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TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

Date post: 17-May-2015
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This week, we dedicated our meetup to talking about game development with a couple of experienced ladies in the field, who are set on making their valuable contribution towards the creation of immersive gaming experiences, as part of a new meetup organized in partnership with RGDA (Romanian Game Designers' Association). We're also happy to share that the news that this meetup is powered by MavenHut (http://mavenhut.com/)!
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Page 1: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)
Page 2: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

Key talking points1. Do we need more female game characters? 2. What are the benefits of a gender-balanced team from your

experience? 3. Are there enough role models for young female developers looking

to build a career in video game development?4. What should game developers know about addressing the female

gamer market segment? 5. What are some interesting career options for women in video game

development?6. What are some networking opportunities for women in video game

development?7. Could you estimate the impact inclusionary games are starting to

have on the gaming industry?8. What are the most rewarding aspects of your work?

Page 3: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsDo we need more female game characters?

Gabriela Tataru (Brailoiu), Business Performance Manager at KINGI think we have enough. I am working on Bubble Witch Saga and Candy Crush Saga so I think casual gaming has found the winning mixture.

Maria Negruta, Game Economy Designer at GameloftWhen it comes to casual games I think there are too many female characters, I don’t feel there is any shortage here. I wouldn’t say there is a shortage there but of course female characters are better to look at when you consider spending hours in a row at a game.

Corina Elena Tataranu, Development Manager at EA GamesI think there are enough too. I was playing Mortal Kombat and I was not too excited to play with female characters.

Page 4: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsBenefits of a gender balanced team

Gabriela Tataru (Brailoiu), Business Performance Manager at KINGA well-balanced team is more profitable because they bring together their experience. I wouldn’t split them; both genders are good to have.

Maria Negruta, Game Economy Designer at GameloftWhen it comes to teams, you can either have 1 female or a 50-50 split. You either go for one or for many when it comes to women in gaming, because they will become the alphas.

Corina Elena Tataranu, Development Manager at EA GamesI’ve seen a lot of good ideas coming from women, and people impressed by them. Idea generation would be a first skill for women, and then creating a team culture that’s more relaxed and more fun. One of our producers is a women and she really came up with stuff that would actually bind the team – a sign that women are tolerated and many enjoy working with them in the game development environment.

Page 5: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsRole models for girls in game development

Corina Elena Tataranu, Development Manager at EA GamesI found the role models when I started working at EA, but yes, there are! I’ve met some incredible people, both men and women, that have taught me a great lot of things.

Maria Negruta, Game Economy Designer at GameloftYeah there are, depending on the path you’d like to take. There are several women that are pretty well-known. Jane McGonnigal that also speaks on Ted and she’s really pretty so we are covered there as well.

Gabriela Tataru (Brailoiu), Business Performance Manager at KINGIn King 25% of the top management are women, so that says a lot. Women are encouraged to seek advancement opportunities

Page 6: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsAddressing the female gamer market

Gabriela Tataru (Brailoiu), Business Performance Manager at KINGWhen addressing women it’s very important to have highly usable platforms. It’s very important for them to have very handy things – a more platform-driven approach.

Maria Negruta, Game Economy Designer at GameloftHow the immersive experience works for women: steal their heart, eat their brains. The best example is Candy Crush Saga and this guy that constantly builds your self-esteem by calling you divine, and delicious and amazing every time you do a combo. What type of relationships do women develop with an immersive games? A strong bond with the character. Basically it will build emotion, tension, character so that you relate to it on a whole new level.

Page 7: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsCareer options for women in gaming

Corina Elena Tataranu, Development Manager at EA GamesThere’s a tons of options. For example in the team I work in we have female producers, female game designers, engineers, QAs, we’re pretty much everywhere. If we look at the quantity it’s not too much, but we’re spread everywhere.

Maria Negruta, Game Economy Designer at GameloftAny position is recommended for a woman. You need to have passion. For example, in my department – game economy design – all the others are men. If you’re a good professional, you can make it anywhere.

Gabriela Tataru (Brailoiu), Business Performance Manager at KINGIn KING we have 250 females out of a 840 employees network. It’s creative and it’s product management and it’s business – the opportunities are there and you have to take advantage of them.

Page 8: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsNetworking opportunities

Gabriela Tataru (Brailoiu), Business Performance Manager at KINGNothing on the local market yet.

Maria Negruta, Game Economy Designer at GameloftRGDA is the biggest supporter here in Romania. At an international level, there are several events dedicated to women in game development.

Page 9: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsThe impact of inclusionary games

Corina Elena Tataranu, Development Manager at EA GamesI think casual games work the best.

Gabriela Tataru (Brailoiu), Business Performance Manager at KINGThe figures are already on the market: we are having more than 100mill users/day on mobile only. Game engagement is pretty high and we have milions of new downloads every day. In our opinion this is the future.

Maria Negruta, Game Economy Designer at GameloftCreating a game that’s accessible to anyone does not necessarily mean making it stupid or easy. You have to challenge the player and add layers of depth to your service.

Page 10: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsFeedback from game players & enjoying your job

Corina Elena Tataranu, Development Manager at EA GamesI was walking in a restaurant and there were 3 kids playing FIFA on the iPad and one of them scored a goal and celebrated genuinely and I had that amazing feeling “oh, I did that!” There are millions of people enjoying games, filming them, putting it on YouTube and celebrating intensely. Social and the online environment has made it easy for us to interact with the users, not directly but enough as to understand what they like and what they don’t.

Maria Negruta, Game Economy Designer at GameloftEveryday makes me happy about my job. I wake up so happy that I have to go to work everyday. I am happy to see the numbers go up, to see the conversion points happen when I designed them to happen. I’d love to tell you more but pretty much it’s the end result when you see the metrics.

Gabriela Tataru (Brailoiu), Business Performance Manager at KINGIt’s the same here. I don’t hate Mondays and I’m genuinely happy to go see my friends each week. Seeing the results is also very encouraging and it all works out great in the end.

Page 11: TechHub Meetup: Ladies in video games development (powered by MavenHut)

TechHub Meetup InsightsOnline privacy & censorship

Resources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_and_video_games http://mashable.com/2014/04/02/animal-crossing-gender-gaming/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/commentisfree/2014/feb/19/video-games-need-more-women-female-characters http://kotaku.com/what-its-like-to-be-a-woman-making-games-1292389459/all


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