There are ”different approaches” to success she acknowledges but ”diversity of ideas” lead to breakthroughs. It’s not just about hiring women.
”I think a lot of people when they’re building companies think ‘I’m pretty good, I’ll hire a bunch of people like me,’” says PlayFirst boss Mari Baker.
”When you’re a white guy in a suit, that’s your thought, and you end up getting companies like that. I think there are lots of different approaches to success, but the diversity of ideas is what leads you to breakthroughs. I think a lot of people don’t necessarily think about it.”
It’s not just about trying to hire more women to get yourself a ‘diverse team’. ”I think that robust discussion and innovation comes from that mixture of ideas and skillsets.”
”So I don’t when I build a team consciously try to say ‘I am going to get more women on board’, but I think having that attitude valuing different views and mindsets helps to create an environment where you can build a more diverse team.”
”Certainly for PlayFirst it helps us to be really true and honest about serving the female market as well. I don’t think that women when it comes to a game specifically want to feel like it is made for women,” continued Baker.
”There’s a degree to which I just wanna play a good game, and I’m not trying to identify myself as a woman in choosing that game. I’m identifying myself as someone who wants to play a good and interesting game.”
According to a recent survey of UK developers only 4 percent of staff actually involved in making videogames are female. This likely hasn’t included many smaller independent teams that specialise in online games, but the bigger UK studio outfits.
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