Aleks Krotoski, MSc'

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Aleks Krotoski, MSc. University of Surrey, UK
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About ELSPA

• ELSPA is
• The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers
  Association
• Established in 1989 to establish a specific and
  collective identity for the computer and video
  games industry
• Membership includes almost all companies
  concerned with the publishing and distribution of
  interactive leisure software in the UK
• Official Chart and Industry reports, Anti-Piracy
  UK and EU, PR and Communication and Events like
  the EIGF, EGN, EDF and Game Stars Live

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About the White Paper

• Aims
• To draw together the existing industry, academic
  and market research on women and computer gaming
• To highlight the importance of women in the
  international computer games market as both
  consumer and contributor
• To emphasise the unique issues that female
  consumers and contributors bring to the
  interactive entertainment table
• To act as a springboard for future research into
  more specific areas of this domain

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About the White Paper

• Areas covered
• The history of women in computing
• Past and current inclusion initiatives
• Current demographics of the worldwide female
  market
• Gender-inclusive design considerations
• Current demographics of the female UK games
  industry workforce
• Success stories that herald the beginning of the
  mass market

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About the UK Games Industry

• The UK is a world centre for games development
• In 2003, UK sales of video games, other leisure
  software products and games consoles topped
  3.57bn, for the second year running
• Over 20,000 people are employed in the UK leisure
  software sector in 120 console and PC, 20 mobile
  phone and 3 TV games development studios the
  highest of any Western European country
• The British games industry generated 881m of
  exports in 2003. 33 of all PS2 games bought in
  Europe originate in the UK (the same proportion
  as US-originated products and ahead of Japan and
  any other country.

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About the UK Games Industry
A few home-grown names you may have heard of
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Current Demographics

• US (ESA)
• 70m women with PCs
• 53 of PC titles purchased by women
• Japan (CESA)
• 69.2 of women have at least one games console in
  the home
• 8.7m mobile phone users
• 25 of females intend to try a MMOG

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Current Demographics

• Korea (KGDI)
• 50.6 of the general population play MMOGs
• Female and elderly users are new main consumer
  segments
• Women prefer mobile games and arcade games

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Current Demographics

• The UK Female gamer
• 30-35 years old
• 27.2 of UK gamers, and the second-largest game
  playing population in Western Europe

• 7.2 hours of play per week
• Preferred console is PS1
• Bargain purchaser
• Relies on recommendation or existing IP

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Factors affecting game choice

• Leisure
• Time limitations (doing the dishes)
• Online browser games
• TV games
• Mobile phone games
• interstitial games
• The Social Life of Computer Gaming
• MMOGs
• party games EyeToy, SingStar, EyeToy Chat
• Economics
• Pay disparity
• Advertising and its Malcontents

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The UK Industry

• Art and Design 91 men 9 women
• Programmers 98 men 2 women
• Senior Management95 men 3 women
• Sales/Marketing/PR 64 men 26 women

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The UK Industry

• Reasons Why
• Methods of recruitment
• 42.9 advertise in specialist magazines
• 64.3 recruit through specialist agencies
• 14.3 approach schools, colleges
• Job disparities
• 667 less at starting salary
• 12,713 pay gap
• 0.4 women hold Lead, Director, Management
  positions versus 1.2 of men
• Slower promotion times (approximately 6 months)

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Success Stories

• EyeToy
• March to May 2004 3.5m units sold
• 30 to new PS2 owners
• SingStar
• Repeated success?
• British Academy of Film and Television
  Interactive award for New Talent

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Conclusions

• Other bits that are included in the White Paper
• Attention to be paid to Recruitment
• Attention paid to Marketing
• Future Research

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www.elspa.co.uk Diversity in gaming can only be
positive, for everyone aleks_at_krotoski.freeserve.
co.uk