WIGI L.A.: Your Evolving Career in Gaming

WIGI D-L-C Event this Wed: Your Evolving Career in Gaming: How to stay relevant, stay in the game, LA Film School this Wednesday, April 28th at 7pm!

D-L-C events (Drinks, Learning, Community) are held quarterly and move WIGI's mission forward to create a community interested and engaged in the gaming industry. Our D-L-C topic is “Your Evolving Career in Gaming: How to stay relevant, stay in the game, and switch to other gaming arenas”.

Confirmed Speakers:

Alana Chan
Lead Producer
Disney Interactive Media Group

Kamalina Evans
Global Talent Acquisition
EA Interactive

Mark Vulcano
Studio Animation Director
Heavy-Iron Studios

Paul Cunningham
Co-Founder / CEO
CreativeHeads.net

Shannon Henry
Manager, Talent Acquisition
Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

All are welcome and encouraged to attend. RSVP here.

WIGI L.A. Networking Happy Hour

The next Women in Games International WAM (Women And Men) networking event is happening this Monday, April 5th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. We'll be having a pre-meeting at 6:30 for all those interested in getting involved in the WIGI LA chapter including organizing for this year's E3 bash. Check this link for details.

Gender discrimination linked to poor project management

There's also evidence of bias against women in recruitment and job assignment in places where high-tech corporate cultures thrive on this "hero mindset" that "rewards a 'last minute' crunch where 24/7 work becomes necessary to 'save' a project, failing to acknowledge family responsibilities and flexibility needs," the report says.

Seattle WIGI Happy Hour

Seattle WIGI invites all games and digital media professionals and interested parties to join us at POST 1914 in Post Alley, Seattle for a relaxed social Happy Hour on Tuesday March 23rd from 5-8 p.m..

*Networking
*Prizes
*Upcoming events for LOGIN
*WIGI Brain-Bank topics for Seattle

Bring a guest along and get an extra entry into the Prize drawing!

WomenGamers.Com Scholarship to National Computer Camp

For the June/July 2010 enrollment, 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.

Scholarship applicants need to submit an essay in response to the following question: "What is your favorite video game, and how would you change the design to improve it?"

The 500 - 600 word essay must be submitted to scholarship@womengamers.com no later than May 14th, 2010. Along with the essay, include your name, address, telephone, email address, and age. The winning essays will be posted on WomenGamers.Com. The essays will be judged by a WomenGamers.Com panel and the scholarship recipients will be announced on May 21st, 2010. For a scholarship to be awarded, at least five entries need to be received. Former scholarship winners are not eligible. Essays submitted previously will not be accepted.

For more information on the scholarship, visit http://www.womengamers.com/scholarships/

IGDA WIG sessions at GDC 2010

ROUNDTABLE MEETING: Annual SIG roundtable meeting on Thursday, March 11, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm in Room 230, East Mezzanine. The roundtable meeting will be moderated by Tina Tyndal, SIG steering committee member and newsletter editor. Bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm, plus stick around for the latest news on our primary initiatives during 2010, including GameMentorOnline and Games2Girls.

SESSION: Starting Something New – Women in Games
Thursday, March 11, 3 pm to 4 pm in Room 130, North Hall
Moderated by Sonja Kangas, Head of Game Lab, Paf and IGDA Women in Games advisor, with speakers Tiina Zilliacus, CEO of IronStar Helsinki; Celia Pearce, Director of Experimental Game Lab at Georgia Tech; Megan Gaiser, CEO of Her Interactive, and Julia Brasil, the first G.I.R.L. scholarship recipient, SOE.

SESSION: Are Women the New Hardcore Gamers?
Thursday, March 11, 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm in Room 130, North Hall
Moderated by Shanna Tellerman, Founder and CEO, Wild Pockets, with speakers Amy Jo Kim CEO of ShuffleBrain; Wanda Meloni, Market Analyst with M2 Research; Morgan Romine, Community Manager and Online Marketing Manager for Ubisoft (plus Team Captain, Frag Dolls), and Jessica Tams, Executive Director of the Casual Game Association.

SOCIAL GATHERING: Annual SIG social gathering at the IGDA booth on Friday, March 12, 3 pm to 4:30 pm at front of the South Hall. Join our sponsors BingeGamer.net, GamingAngels.com, Gas Powered Games, Her Interactive, Naughty Dog and Obsidian Entertainment for refreshments, door prizes, networking and fun! Expo pass badge holders are encouraged to attend.

WIGI L.A. Chapter Monthly Networking Happy Hour

“WAM—Women and Men”

On the first Monday of every month starting Monday, March 1st, 2010, please join local video game and related industry folks at a monthly WAM networking event. WAM runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm with extended Happy Hour pricing!

Eat, drink and socialize with old friends and new. Bring your business cards! WIGI promotes networking and career building for everyone in the video game industry, women and men.

The Arsenal Bar
12012 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064-1127
(310) 575-5511

The Arsenal Bar is less than one block east of Bundy Drive on the south side of Pico Boulevard. Street parking at meters is available. (Be sure to check west of Bundy!)

Monetization in Gaming WIGI event

Women in Games International D-L-C event (D=drinks, L=lectures, C=community).

D-L-C events are held quarterly and move WIGI's mission forward to create a community interested and engaged in the gaming industry.

The upcoming topic will be "MONETIZATION IN GAMING (both in the casual and social gaming arena)". We have brought together a panel of industry leaders with a myriad of experience and insight.

Confirmed Speakers include:

EDDIE CHEN - CFO and Co-founder of ICE Entertainment, an online game developer and operator based in Shanghai, China. Eddie also serves as the CEO of THQ*ICE, a joint venture between ICE and THQ, one of the World’s leading video game publisher.

ALI MOIZ - Co-founder at Peanut Labs, one of the leading virtual currency monetization networks in what has become a $1.5bn industry in 2009. Before Peanut Labs Ali ran Xuqa a social gaming site which was one of the pioneers of the virtual currency model for free-to-play games and virtual worlds.

THOMAS LEE - A video game executive with a deep understanding of social networks, and free to play online games, and he is currently building the Micro transaction focused online game business initiative for Gamepot USA, the US publishing division of Japan’s Gamepot, Inc. Prior to Gamepot, Thomas was at the Korean game giant, Nexon America managing their business and focusing on Prepaid Card distribution at national retailers, including Target, 7-Eleven, Duane Reade, Rite Aid, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and CVS, with the focus on promoting free to play micro-transaction item sales model.

More speakers TBA soon!

Doors open at 6:30pm.

The panel discussion will begin promptly at 7:00pm and will last one hour. Space is limited to 100 attendees for the panel discussion (first come first serve seating).

Join us afterwards at El Torito (just a few doors down) to continue the conversation over drinks.

Date:	Thursday, February 4, 2010
Time:	6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location:	The Art Institute Santa Monica
Street:	2900 31st Street
City/Town:	Santa Monica, CA

GameMentorOnline Seeking Web Sponsor

IGDA Women in Games, in partnership with WIGI, is seeking an an-kind sponsor to develop and maintain a basic 5-7 page web site for GameMentorOnline.  We already have URL, copy, links and navigation.

Are you a freelance web designer or boutique web team seeking some exposure in the games industry?  We can offer a selection of marketing benefits in exchange for your web design and management services.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact wigsig@igda.org 

Women earn more than men in UK games industry

"Whilst women are still a minority in the sector’s workforce, they are earning more than their male counterparts, according to research conducted by MCV.

Average female annual salaries are £2,000 higher than the male wage, at £33,260."

Longer Vacations = More Productivity

In Europe, 4 to 6 weeks of vacation are mandated by law. Compare that to the U.S., where we have no such mandates and are sometimes asked to give up our vacation time for a pressing project. According to Joe Robinson, author of Work to Live, those European countries with mandated vacation are all as productive or in some cases, more productive than the U.S. Studies have shown that when you do take time for vacations, your overall performance improves. Vacation time, which doesn't include "working vacations" of checking e-mail and still actually working, renews the spirit and provides fresh inspiration.

The news is worst for women workaholics. The Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, WI conducted a study of 1500 working women and found that women who only had a vacation once in 6 years were twice as likely to report damaging problems to their health such as hypertension, anxiety, and depression, than women who took regular vacations each year.

WIGI Happy Hour Hang Out

Attn Seattle!

Seattle Women in Games International is having a meet-up/greet-up Happy Hour on Tuesday Dec 8th at Post in Post Alley, Seattle, WA. 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

This meeting we will be focused on Social Games and Mobile Games/App's professionals, but all are welcome.

Bring a business card and relax with us -Leave the holiday nuttiness aside for a couple hours - Men and Women alike who are interested in the Women in Games groove.

One sponsor spot left for $300 is anyone wants to join in. We will also be taking suggestions for our 2010 panels at conferences at this and the next event.

Gender & Educational Computer Games

from Serious Games Interactive Newsletter:

"Designing an educational computer game is not a gender-neutral process. Understanding the relationship between gender and computer games is essential for creating games. For educational games to be successful, they must be of a high quality and contain themes that appeal to the game preferences of both genders.

Most researchers have come to agree that although boys and girls are equally skilled at using computers and computer games, boys are more likely than girls to play with them. This is a concern when considering incorporating computer games into a educational system. However, by understanding the causes of the gaming gender rift, educators and game developers, like us, can create successful educational computer games"

Read the rest of the article here.

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."