WIGI Reception at AGDC

Please join The Guildhall at SMU and Women in Games International for our Austin Game Developers Conference Industry Reception Sept. 17 at Iron Cactus Mexican Grill and Margarita Bar!

What: AGC Reception
When: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Where: Iron Cactus Mexican Grill and Margarita Bar
606 Trinity Street
Austin, Texas 78701

Please RSVP to Diane Urquhart

Click here to get directions to Iron Cactus.

Women are over-worked and under-served by businesses

Excerpt:

Mr. Silverstein added, “Companies are failing to meet the needs of women in five key ways: Poor product design and customization for women; clumsy sales and marketing; inability to address the need for time-saving solutions; inability to provide a meaningful hook and differentiation, and failure to develop community.”

Leadership Development Forum

The Leadership Development Forum, held the day before Casual Connect Seattle, is a special one-day event organized by Women in Games International, Women in Games Vancouver and the IGDA Women in Games and is focused on personal development. All registered attendees to Casual Connect Seattle 2009 have access to the LeadershipDevelopment Forum. If you will not be attending Casual Connect Seattle, development professionals may purchase a special one-day pass for $25. One-day pass is only available to artists, producers, designers and programmers.

Date: July 20, 2009
Location: Triple Door, 216 Union Street, Seattle, WA
Includes lunch

Women in Games Lunch at Develop Conference

Time: Thursday 16th July, 12:00 onwards
Venue: Good Friends restaurant (Chinese), 24-25 Preston St.
How to get there: 0.2 mi from Develop. Exit the Hilton and turn right,
take the 4th right into Preston St. 4 mins walk.

A chance for women working in the industry to meet and network, just a
stone's throw away from the Hilton. Open to women of all games
industry sectors and disciplines, and to anyone interested in
supporting, investigating issues relating to, and celebrating gender
diversity in the industry.

Game Developers Gunning for Girl Power

"In the U.S. alone, video games for girls ages 2 to 12 generated sales of $1.4 billion for the 12-month period through April, according to sales tracker NPD Group. The girls segment represented about 7% of the total video game market for the period."

Luna Online - FTP MMO-Date-RPG

"This level of compatibility is shown to the players via a heart alarm. A heart alarm works the same as emote animations. It’s visible to all players and only activates when 2 characters are over 90% compatible. This Alarm lets both characters know that they have the possibility to date. To go on a date, the characters go to an NPC and after having a conversation with the NPC, they are teleported to the “Date Instance.”"

Industry comes clean on crunch

Results from Develop's Quality of Life in 2009 survey:

"Ninety-eight per cent of game developers across the world do not receive paid overtime, despite being frequently asked to work an extra ten to fifteen hours per week."

Deadline Extended for Womengamers.com Scholarship

The deadline for the WomenGamers.com - National Computer Camps Scholarship for Girls application has been extended to Friday, May 22.

WomenGamers.Com and National Computer Camp (NCC) are offering a scholarship valued at $985 to a female student (age 8-18) for one week. The National Computer Camp is America's original computer camp with locations in Connecticut, Georgia, New York, and Ohio.

WIGI/BIG E3 Mixer

Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: ESPN Zone
Street: 1011 S. Figueroa Street
City/Town: Los Angeles, CA

This event is sponsored by Disney Interactive Media Group and Sony Computer Entertainment.

Be sure to RSVP and bring your E3 pass for admission. (No admission without E3 pass.)

Click here for info on how to RSVP.

Video Game Girls Burlesque Show

Hmm. I suppose this is a natural extension of cosplay.

Since male video game characters are not included in this show, which ones would you want to strip for you?

Beyond 'Sweetie'

New York Times Article that looks at female learning styles. Does the Socratic method put women at a disadvantage? How can we incorporate knowledge of female learning styles into our games? Now that there are more women in higher education, classroom dynamics have changed...

"The criminal lawyer Alan Dershowitz, an advocate of the Socratic method who has taught at Harvard for four decades, has found that classroom dynamics have ''changed dramatically'' with the increase in women's enrollment. After he commented in one class that rape was -- statistically speaking -- ''a rare crime,'' a group of women complained to Professor Minow. When their concerns were relayed to Professor Dershowitz, he asked them to teach a lecture on rape from the victims' perspective. The women assigned the class to read the standards of consent to sexual intercourse and argued that statistics on rape could be inaccurate because of underreporting."

WIGI Mixer at GDC Canada

Date: May 13th
Time: 6-9 pm
Where: Uber Lounge @ Steamworks (375 Water Street)

Plus, discount code for WIGI members attending GDC Canada.

Register and receive CDN $100 Discount on GDC Canada All Access and Main Conference passes. Enter code GCA09WIGI during the registration process.

Action-Packed Short-Form Games: An Ideal Date?

This blog entry originally appeared on Game Design Aspect of the Month for April 2009's topic Designing Quality 2 - 3 Hour Games.

At GDC 2005 and GDC 2006, as co-founders of the non-profit, Girls in Games, Inc., Michelle Sorger and I conducted the popular "Attracting Women to Game Development" roundtables, which focused on recruitment and retention of women in the game industry. One comment during a discussion about bringing games into the lives of teenage girls has intrigued me over the years: a suggestion that the industry create 2 - 3 hour narrative-based games that teenage boys and girls could enjoy together, akin to going out to the movies.

Young girls, according to research, are enthralled by video games just as much as young boys, but in their teenage years, girls' interests typically turn to issues dealing with dating and socialization. Video games just like any type of sciences or maths are commonly viewed as interests for females who are socially awkward and undesirable. Therefore, girls veer away from the very subjects that could make them employable in the video game industry years from now. For years, people have said the issue is not that young female college freshmen are not interested in computer programming, but that teenage and middle school girls are not interested in computer programming. We're wasting our efforts if we devote all our energies to the college level.

But by transporting video games into the realm of social interaction and dating, the act of playing a video game become socially acceptable to teenage girls. It becomes part of the dating ritual, like going to a club or a movie. But what sort of short-form game would be appropriate for a date? And how would that dynamic be?

Normally, when boys and girls play video games together, boys end up playing the game. This has been noted in several studies of games used in educational settings. There are many explanations for this: girls typically are not video game literate and girls' play patterns differ from boys. Noah Falstein in a GDC 2009 session noted that when girls play, one takes the steering wheel while the others crowd around and give comments. For girls, no particular person is in control whereas boys are continually jockeying for control of the controller. Moreover, girls are not comfortable playing a game without knowing exactly how everything works. As Sheri Graner Ray has often stated, even back in the arcade age, a boy was playing the game while a girl stood watching.

However, I would posit that while girls' lack of controller dominance may discourage educational theorists who would want girls to participate (and learn) from games, this is perfectly OK in a social setting. No girl wants the possibility of failure in front of boy and repeated failure only leads to frustration. As casual game developers know, the more a casual player fails at a game, the more likely she is to stop playing the game. Moreover, when considering gender play patterns, it simply follows that a boy playing the game and a girl watching is a normal situation. And a girl's lack of controller dominance does not mean that she is not enjoying the game.

Anecdotally speaking, when a couple of game designers and I went through Gears of War 2 in one sitting, I was quite happy to let the guys go through the game because I knew they could get through it faster. Yet, I felt like I was participating because at choice points, I could voice my opinion, yelling "Right, Right!" or "No, Left!" when we drove over the frozen lakes. Normally, I find it silly to yell when I watch DVDs with friends, but because this game was interactive, I could participate in that way.

I might add that I typically do not enjoy action flicks on the wide screen. I have even fallen asleep during a Vin Diesel film because of the lack of deep characterization. So, it is somewhat surprising to me that I have come to this conclusion that action-packed short-form games would be ideal date material. Simply, in my experience, no other genre of games seemed to be right for this purpose. I have played Braid with the same guys and even though I used the controller with others commenting to me, a puzzle game is simply too slow-paced and furthermore, does not deliver a satisfying shared experience at 2 - 3 hours. I have found the same to be true for RPGs, which often meander and have a slow build-up.

Scientists have said that in the science of love, increased adrenaline output is part of falling in love, which is why television matchmakers try to hook couples up by giving them exciting dates like race car driving or bungee jumping. Fast-paced action games, if at 2 - 3 hours, incite adrenaline and are spectacles to be watch. The narratives, while they could be better, are straightforward and usually on rails like a movie. To top it off, if the couple had something like the Rez trance vibrator, then every time the boy blew away demon-alien hybrids, the girl would receive a happy jolt. However, that's not for first-date hijinks!

So what do you think? Should video games be part of the dating ritual?

Women in Games U.K. @ DIGRA 2009 Call for Papers

In partnership with DIGRA 2009, Women in Games U.K. are honored to issue a general call for papers to be presented at this year's DIGRA event at Brunel University, London, September 1-4. http://digra2009.newport.ac.uk. The submission form is available at: http://digra.newport.ac.uk/openconf.php. Submission deadline is Thursday, April 30, 2009.

Currently in its fifth year, Women in Games U.K. is an annual conference with the distinct aim of highlighting the most recent, groundbreaking work in computer game research and development to both academic and industrial worlds. WiG has consistently addressed the empowerment and professional development of women working in, and researching into, games and the games industry. In 2009 with the objective of widening the audience and reach of the initiative WiG is running a series of activities in parallel with key games events, both academic and industry, to deliver focused work to the wider community.

Microsoft Recognizes Game Industry Women

This article originally appeared as part of Edge Online's coverage of GDC 2009.

Microsoft held its first ever Women in Gaming Awards Luncheon on Wednesday during GDC, an intimate event recognizing the accomplishments of all women in an industry currently dominated by men.

Winners in the four award categories were:

Art
Kiki Wolfkill
Executive producer, director of art, Microsoft Game Studios, working on the Halo franchise

Design
Robin Hunicke
Designer and producer at EA, working on MySims, Boom Blox!

Programming
Corrinne Yu
Principal engine programmer, Halo Team Microsoft

Production
Siobhan Reddy
Producer on LittleBigPlanet at Media Molecule

Attending the luncheon via video was Sims and Spore man Will Wright, who was unable to make it to the event in person. But in his message he said that in his experience in working with women, they aren’t necessarily any better than men at design, but they are able to see things differently, and bring new depth to game design. In all, he’d like to see more women in senior management positions in the games industry

Sande Chen contributed to this report.

GDC: We Need More Women in Games

This article originally appeared as part of Edge Online's coverage of GDC 2009.

It's more critical than ever for women to get into games, whether it's as a player or as a developer.

That's according to a panel comprised primarily of women on the closing day of GDC. But women don't always recognize or even have confidence in their ability to be game designers.

“The game industry has created a box around itself that says 'get out,'" says Tracy Fullerton, associate professor of interactive media at University of Southern California. "If you’re not dedicated to hardcore games, you’re not a gamer," some believe. That leads some aspiring female designers to doubt themselves because they prefer so-called "casual" games, not Gears of War or Halo.

"I think the industry has to invite people to come in and play.” Nintendo, she notes, is a prime example of making gaming more inviting.

Attracting more females to actually work in the games industry is also tied to encouraging more women to play games. Men and women often play games in very different ways, and the best games encompass all play styles.

Fullerton talked about her experience in a Halo clan that was comprised of both men and women. “I realized we weren't playing the same game. The guys were playing ‘I beat that guy,’ whereas I was playing ‘I am hanging out with my friends,’ yet we were both having fun in that same game.’”

Noah Falstein, president of consulting firm The Inspiracy, was fascinated when he watched girl friends of his 10-year-old daughter play Diablo II. One of them wasn't interested in slaying monsters; she played it like a shopping game, buying different items.

“One of the effects of getting women into game design is that they are going to add play patterns," says Fullerton.

And with wider-appealing game design comes a wider audience, a good thing for the games industry as well as gamers.

Sande Chen contributed to this report.

Play Games to Work Smarter: Why It is More Critical than Ever that Women Play and Develop Games

This article originally appeared as part of GameDev.Net's coverage of GDC 2009.

by Sande Chen

In this panel put together by the IGDA Women in Games SIG, academics and business leaders came together to discuss the importance of video game literacy for women in the upcoming years. In addition, the leadership skills involved in playing some video games can help women succeed in their jobs.

"Cyber-socialization is different from socialization," said Diane Pozefsky, a research professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With businesses increasingly using distributed teams of people who have never met face-to-face, women who want to succeed in business will need to understand the subtleties of communication between avatars versus body language.

Moreover, the skills involved in running a remote team are the same ones needed to run a successful guild. As Phaedra Boinodiris, Serious Games Product Manager for IBM Software Group, revealed, IBM has been studying MMORPGs to see how they can be used in leadership and teamwork training. The military has even used fantasy raids in video games in its training.

Tracy Fullerton, Associate Professor of Interactive Media at the University of Southern California, agreed with this practice: "Games naturally help us to understand the forces that are at work in the leadership process. It allows us to rehearse bad and good strategies in leadership."

Online games can also teach women how to deal with environments dominated by males, something that may come in handy if they decide to work in game development.

But more and more, video game technology and video games are entering fields where women, rather than men, are the dominant population. These serious games, as they are called, will become part of the tools used in corporate culture, in the classroom, and in healthcare.

Noah Falstein, a serious games consultant, noted that at the most recent Games for Health conference, the audience there was much more balanced than at GDC. There was no gender or age bias since the teams and audiences for these games exhibit diversity.

That's an ideal the panelists hope can happen for regular game development, although they acknowledge that obstacles exist.

Fullerton observed that when young women come to her game design class, they often sit in the back and think that they don't belong. She has to convince them that they do in fact play games, even if the games they like are not Halo 3 but some Facebook app. These young women could not imagine themselves as game designers.

Falstein relayed a similar story: "I talked to a young woman on Monday and she said, 'I was a psychology major in college and I design games on my own, but I'm not sure if I would be a good game designer." The punchline was that the young woman was Erin Robinson, who two days later was one of the winners of the Game Design Challenge at GDC.

It's a familiar sentiment spoken by women, who have been beaten down by the prevailing judgment, that women aren't gamers and women shouldn't be in game design.

"The game industry has created a box around itself that says GET OUT," Fullerton said. "If you're not dedicated to hardcore games, then you're not a gamer." Instead, Fullerton felt that it was up to the industry to invite women into the fold. Research has shown that this could have a beneficial effect for games.

For instance, when boys and girls are asked to develop games, it's the girls' games that are enjoyed by everyone whereas only boys seemed to like the games they developed. Women developers tend to add more play patterns, enabling more people to enjoy the game.

Falstein remarked after telling the story of his daughter's playtime with Diablo 2: "Watching a bunch of 10-year-old girls play Diablo 2 was eye-opening. It was completely different from boys." The girls tended to play collaboratively whereas boys would compete for control of the avatar.

The panelists agreed that more mainstream games, such as Wii Sports, are a positive trend for the industry. If more women play games and more women develop games, then they can be part of this growing trend.

"Hopefully, we won't have stereotypical games that young male designers think little girls want, but about what people want," said Falstein.

National Computer Camp Scholarship

WomenGamers.Com and National Computer Camp (NCC) are once again offering a scholarship valued at $985 to a female student (age 8-18) for one week. The National Computer Camp is America's original computer camp with locations in Connecticut, Georgia, New York, and Ohio. Applications are due by May15th, 2009.

2009 G.I.R.L. Scholarship

Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 G.I.R.L. Scholarship to help educate and recruit more women into the field of video game production and design. Sponsored by Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) a global leader in online gaming, and administered by Scholarship America®, a leading non-profit educational support program, applications are available at https://www.scholarshipamerica.org/gamersinreallife and more details, including official rules for entry are available online at http://www.station.sony.com/girl/.

For 2009, the scholarship winner has the option of working at SOE San Diego on our forthcoming MMO Free Realms.

Applications are due by April 29, 2009.

Call for Submissions: Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced the call for submissions for the 2009 Dr. Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund, established to support students in pursuit of careers in game design, development and production. The AIAS will award four $2,500 scholarships to students attending accredited universities.

The scholarship fund honors Dr. Randy Pausch, professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Dr. Pausch, a co-founder of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), has had great influence within the industry through his teachings, sabbaticals at Walt Disney Imagineering and Electronic Arts and consultation with Google on user interface design.

Information on the Dr. Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund and the application process will be available beginning March 31, 2009 at www.interactive.org.

Girls in Tech NYC Relaunch Party

The NYC chapter of Girls in Tech has relaunched with a new Managing Director and organizing team. Our goal is the enrich the experience of women in technology in the New York metro area, helping them to make connections, learn valuable career and life skills, and, above all, have FUN with other like-minded women in the thriving New York tech community.

(Pssst...this event is co-ed. Gents are welcome too!)

RAFFLE PRIZE

We'll be raffling off a hot KaraB laptop bag courtesy of eBags. Your ticket for the door gets you a ticket for the raffle!

GUEST SPEAKERS

Juliette Powell is a media entrepreneur, a community catalyst and author of '33 Million People in the Room: How to create, influence and Run a Successful Business with Social Networking' http://www.juliettepowell.com/book.php

Drawing on first hand experience as a social media expert and co-founder of The Gathering Think Tank, an innovation forum that connects technology, media, entertainment, and business communities, Powell writes about the patterns and practices of successful business leaders who bank on social networking to win. Powell’s background includes a decade of experience in broadcast television as well as in interactive/new media content and formats, and a lifelong interest in people and community-building. With her deep knowledge of the people and technologies at the forefront of social media, Powell has gained a solid reputation for discovering the latest developments and distilling their social and business implications. Her consulting services have been employed by corporate,government and new media organizations, including Red Bull, Mozilla,Microsoft, Compaq, Trump International, the United Nations, the Departmentof Justice, Paltalk, Rocketboom and Nokia.

Joanne Colan has 7 years experience hosting, writing, co-producing and creating broadcast television and radio for major networks and cable channels across international markets.

A recognized name in New Media, Joanne currently hosts daily the video blog Rocketboom <http://www.rocketboom.com/>. With over 100,000 downloads per episode, Rocketboom has been awarded Vloggies Best News Vlog and was an honorary Webby Award 2007 winner.

When: Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Where: M1-5 Lounge
Cost: $10 advance, $15 at the door
RSVP: http://gitnyc033109.eventbrite.com/

Could You Imagine "Blind" Interviews?

from Women for Hire newsletter:

Before blind auditions became common in the 70s, just 10% of new hires at major U.S. orchestras were women. The theory was that women weren't very good musicians. But labor unions protested the hiring process and pushed for blind auditions where musicians would try out behind a curtain so appearance and gender were concealed. In studying personnel from 11 major orchestras, Harvard economist Claudia Goldin and Princeton’s Cecelia Rouse found that 29% of females and 20% of males advanced to the final round in blind auditions. When auditions were not blind, only 19% of women advanced compared to 23% of men. Even though sex discrimination is hard to measure, those stats speak volumes. Fortunately, since the 80s, about half the new hires at the New York Philharmonic, 40% at the San Francisco Symphony and more than a third in Boston and Chicago have been women.

Paid Maternity Leave is a Win-Win Formula

In this op-ed for the Financial Times, Michael Skapinker argues that even in these times of economic downturn, it is more beneficial to companies and to society to have paid maternity leave than to force a mother to resign if she wants to stay with her baby. Some say that it imposes extra costs -- but on the other hand, perhaps in these times, companies may want a valued worker who comes in part-time to the office.

An excerpt:

There are not many countries in the world with no paid maternity leave. The International Labour Organisation lists only four others: Lesotho, Swaziland, Papua New Guinea and the US. To anyone living in a country where paid maternity leave is well-established, the consequences of not having it are arresting. In the US, the law requires companies with more than 50 employees to offer at least 12 weeks' unpaid leave after childbirth. What do US mothers do after that?

Why Women Managers Shine in a Downtown

In this article, Michel Ferrary, Professor of Management at Ceram Business School in France, finds that his research shows that companies with more women in management seem to be better protected against financial crisis. In contrast, companies with mainly male management had their stock prices decrease more than the French CAC 40 stock exchange index. The more women in the management, the less the share price decreased. There is a significant coefficient of correlation.

Excerpt:

In conditions of high uncertainty, financial markets value companies that take fewer risks and are more stable. Several gender studies have pointed out that women behave and manage differently from men. They tend to be more risk-averse and to focus more on a long-term perspective. A larger proportion of female managers appears to balance the risk-taking behaviour of their male colleagues.

WIGI Community Mixer at GDC 2009

Location:
The Art Institute of California - San Francisco
1170 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(Just a few short blocks from Moscone center at 7th & Market Streets)

Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Time: 6:30 p.m. — 9:00 p.m.

RSVP through Facebook, LinkedIn, or Evite

Women who hit glass ceiling are pushed to start new businesses

"New research from the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Business Administration suggests Parry is correct. Professors found that the perception that women will have more family-work conflicts than men exists today, even when evidence runs to the contrary.

They also found the stereotype affects women's upward mobility, said Jenny Hoobler, an assistant professor of management who led the study.

"We found that rather than women's actual family-work conflict, bosses' biased perceptions" of it account for why women are given fewer promotions, she said."

Petition to Congress for Equal Pay Remedy

Dear Friend,

Last year, the Senate failed to get the 60 votes necessary to force an up-or-down vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would mandate that women receive equal pay for equal work. Now, with a new session of Congress in place, the House is ready to take up the fight again.

With President-elect Obama soon to take office, we now have a real chance to pass this legislation that could do so much for so many American women. There will be a battle in the Senate, and the best way to come out of the gate strong is for the bill to pass by an overwhelming majority in the House.

Women across America are counting on Congress - I just took action to tell my member of Congress to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I hope you will, too.

Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/support_ledbetter/?r_by=-1935465-3wAQb9x&rc=paste

Thanks!

Animation Army WIGI Mixer in L.A.

Date: Sun, Jan 18, 2009
Time: 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Hosted by: Animation Army & WIGI

This month's PRESENTER: Richard Taylor - EA Games
Richard has been working on the cutting edge of visual CG production for decades. From directing effects on Disney's TRON to winning CLIOs and HUGOs for directing huge commercial campaigns like the 7 Up "Spot." Richard is now the Cinematic Director at Electronic Arts L.A. Studio where he designs and directs cinematic sequences for games such as: Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth, I & II, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars.

THANKS TO RICHARD & EA GAMES SOME LUCKY ATTENDEES WILL WIN SOME NEW EA GAMES FOR
XBOX AND Wii...DON'T MISS IT!!

We are also giving away a "resume overhaul" ($600 value) from the Mary-Margaret Network and a career coaching session from Pamela Thompson recruiting, fully rigged 3D character design from Evolver and games from Electronic Arts.

Our generous sponsors include: Mary-Margaret Network, Evolver, Pamela Thompson Recruiting, Electronic Arts and Sheppard Mullin.

WIGI Vancouver Fundraiser

Tuesday, December 9, 2008
6 pm to 9 pm

Co-hosted by Wired Woman & Women in Games International
$25 members (visit www.wiredwoman.com > -
membership is free! so subscribe and then register) / $35 non-members

Special $10 student rate:
email mentorship.van@wiredwoman.com to obtain your student rate! (Please
show valid student ID at the door).

Secretly wanting to expose your inner Rock Band? Have a competitive edge in
you? Or just want to come out and have fun, network, and mingle? Join us for
a pre-Christmas mixer! This event is going to be a blast! Lots of door
prizes, games, contests, great people, food, drinks, engaging conversation
and a whole lotta fun!

PLUS.... BREAKING NEWS:
We'll be rockin'. Battle of the Bands - ROCKBAND

This event is a fundraiser. Funds will enable our Vancouver chapter to
grow, and other directives to be determined at upcoming focus groups.

Women in Games International Launches Online Auction

eBay Auction Raise Funds for National Games Non-Profit

Women in Games International (WIGI) presents their WIGI Celebrity Ebay Auction, a collection of over a hundred video games and game-related merchandise items -- much of it signed by industry leaders -- being auctioned to raise funds for Women in Games International.

If there's one thing gamers love more than games themselves, it's awesome game-related merchandise. That's why Women in Games International is happy to announce their 2008 celebrity auction, a collection of over 100 items generously donated by leaders in the video game industry -- including Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, Electronic Arts, and many other game companies.

WIGI auction items include everything from signed blockbuster games to game design books to hard-to-find vintage paraphernalia. You can check out their website for a full list of items. A few items that may pique the interest of bidders include Halo 3 high-quality black messenger bag with Halo figurine, books, and posters, signed special edition Xbox 360 copy of Frontlines with signed Kaos shirt, signed Gears of War messenger bag, Gears of War bottle opener, and An Inside Look at Gears of War 2 book, and much, much more.

To find the WIGI auction items online and starting the bidding process, visit: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/silvar1_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ, or just go to eBay.com and search for "2008 WIGI Auction." Bidding for the auction begins Saturday, 11/22, in conjunction with the Philadelphia event VGXPO. All proceeds go to support Women in Games International, a non-profit organization that has been working over the last four years to further the inclusion and advancement of women in the game industry.

Visit www.womeningamesinternational.org to see the complete auction item list. Just in time for the holidays, you can begin your bidding online for unique game gifts on Saturday, November 22.

Recession dents image of macho management

"It has been suggested these women will be able to guide the banks through tough times without taking the kind of aggressive risks that brought the country's banking system to its knees. One government official said at the time: "The men make the mess and the women come in to clean it up."

Yet, according to analysis of British companies carried out by the Financial Times, troubled companies would be misguided to rely on female chief executives derisking their operations after male misadventures.

If anything, the research suggests that companies with female CEOs tend to be even more aggressive - with many pursuing ambitious expansion strategies and borrowing large amounts."

Where Are the Video Games Women Really Want?

"The notion, however, that men alone rule the gaming realm is as outdated as the Atari 2600. Men, women and children alike have answered the call to play. While the gaming industry has long tailored its approach to gaming for young men and boys, women and girls have been largely left out."

Female Representation In Games Across Genres, Consoles

Which Genres Provide Male-Only, Female-Only Protagonists?

Women left on sidelines in video game revolution

L.A. times article looks into glass ceilings and the gender gap in salaries.

"Those who do land game-related jobs make less money on average than their male counterparts. Women at all levels of the field earned an average of $64,643 last year, while men earned $74,459, according to the survey."

Co-worker hobbies encourage synergy, productivity

Staff sing from one hymn sheet

Take a leaf out of these corporate bibliophiles' book, FT, Oct 14, 2008

"Reading, especially high quality reading, is the mental equivalent of losing weight, eating better or going to the gym and has similar benefits."

2 articles from the Financial Times highlight that corporate programs done for seemingly frivolous entertainment have led to synergy and increased productivity.

The Sony Philharmonic Orchestra, composed mostly of engineers in Sony's divisions, has had the positive side effect of collaborations between departments. Reading programs have led to reading groups and book clubs. Reading not only improves communication skills but also, research of brain scans indicate that people who read literature, such as Shakespeare, have dramatic spikes in positive brain activity.

New Video Game Aimed At Teen Girls Made In MN

PopStar - a Guitar Hero clone for teenyboppers

Meeting The Needs Of Hispanic Girls With Hip Chicas

"Hip Chicas recently launched a beta for its Latina-themed virtual world hoping to change that. It's a Latina-themed virtual world for tween girls with a strong theme of "helping improve the planet" -- instead of the "traditionally negative" themes Fuentes has noticed in products targeting Hispanic girls, like "bling-bling, shopping or lipstick."

If Women Were More Like Men: Why Females Earn Less

Evidence of sex discrimination in the workplace?

The first ever transgender study of the wage gap shows that men who become women do not do as well financially as women who become men.

In addition, when musicians auditioned behind a screen, this increased the likelihood of a woman getting hired for the symphony.

"He told Schilt that after he transitioned from female to male, another lawyer mistakenly believed that Susan had been fired and replaced by Thomas. The other lawyer commended the firm's boss for the replacement. He said Susan had been incompetent; "the new guy," he added, was "just delightful.""

Hand over the controller, girl gamers say

Females accounted for 21% of the total sales growth last year:

In the U.S. economic slowdown, much is riding on the female gamers said Edward Williams, managing director of equity research at BMO Capital Markets.

"Publishers and developers need to create the right content that appeals to more girls in order to maintain the health of the industry," Williams said.

Special Edition Pink Madden NFL

"EA is supporting charitable efforts by releasing a limited-edition version of Madden NFL 09 that displays a pink ribbon logo in support of breast cancer awareness. Proceeds from "Madden NFL Pink" will support the Deanna Favre HOPE Foundation."

Study Reveals Women Choose Video Games Instead of Sleep

"According to the E for All / PoshMama survey, more than one-third of those surveyed say that they play video games when they should be sleeping. Women in the survey also say they play video games in other unusual circumstances, including: while on the phone (32%); while at work/in a meeting (20%); and, while preparing for work (12%). When it comes to spare time, nearly twice as many women say that, if given an extra hour of free time at home, they would rather play video games than catch up on sleep."

Commentary on NY Games Conference

I've just returned from the first annual NY Games Conference in NYC, which was held on September 25 - 26, 2008.

Reality Check! Q&A with our Panel of Gamers from the Millennial Generation

What struck me about the teenage girls' comments was that they mostly found out about games through their brothers... and did not have much of an idea of how their brothers found out about games. As for the purchasing of games, they said they bought games for their brothers.

This mirrors previous research that was presented at a past GDC. College-age women mostly found out about games through their husbands or boyfriends. This is why women are typically the "2nd user" of a game. If the game is in the household, they will play it. College-age women also typically bought games for boyfriends or husbands as gifts.

Games of Tomorrow and the Future of MMOGs
John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, revealed that the EverQuest demographic was 85% male, with an average age of 33. This is why with FreeRealms, SOE wants to appeal to girls and try to get the male-female ratio to 50:50. Smedley explained that since combat appeals to boys more, making combat optional is a way to appeal to girls. Smedley also pointed to the recent success of the movie Dark Knight in asserting that DC Universe Online, as a licensed property, will bring in younger and female players.

Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of Dungeons & Dragons Online at Turbine Entertainment said that because Turbine's MMOGs, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Asheron's Call, were fantasy games, the user base is predominately male, older, with significantly longer play sessions of 2-3 hours at a time.

A Bad Boss Can Send You to an Early Grave

Fear the seagull manager!

"Then—-instead of getting the facts straight and working alongside their staff to realize a viable solution-—seagull managers come swooping in at the last minute, they squawk orders at everybody, and deposit steaming piles of formulaic advice before abruptly taking off..."

WIGI/GamerVixens Mixer at E for All

From 8 pm to 11 pm, the Angels & Vixens party will take place at the Broadway Bar. Please RSVP for the party at the following link. RSVPs are required.

http://www.gamervixens.com/party/

Games Women Play

Robert Norton, Managing Director, North America of King.com, reveals research on female casual game players.

Is Lara Croft Sexist?

"The question of whether or not Lara is sexy or just plain sexist is not such a cut and dry issue. With Eidos' introduction of a new living, breathing (gymnast) Lara Croft model, we asked women of the games industry about Lara's evolving role as the iconic front-woman of the hit Tomb Raider franchise..."

WIGI Celebrity Ebay Auction

For those of you attending the Austin Game Developer¹s Conference, WIGI is
having a fabulous celebrity auction to raise money for the group. The WIGI
Celebrity Ebay Auction is a collection of over a hundred video games and
game-related merchandise much of it signed by industry leaders auctioned off
to raise money for the Women in Games International. Please watch out for
the items on display and bid on your favorites. All the items have been
donated to WIGI to support the organization.

Items include autographed Law and Order TV script + Law and Order game (Ed Zuckerman, Legacy Interactive), autographed Mass Effect poster + XBox Game + PC Game + Demiurge Studios T (Bioware, Demiurge), autographed Witcher UK version(CDProjekt RED, Writers Cabal), lots of Halo 3 swag (Microsoft), autographed Frontlines: Fuel of War special edition Australian tin + XBox Game + T (THQ/Kaos), autographed Bioshock strategy guide (2K) and lots more!

The auctions will run on Ebay so if you're not at the conference, you can still bid on the items.

WIGI Community Mixer - Vancouver

Join us for the highly anticipated Women In Games International - Vancouver BC - YALETOWN FUSION MIXER!!!

Come fuse & mingle with current and future game pros,
in conjunction with the SIGGRAPH/SPARK Animation
event in Vancouver, British Columbia.

HOSTED BAR/HOSTED APPETIZERS & DOOR PRIZES

All genders welcome

Sponsored by Big Fish Games.


Thursday, September 11, 2008
Time:
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
Goldfish Pacific Kitchen
Street:
1118 Mainland Street
City/Town:
West Vancouver, BC

Tecmo Settles Overtime Suit

"The suit, which was filed with the Tokyo District Court in June 2008, claimed that under Tecmo’s "flexible hours" work scheme, employees were not paid appropriately for their overtime hours, which often exceeded 100 hours per month. The suit also alleged that the company created false documents to cover up the accounting documents..."

Maternity leave in the U.S.

from New York Times article "Give a Break to Americans Giving Birth," November 4, 2006

According to a 2004 study by Jody Heymann, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, more than 160 countries offer some sort of leave for new mothers, paid by the government. Those that don't include Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, Lesotho - and the United States.

The Family and Medical Leave Act provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for men and women. And even then it covers only people who have worked basically full-time for at least one year at companies with 50 or more employees. That means about 40% of working women don't qualify for leave under the FMLA.

Women in Games Conference

Women in Games Conference
University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
10-12th September 2008


This year’s conference will be looking at such things as what the perception of the games industry is to outsiders and reasons why girls are turned off technology at a young age.

Sign up rates of students studying Computer Science have fallen in recent years and women are very much in the minority. This is why Jane Sinclair and Sara Kalvala, both Associate Professors in Computer Science at nearby Warwick University, wanted to get involved in the conference. Computing in games is one career choice available to Computer Science graduates, though not always obvious to all, but a very attractive and creative industry to be in.

There is plenty of research going on into why and how women play games, and the way they are portrayed, and this is another aspect of the Women In Games conference that makes it so fascinating. Bringing together academia and industry to discuss all these ideas, and explore ways in which more women can be encouraged to seek careers in games makes for a unique conference.

Although concerned with women this conference is also open to men! The industry needs a meaningful dialogue between the sexes as it moves forward.

Deadline for registration is Friday 5th September, sign up now to ensure your place. Conference-standard accommodation is available on campus - no need to drive during the conference, parking is free, and evening meals and entertainment all included! Just sign up for accommodation when registering –follow the registration link on the 2008 page at www.womeningames.com.

Why Women Must Self-Promote

Fiona Cherbak of Game Recruiter gives advice on the job search.

"Through social conditioning that has nothing to do with our industry, but simply our society, women are less inclined to be assertive in such situations because they’re afraid of being judged or told "no." Meanwhile, there are men who quite easily put themselves out there and say, “Here’s what I’ve done, here’s what I can do and here’s why it’s valuable to you.”...

Woman to Woman, Online

"Heather Armstrong’s wickedly funny blog about motherhood, Dooce, is more than just an outlet for the creativity and frustrations of a modern mother. The site, chock full of advertising, is a moneymaking machine — so much so that Ms. Armstrong and her husband have both quit their regular jobs...."

This article isn't about the game industry, but it does show advertiser interest in reaching the online female segment.

Women and Games: What We Know and Don't Know About the Casual Link

"A recurring topic of discussion among casual game developers is Women Game Players. When casual games are taken into consideration, adult women make up more than half of all video game players by some measures. And when looking at only casual games, most authorities say their audience is predominately female by a shot... "

The Growing Role of Women in Gaming

This short article has quotes from Arkadium and Rebel Monkey about designing games for women and the growing presence of women in game companies.

Researchers Study Software Gender Gap

"For more than a decade, academics and technology executives have been frowning at the widening gender gap in computer science....

Now, some computer science researchers say one solution may lie in the design of software...."

Girls Bridge Gender Divide in Math

"Researchers looked at standardized test scores of more than 7 million students, ranging from the second grade to high school junior. Whatever gender differences there once existed between girls and boys in terms of math performance are gone..."

You’ve Played ‘Em, Now Make ‘Em: Careers In Game Development

Who:
Lance Powell, Electronic Arts
Tim Trzepacz, softegg.com
Bill Kroyer
Anne Toole, Writers Cabal

What:
Women in Animation

When:
Thursday, July 17, 2008, 7pm

Where:
DreamWorks campus

RSVP and for more info:
Women in Animation

Video game industry tries to broaden its appeal

"These video games don't sound like anything that would grab a teenage boy's attention, and that's the point. They are part of an important expansion of the video game industry as it works to pull in women, girls and other demographics and cement its place as mainstream entertainment..."

Video Games It's a Girl Thing

"The two middle school girls had never had a lesson on video game creation before this week, but on Tuesday they were learning how to make their ideas appear on a computer screen at the free Tech Savvy Summer Girls Camp run by Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology...."

WIGI Community Mixer - Seattle

Women in Games International and Big Fish Games invites casual games professionals and those wanting to break into the industry to their first annual social event at Casual Connect ‘08.

Casual Connect is an annual conference for the casual games industry with over 3,000 professionals attending. The Women in Games International (WIGI) mixer will be held Thursday, July 24, at 7 pm at Dragonfish Asian Café in Seattle, a few short blocks from the Casual Connect site (Benaroya Hall), in the heart of downtown Seattle.

Those attending the WIGI mixer can expect delicious food, cocktails, goodies and amazing chances to network. Meet e-mail buddies face-to-face and mix-n-mingle with industry insiders. All attendees are reminded to bring their business cards to make the most of the event and to qualify for door prizes and giveaways. The event is hosted by Big Fish Games and Women in Games International. Goodies and giveaways will be provided by Big Fish Games, a global leader, developer and distributor in the casual games market.

Women in Games International Community Mixer at Casual Connect 2008
Sponsored by Big Fish Games
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Location: Dragonfish Asian Cafe
www.dragonfishcafe.com
722 Pine St
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 467-7777

There is limited space at this venue, so please RSVP early!
RSVP HERE: http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/DVJMALYWVTLXMSZLSGVR/BFG/WIGIMixerCC08

About the Sponsors/Hosts

Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a global leader and innovator in the online games industry, producing and delivering the world's best games and game experiences. Big Fish Games Studios develops and publishes the industry's leading brands for computers, mobile devices and consoles. Its portfolio of hit games includes Mystery Case Files®, Hidden Expedition™, Azada™ and Fairway Solitaire™. Big Fish Games' portal at www.bigfishgames.com distributes more games worldwide than any other online site and offers visitors a rapidly expanding selection of content by launching A New Game Every Day!™

Women in Games International
Women in Games International was founded in 2005 in response to a growing demand around the world for the inclusion and advancement of women in the game industry. Women in Games International is managed by a steering committee comprised of like-minded individuals, is supported by corporate and media sponsors and directed by a global advisory board. www.womeningamesinternational.org

More "Chick Flick" games on the way?

""Chick flick" games may become more prevalent as game makers begin to wake up to new opportunities, Rebel Monkey CEO Margaret Wallace tells Next-Gen...."

Aspiring Women Game Artists Competition

Open for Entries
Deadline Friday, June 20th

Something is terribly wrong with the Game Development Industry and you can fix it… but only if you are a woman.

9% of game artists are women and they make on average over $10,000 less per year than their male counterparts. (Source: Game Career Guide, 2007.)

Notes on Game Dev invites all women aspiring game artists to submit an essay to the 2008 NoGD Aspiring Women Game Artists Competition for a chance at a full time scholarship to Sessions Online(SM) School of Game Art.

Sessions Online School of Game Art, an accredited online program that can be accessed anywhere, wants to provide education to women and diversify the industry. Students leave the program with a strong portfolio and reel reviewed by faculty and industry professionals before graduation.

Entries will be judged by female leaders in game art and education including Heather Kelley, Sheri Graner Ray, and Cristin McKee. Prizes to be provided by Sessions Online School of Game Art, IGDA, and Game Developer Magazine.


PRIZES:

Two Grand Prize Winners will receive:
• A fully paid grant for the Accredited Game Art Certificate Program at Sessions Online School of Game Art. ($5355 value)
• The right to use the NoGD Grand Place Award Winner digital seal in their future portfolio / reel.
• A one year membership to the International Game Developers Association.
• A one year subscription to Game Developer Magazine.

Two Runners Up will receive:
• The right to use the NoGD Grand Place Award Winner digital seal in their future portfolio / reel.
• One year subscription to Game Developer magazine.


HOW TO ENTER:

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:
Friday, June 20th.

GUIDELINES FOR ENTRIES:
Write a 500 word essay that answers the following questions:

- Why do you want to be in the game industry?
- What is your past experience with art?
- What is your dream art job in the game industry?

Submit entries as an email or PDF to competitions@sessions.edu with your name, email, and phone. Deadline is Friday, June 20th.

The winner will be announced on July 1st.

Women in Games Conference Call for Papers

Women in Games Conference
University of Warwick, UK
10-12th September 2008

Call for papers and participation

The Women In Games conference encourages research and seeks to promote careers for women within the games industry. If games are to become a true sibling medium to music and cinema, the industry needs greater balance in its audience and its workforce. The Women In Games conference welcomes participants from both industry and academia, providing a forum for presentation and discussion of issues relating to all aspects of women's involvement in games, including game development, game playing and women as portrayed within games.

Although this conference is concerned with women and games please note that men are also very welcome to participate! The industry needs a meaningful dialogue between the sexes as it moves forward.

Further details of the conference and this year's themes are available at the conference website: www.womeningames.com

Call for Girl Games

Synaptic Gaming & Simulation, LLC will soon launch an exciting new
website focusing on games specifically designed for girls between the
ages of 10 and 18. Independently developed games for tweens and teenage
girls are being sought. While all games will be considered, games which
contain some educational element in one or more of the following areas
are preferred. Of special interest is the objective to engage more
girls in virtual worlds to the extent that they have an opportunity to
learn lessons in:

Money management
Math
Science
Technology
Engineering

Games must be rated E for Everyone.

Games must be playable on standard home computers (Windows 2000 or
later) and should not require the latest graphics, sound, or video
cards.

Selected games will be published with very favorable terms for the
developer. Details will be contained in confidential communications
with selected developers.

For immediate consideration, reply in confidence with the following to:
Elizabeth Hubbard
Synaptic Gaming & Simulation, L.L.C.
Managing Member
ehubbard@synapticgaming.com

Name of the Game
A summary of the game (limit 500 words)
If the game contains an educational element, identify the learning
objective(s)
6 screen shots
Brief statement of what makes the game appealing to girls
System specs for the game's optimal play
Game credits (including writers and artists)
Contact information

We invite you to share this Call for Games with other independent game
developers. This is an open and on-going call. There are no deadlines.
All submissions will be evaluated as they are received. The target
launch date for the new website is June 1, 2008.

How stereotyping affects testing and performance

The group is developing an online game called Trait Mate to measure and modify children's stereotypical beliefs. By the age of 5, stereotypes about gender have been indoctrinated.

Excerpts:
"
“Stereotype threat can be induced by a variety of subtle cues in the
testing environment,” McGlone said, “such as the gender composition of a
class or being asked to indicate one’s ethnicity or gender on a test
demographics question. These cues heightened awareness of people’s
‘ascribed identities’—for example, identities based on things about
themselves that they can’t easily change.”

McGlone acknowledged that many aspects of personal identity are
achieved—membership in social categories based on individual
achievements—rather than ascribed. He contended that deficits in test
performance caused by stereotype threat could be mitigated by reminding
test takers of the achieved identities they possess for which there are
positive performance expectations.

“In other words, by putting women in a situation where they’re not
preoccupied with negative gender stereotypes, you can significantly reduce
the gender gap in standardized testing performance,” he said.
"

Pair Programming and Women

ABSTRACT:

Pair programming, when used as a form of collaborative learning, has been
shown to increase the number of women (and men) persisting in their
previously stated intent to pursue degrees in computer science. In
addition, paired teams have been found to significantly outperform
individual programmers in terms of program functionality and readability,
to report greater satisfaction with the problem-solving process, to have
greater confidence in their solutions, and to be more likely to complete a
programming assignment.

Surprise Surprise Video Game Study Discounts Girls

Surprise, Surprise...video game study discounts girls

by Suzanne Freyjadis-Chuberka

"
Two Harvard researchers have just released a book based on a study about
the nature of violent games and their effect on youth...

In an interview the lead researcher, Prof. Cheryl Olson says, "Since we bought into the myth that girls don't like violent games, we didn't recruit them for focus groups in this set of studies." ...
"

Diary Girl

Konami sent out the following press release for well, it's not really a game, more of a social networking tool:


KONAMI SHIPS DIARY GIRL TO RETAIL STORES NATIONWIDE

Make Friends Around the World With New Children's Title on Nintendo DS™

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - March 18, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Diary Girl™ has shipped to retail stores in North America. Developed for Nintendo DS™ system, this title provides girls of all ages the ability to interact with friends through their own customizable avatars, as well as organize a calendar and address book in their own password-protected electronic journal.

"The Diary Girl package gives young gamers an organizational tool, mini-games, and a social interactive component, all on their personal DS handheld system," said Rozita Tolouey, Director of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "Kids increasingly crave games with a social networking aspect and Konami is dedicated to giving them that and more with this new title."

Diary Girl packs friends, fun and organization in a password-protected electronic journal for Nintendo DS. Featuring a daily calendar and an address book, Diary Girl is a lifestyle accessory for the busiest girl around. Players are given their own avatar to customize with various clothes and accessories, as well as make-up and hair. For the girl on-the-go, advanced DS capabilities allow young gamers to talk to their friends in real time without a cell phone using the WiFi voice chat function of the game, and instant message with the Picto-chat style text messaging service. To complete the Diary Girl package, players can also participate in mini-games including mazes, jig saw puzzles, card matching, and personality quizzes. No girl's DS collection can be complete without Diary Girl.

Little Girl Games

This article from the Escapist, while titled "Little Girl Games," seems to be more about working with licensed IP.

An excerpt
"It's easy to see how these kinds of elements might get overlooked by a development team comprised primarily of young men. But as Corbetta explained, one of the first things he learned in working on licensed titles is you're not making a game for yourself."

Interview with Per Rosendal of Guppyworks

Interview with Per Rosendal, CEO, Guppyworks. Guppyworks is working on Guppylife, a MMO for girls. This interview was conducted in behalf of GameDev.Net

Sony Scholarship

Wed Feb 20, 7:37 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) said Wednesday it is luring women into video game design with a 10,000-dollar scholarship and paid internships.

"We are under-represented," Devra Pransky of SOE told AFP after the announcement of the scholarship at a major Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

"Video game making is male dominated and we need to change that."

A Sony-sponsored survey in January of female students enrolled in game design and programming at The Art Institutes showed that about half of those surveyed think more women would play video games designed by women.

The perception of the video game industry being a male bastion deters women from getting into the field, those surveyed agreed.

"It is a misdirection that women don't like video games," said SOE publicist Taina Rodriguez, who sported a lime green t-shirt with the acronym G.I.R.L. -- Gamers In Real Life.

"If more women make games, then more women will play games and get excited about making games. We want to strengthen that cycle."

Students enrolled in The Art Institutes schools can begin applying for the SOE scholarship in April. The winner will get 10,000 dollars for tuition and a paid internship at an SOE studio.

The Art Institutes has 35 campuses in the United States and offers online education.

"I love games, but I'm a bit old school," said Niki Dominguez of The Art Institute of California in San Diego. "I'm an Atari fan."

She also boasts a nine handicap playing golf on Nintendo's Wii video game console.

Students enrolled in accredited universities or trade schools can also apply for SOE internships.

NYT article: Vital Signs (Men and Video Games)

Vital Signs
Patterns: A Video Game, an M.R.I. and What Men's Brains Do
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
Published: February 19, 2008

Why does it often seem that men enjoy playing video games more than
women? Perhaps because they do.

A new study finds that when men play the games, a part of the brain
involved in feelings of reward and addiction becomes much more
activated than it does in women.

This may explain why men are more likely to report feeling addicted to
video games than women are, the researchers say in an online article
in The Journal of Psychiatric Research. The lead author is Fumiko
Hoeft of the Stanford University School of Medicine.

For the study, the researchers took a group of 22 young volunteers —
half men, half women — and had them play a game as an M.R.I. machine
looked at what was happening in their brains. The study found that in
the men, there was much more activity in the mesocorticolimbic system.

Given the abundance in video games of violence and other themes near
and dear to many men, there may be a natural explanation for why their
brains light up more. But the senior author of the study, Dr. Allan L.
Reiss, said the researchers made a point of steering the game they
used in a more neutral direction.

The volunteers played a simple game in which they were told only to
click the images of balls they saw, with no mention of a goal.

The players soon figured out that if they kept the balls from
advancing too close to a wall, they gained ground. Both the men and
the women did well — but the men did a lot better and appeared more
motivated to acquire terrain.

Link to article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/health/19patt.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Flex Time Good For Your Health

"Following participants for one year, researchers found that if an employee's job flexibility improved over the course of 365 days, so did their healthy habits..."

Study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

WIGI at VGXPO - Philadelphia

"Tales from the Trenches: Women Who Know "
Breaking In: The Game Conference, produced by VGXPO
Panel presented by Women in Games International
Sunday, November 4
11am - 12pm

From player to developer to educator to executive, female professionals in the games industry provide personal testimonials on their trials and triumphs, from getting that first job to learning to be a leader. Join our discussion as these women describe what it took for them to get in the door, to establish winning business strategies and partnerships and to build a lasting career in games.

Moderator Fiona Cherbak of Women in Games International chats with panelists Amber Dalton, PMS Clan Leader; Gano Haine, VP of Development for LimeLife; Jennifer MacLean, General Manager of Games for Comcast Interactive Media and Susan Gold, Academic Coordinator at GarageGames, about their experiences as professional women in games.

For more details on Breaking In: The Game Conference and America's VideoGame Expo (VGXPO) visit www.vgxpo.com/breakingin.htm.

A refuge for women in a hostile game space

"The hostile climate has kept many women away from online gaming, she said. Microsoft says it doesn't track the gender of its players, but Phillips estimates that 10% to 20% of Xbox Live's 7 million players are women. The service lets players log into a network of gamers via the Internet to find opponents and teammates, and to chat using instant messaging or headsets...."

WIGI - Austin Seeking Sponors and Donors

Please make a donation in any amount to be added to the recognized donors list! http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/donate.html

2007 GCDC Women in Games Panel coverage

"GCDC Panel Tackles Women In Games A "Women in Games" panel at the 2007 GCDC featured high-profile female game executives discussing how to meet the needs of female gamers and deliver unique experiences for all..."

WIGI Austin Mixer @ AGDC

Women in Games International - Community Mixer
Wednesday, September 5th, 6 pm – 9 pm
Six Lounge
117 W. 4th Street
Austin, Texas 78701
www.sixlounge.com
RSVP Here

New career path: Annoying your way to the top

"NEW YORK - How do people get ahead in the workplace? One way seems to be by making their subordinates miserable, according to a study released Friday...."

Celebrating Female Game Devs of Yesteryear

by Ernest Adams

"As Women in Games International's Austin conference approaches, Next-Gen takes a moment to recognize the outstanding female developers who molded the industry during its early years...."

Angry men get ahead while angry women penalized: study

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man who gets angry at work may well be admired for it but a woman who shows anger in the workplace is liable to be seen as "out of control" and incompetent, according to a new study presented on Friday...."

Women and Technology Summit

Thursday, September 27 through Saturday, September 29 2007 in Santa Clara, California.
WITI is the premiere global organization empowering women in business and
technology to attain their professional goals and dreams. With a global
network of smart, tech-savvy women, WITI has powerful programs and
partnerships that provide connections, resources, opportunities and a
supportive environment. Since 1989, WITI has delivered value to
individuals, small businesses, and corporations. For more information on
the event, visit http://www.witi.com .

WIGI Links

WIGI Linked In Group
https://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/2058/393AF421787E/


WIGI Mentoring
http://groups.google.com/group/wigi_mentoring

Theresa Lee Duncan, In Memoriam

Noted Video Game Designer of 'Girl' Games

Theresa Lee Duncan age 40 of Manhattan, New York died July 10, 2007.

Memorials to The Whitney Museum of Art (945 Madison Ave. NY, NY 10021) are greatly appreciated

Casual Gaming Still Dominated by Women Says Report

Casual Games Association
2007 Casual Games Report

Study: Americans not taking time for vacation

Nearly one in five workers responding to a recent survey said it has been three or more years since they took five days off in a row for a vacation.

Pass the Pasta, Please, and Hold the Stress

Washington Post, July 10, 2007

Better quality of life in the workplace increases productivity.

WIGI July Community Mixers

Women in Games International presents WIGI Community Mixer in San Francisco!

Women in Games International - Community Mixer
Thursday, July 12th, 7:00 pm
Art Institute of California‹San Francisco
Lobby Gallery
1170 Market Street
San Francisco, California 94102

Join us for an informal meet' n' greet with appetizers and beverages in San
Francisco, hosted by Robbyn Blumeschein, the Art Institute of California-San
Francisco and Women in Games International.

RSVP Here

This unique industry networking event is proudly sponsored by the Art
Institute of California-San Francisco, Backbone Entertainment, Foundation 9
Entertainment, LeapFrog and Stormfront Studios.
==========


Women in Games International presents WIGI Community Mixer at ComicCon

Women in Games International - Community Mixer
Wednesday, July 25th, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Redfield¹s Lounge
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
1 Market Place
San Diego, CA 92101
General Hotel - 619-232-1234

Join us for an informal meet 'n' greet with appetizers and beverages in San
Diego, right next door to ComicCon, hosted by the Art Institute of
California-San Diego and Women in Games International.

RSVP Here

This unique industry networking event is proudly sponsored by the Art
Institute of California-San Diego, Foundation 9 Entertainment and Sony
Online Entertainment.
==========

Single-Gender Education Gains Ground as Boys Lag

San Francisco Chronicle
Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writer

Experts worry that coed classrooms geared to girls put their counterparts at a disadvantage

Monday, June 18, 2007

Metrac's game about domestic violence

from Metrac:

Announcing a FUN and FREE online video game that challenges gender-based
violence in the lives of children and youth ...
Play RePlay: Finding Zoe on www.metrac.org today!

RePlay: Finding Zoe tells the story of two friends searching for their good
friend Zoe. They have just heard stereotyping rumors about Zoe that lead
them to conclude that she is in an abusive relationship. On their search,
the friends navigate through their neighborhood and are challenged with
situations that encourage them to work together and be respectful, confident
communicators. Success helps strengthen the two friends' resiliency and
better equips them to support Zoe.

RePlay was developed in partnership between the Metropolitan Action
Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC) and Take Action Games. METRAC is a not-for-profit organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that is dedicated to preventing and ending violence against women, youth, and children. Take Action Games is well-known for creating the popular awareness-raising online game, Darfur is Dying.

METRAC's RePlay Positive Video Gaming Project was funded by the Ontario
Women's Directorate and is one of many initiatives designed as an integrated
package of resources for the education and youth sectors.

Wanted: Girls who make video games

MSNBC, June 12, 2007

Article asks:
* Does diversifying the workforce lead to a broader market?
* Has anything changed within industry?

WIGI-Austin September 8, 2007

WIGI: Women In Games International
WIGI-Austin
She Got Game
Saturday, September 8, 2007
11 am to 5 pm
Austin Convention Center
500 East Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX 78701

Women in Games International is teaming up with the Austin Game Developers Conference, presented by CMP Game Group.

WIGI-Austin will explore both the past and present experiences of women working in our industry; with a bigger discussion about the current state of the industry and where it appears to be headed.

Keynote Speaker:

Dona C. Bailey, creator of Centipede, one of the first video games to incorporate AI

Games Now and Then
From her early days on Centipede to her current work with students at the
University of Arkansas—Little Rock, Dona C. Bailey takes a look at where video games have been, where they are now and where she'd like to see them go in the future.

Panels

Diversity Equals Dollars:
Why Having a Diverse Development Team is Good for Your Bottom Line
Industry experts will discuss how workplace diversity and environments have evolved
in the game industry over the last two decades, what the experience is now like for people entering the industry and the reasons that diversity is equivalent to profitability.

Her Virtual Life
With the statistics showing that MMOs are the second largest
market for women gamers, we address how game developers
can utilize this information to expand MMO content and gameplay.

General Attendees - $55, WIGI Members - $40, Students - $30

To Appeal to Women, Too, Gadgets Go Beyond 'Cute' and 'Pink'

To Appeal to Women, Too, Gadgets Go Beyond 'Cute' and 'Pink'
By MICHEL MARRIOTT
Women are embracing consumer electronics just as the
technologies are reaching out to embrace them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/technology/07women.html?th&emc=th

Quote: "Only a few years ago, feminizing a consumer electronic product meant little more than creating a pink or pastel version of the same black or silvery item coveted by men. And, some retailers note, that kind of marketing still goes on. But feminizing technology is more about a product’s fundamentals, often expressed in its ease of use. It is not always aimed exclusively at women, but it is female friendly."

Women for Hire Magazine Essay Contest

Women For Hire Magazine Essay Contest: “How to Juggle Multiple Priorities…Without Losing Your Cool!”

In 500 words tell us what you do and how you do it. We want to know all the things you manage to fit into your day without sacrificing your sanity, productivity, quality of life, or your sense of humor. Include your tips for time management with all of those among us who suffer from efficiency deficiency.

We will feature the essay and photo of the winning entrant in the upcoming issue of the Women For Hire magazine and showcase additional essays on www.womenforhire.com. So go ahead -- prove to us why you should be the Women For Hire guru of getting things done. We know you can find the time!

To Enter:
The deadline for submissions is May 3. All entries should be submitted in the body of the email to magazine@womenforhire.com. The original essay should be between 500 and 550 words. Also include a high resolution photo that illustrates the point of your essay!

Womengamers.com Scholarships

If you are planning on applying for the WomenGamers.Com - National Computer Camp Scholarship for Girls, your essay must be submitted no later than April 27th, 2007. F

or more information on how to apply, visit http://www.womengamers.com/scholarship

For more information about National Computer Camp, visit http://www.NCCamp.com

DigiPen Scholarship Deadline Coming Up
Don't forget to turn in your scholarship application for the DigiPen Institute of Technology Women's Scholarship!

The deadline is May 1st, 2007. For more information on how to apply, visit
http://www.womengamers.com/scholarship

Women in Games International Announces 2007 Conference Series

WIGI has announced their 2007 regional conference series, which includes
WIGI-San Francisco, "From Production to Profit: Creating and Marketing Games
for Women.² Held on Tuesday, March 6 at the Electronic Arts campus in
Redwood City, keynote speakers include Lucy Bradshaw, VP/Head of Production
and Development at Maxis/EA, and Ernest Adams, renowned book author and game
designer. This half-day conference will introduce ways developers can
specifically address the female consumer market. Industry insiders will
look at game structure, genre, content, the question of sex and violence,
stereotypes and other hot-button topics on developing and marketing game
titles for women. Register online today:
http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/register.html.

Thanks to the generous support of ECD Systems (www.ecdsystems.com
<http://www.ecdsystems.com/ > ), WIGI will have its first experience as a GDC
exhibitor this year! We¹re setting up an impromptu lounge area where you
can meet your WIGI colleagues. Visit us at Booth #238 on the main show
floor and grab a WIGI button, courtesy of Mary-Margaret.com!

The next conference of 2007 is WIGI-Savannah, ³Advancing Your Career in Game
Development,² on Thursday, April 26. Located at Savannah College of Art &
Design in Georgia, the keynote speaker is Jennifer MacLean, General Manager
of Games at Comcast Interactive Media. Attendees will learn how to break in
and advance their game industry career through panel discussions and
roundtables with top experts in the field. This seminar provides useful
information for women and men alike, new and veteran game developers.
Registration will be available online as of February 15, 2007. Registered
attendees will also be able to attend GDX on April 27. GDX brings together
game developers, educators and students with game development experts who
share their behind-the-scenes knowledge. More info: www.scad.edu/gdx
<http://www.scad.edu/gdx >
==========



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WIGI sponsors include Microsoft Game Studios, Microsoft Casual Games,
Ubisoft, DigiPen, Game Developers Conference (GDC), International Games
Developers Association (IGDA), Mary-Margaret.com, Girls in Games, ThemePark
Studios, WomenGamers.com and BusinessWire. This event is presented in
cooperation with the Women in Games Conference in the U.K.
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Closing Keynote added to Women in Games International Conference

Game Designer Ernest Adams Addresses Women in the Workplace

Tuesday, January 16, 2007---San Francisco, CA---Women in Games International announced today the addition of recognized game designer and author Ernestt Adams as keynote speaker at the Women in Games International-San Francisco conference. The conference is titled "From Production to Profit: Creating and Marketing Games for Women," and will be held at Electronic Arts in Redwood City, CA on Tuesday, March 6.

At this half-day conference, WIGI will discuss the future of game design and game marketing as the female player marketplace matures and expands. Ernest Adams, an accomplished game designer and published authority on a wide range of games industry topics, will close the conference with a keynote speech entitled, “Developing Backwards and in High Heels,” a phrase coined from the fact that actress and dancer Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels.

Adams will explore at the past and future of women in gaming: what they contributed to the early development of the medium and how they will change it in the 21st century. He will examine several different aspects of the question, including the way women are portrayed in games; women as designers and developers; and the wants and needs of the female player.

Adams offers, “Everyone knows that the game industry has ignored the female market for far too long, but many developers don't have any idea what to do about it. My keynote discusses how the roles of female characters, players, and game developers all relate to each other in gaming culture, and how this knowledge can be used to attract more women players. WIGI is the ideal organization to spread the message, as well as working to help women get ahead in the business. I'm honored to have been asked to speak at their conference.”

A game industry veteran, Ernest Adams is well-known as a freelance game designer, writer, and teacher, working with the International Hobo Design Group. He has long been interested in issues related to women and gaming. A widely-published journalist, Ernest has also published several significant books on the game design and working tin the games industry, including “Break into the Game Industry: How to get a job making video games” and “Game Design and Development: Fundamentals of Game Design.” Ernest is also the founder and first chairman of the IGDA, and established as one of its major tasks the goal attracting more women to the industry. His website is www.designersnotebook.com.

Sheri Graner Ray, Executive Chair of the WIGI steering committee states, “Through his writings and talks, Ernest Adams has served as the voice of vision for the game industry for many years. He has always been a strong advocate for women in games and celebrates their contributions to the industry. We know that the audience at our San Francisco conference will benefit greatly from his expertise and vision on these topics.”

Conference sponsors include platinum sponsor Electronic Arts, and series sponsors Game Developers Conference (GDC), International Games Developers Association (IGDA), Mary-Margaret.com, Girls in Games, ThemePark Studios, WomenGamers.com and BusinessWire.

The Women In Games International Conference–San Francisco will be held at the Electronic Arts campus, Milestone Auditorium, which is located at 250 Shoreline Drive in Redwood City, CA. Attendance is $45 for general attendees, $35 for WIGI members and $30 for students with I.D. Space is limited, so interested attendees are encouraged to secure their spot by registering online today at www.womeningamesinternational.org.

WIGI Mixer in Los Angeles

Women in Games International Hosts Mixer in Los Angeles
Game Industry Gather to Network and Discuss Latest Topics

Women in Games International, a non-profit organization in the interactive entertainment industry, announnced today its debut WIGI Community Mixer in Los Angeles. The networking event is Tuesday November 14th, 7:30 - 9:30 pm. Admission is free and requires an advance RSVP.

Belinda Van Sickle, President of GameDocs and Online Community Coordinator for Women in Games International, is the local host and emcee. Complimentary food and beverages, supplied by Acapulco Restaurant, will be provided for all guests. This unique industry networking event is proudly sponsored by Autodesk, D3Publisher, GameDocs, Pandemic Studios, Sessions Online School of Design and TechHunters.

Mixer attendees from the Los Angeles area will have a chance to win free door prizes from game publishers THQ and D3Publisher, including Scooby-Doo, Cars, Finding Nemo, Sponge Bob Squarepants, Monster House, The Incredibles, Destroy All Humans and WWE Wrestling from THQ, and Work Time Fun, Naruto Clash of the Ninja 1 and 2, Naruto Ninja Council 1 and 2, Practical Intelligence Quotient, and Flushed Away from D3Publisher.

Van Sickle offers, “I’m pleased to be fostering community among women working in the video games industry. Through the generous support of Women in Games International, I've been able to put together an online community of nearly 200 members and set up the Los Angeles mixer. We've already received strong support from the industry through our sponsors and lots of great ideas for future community building projects.”

The WIGI Community Mixer in Los Angeles will be held at Acapulco Restaurant at 385 N. La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles, one block north of the Beverly Center. Admittance is free, but an advance RSVP is required. RSVP online today via e-vite link at http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/register.html.

Women in Games International 2006 sponsors include title sponsor Microsoft Game Studios, series sponsors Microsoft Casual Games, Game Developers Conference (GDC), International Games Developers Association (IGDA), Mary-Margaret.com, Girls in Games, ThemePark Studios, WomenGamers.com and BusinessWire.