffolding is hard to shake.”

That’s not the same in video games, it seems. So Day asked the panel about ways they have tried to ‘move the needle’ on the perception about women in the game industry.

Hunicke explained she had taken a job teaching afterschool game design so that the learning designers would encounter a designer that wasn’t the stereotype of a male professor.

Macklin’s take was also focused on educating younger potential developers. “Start young, if you have an opportunity to teach at your local clubs, do it,” she urged the room of 200 other female game industry execs.

“For diversity to really happen we have to start younger.”

Macklin also offered advice to men in the room: “If you’re a guy and have been asked on a panel at a conference, then say ‘no’ if it’s all men on the panel.”

Kipnis, meanwhile, explained how she had been put off by the typical treatment of women by internet commenters.

“If a video is on YouTube of you talking about your game the comments tend to be about your appearance – that’s stopped me doing anything public,” she said.

But in organising the ‘Peter Molydeux’ inspired Molyjam, she said she found a subset of the game industry – indie developers – to be more welcoming to women and treated them without prejudice, and was filled with many other female designers. Her eyes were opened.

“The indie community is very welcoming,” she said, and realised that one way to remove prejudices was to behave the way indie games do: “We need to pretend that there is no stereotype – pretend it isn’t an issue.”

Wolfkill pointed to the other end of the spectrum, and the way traditional large-scale studios are staffed as another way to address gender imbalances.

In building 343 Industries so it could make Halo 4, she hired from a wide entertainment talent pool.

The key was “creating an environment for women to be comfortable in and enjoy”. She said in interviews for the Halo 4 team she found that those from a film and TV background were vocal about in what ways previous employment was welcoming. Hiring them would then help perpetuate that same attitude amongst the studio.

McGonigal agreed that all kinds of positive discrimination can refocus the lens on a more diverse industry.

“I have gone to things like GDC and have only seen men cited as influence, or quoted, in talks by other people,” she said.

“I sit there waiting, to hear the name of one woman who has been an inspiration,” she said, adding that she had proactively edited documents and talks that listed game development talent to include a balanced mix of male of female faces.

An audience member asked the panel to name their inspirations, and they pointed to figures in American art, education, and games design such as Barbara Frederickson, Brenda Romero/Braithwaite, Roberta Williams, Donella Meadows and Bell Hooks.

But of course, in an event held during GDC, the end of the conversation led to the heart of all games: code.

Hunicke said that the industry, and the world in general, needs to teach the next generation that “everything is hackable”.

“Computers can change the world but we are doing an awful job of communicating that to women,” she said.

Macklin’s take was more direct: “Learn to program – it will make you so much stronger.”(source:develop-online)