Experts to discuss exclusion in gaming underrepresentation and future of industry
Exclusionary aspects of the gaming industry and ways in which the industry can be more inclusive in the future will be highlighted at an event organised by our University on Thursday 28 September.
‘New Horizons in Gaming: Tech, Publics and Politics’, which is organised by the CAMEo Research Institute for Cultural and Media Economies, will feature gaming experts from industry and academia.
The event seeks to ask: what new gaming technologies can we expect? What new forms of interaction and community are emerging from gaming? And how can we make gaming more inclusive?
Dr Paula Serafini, Research Associate at CAMEo Research Institute for Cultural and Media Economies, who is organising the event, said: “In the last few years the gaming industry has seen fast-paced technical developments, as well as the evolving role of gaming as a social activity, and a number of controversies surrounding the exclusionary aspects of the industry and its publics.
“From Gamergate, which saw prominent women working in the games industry be subjected to harassment and abuse online, to the more recent controversy surrounding the vlogger PewDiePie’s use of racial slurs when live streaming gameplay, gaming culture has been surrounded by controversies related to diversity and representation in recent years.
“Part of this problem is the systemic underrepresentation of women and people of colour in the games industry. A 2012 Creative Skillset Census of the Creative Media Industries report showed that in 2012, the computer games workforce in the UK included only 14% women and just 4.7% individuals who identified as BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic)."
Following presentations and discussion, attendees are invited to stay for a pop-up arcade after-party (8.30-9.30pm) and play some of the most interesting and unusual games available for free online.
The event, ‘New Horizons in Gaming: Tech, Publics and Politics’, which is organised by the University of Leicester, will take place at the LCB Depot in Leicester, on 28 September between 6:00PM – 9:30PM.