According
to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), almost 40% of people
who play video games today are women. That number is only likely to
grow as gaming becomes more mainstream. Women don't just play video
games though, they're a big part of the industry that develops and
distributes them too. You may not know it, but there are a lot of
women working in the video game industry. In development, design,
business and more. You name it, they're a part of it. So today, we're
going to take a closer look into the gaming industry and the women
that are a major part of it. These are some women you should really
get to know.
Perrin
Kaplan
Vice
President of Marketing & Corporate Affairs for Nintendo of
America
Probably
one of the most influential women in the entire gaming industry, at
least as far as North America is concerned, Perrin Kaplan is the big
cheese of public relations and marketing for Nintendo of America. Not
only does she oversee all public relations, she also deals with
government affairs, investor relations, internal communication for
all of Nintendo's Western Hemisphere projects and is a big part of
Nintendo's global coordination efforts. Kaplan has worked for King
Broadcasting, Seattle's NBC affiliate, the Washington State Senate,
the Washington State Department of Ecology's public affairs team and,
before finally joining Nintendo in 1992, she was the Vice President
of The Rockey Company, a Seattle-based public relations and public
affairs firm. In 1996, she became director of corporate
affairs and has since become one of the most recognizable faces of
Nintendo of America, excluding Reggie Fils-Aime.
Patricia
Vance
President
of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB)
It's
probably safe to bet that almost every gamer in North America knows
what the ESRB is. The little ratings on each game let us know who
should, and should not be playing certain games. Patricia Vance is
the person responsible for overseeing and enforcing that entire
system and other self-regulatory practices of the computer and video
game industry. In addition to her work within the industry, Vance
works in partnership with retailers and other organizations that help
promote and support in educating consumers about the ESRB's rating
system. Prior to working at the ESRB, Vance spent 18 years at
Disney/ABC, dealing with a large number of the company's properties,
and new media and market initiatives, including Internet, games and
educational software, in-flight entertainment and more.
Lucy
Bradshaw
Vice
President and Head of Production and Development for Maxis/Electronic
Arts
Ever
heard of The Sims 2? We thought so. Lucy Bradshaw was the executive
producer of the project, overseeing the overall game design. She
played a vital role in the game's success. Over her years of work in
the industry at companies like Activision, Lucasfilm Games (later
LucasArts), Ubisoft and Electronic Arts, Bradshaw has been a major
part of a number of games, like Monkey Island 2: Lechuck's Revenge,
the original Sims games and more. She has been working in the gaming
industry for over 17 years and, since she joined Maxis in 1997, has
been producing big hits in simulation titles. Currently, she is
working with Will Wright, developing Spore.
Phaedra
Boinodiris
CEO
and co-founder of WomenGamers.com
Phaedra
Bionodiris saw a gap in the gaming industry and found a way to fill
it. In 1999, she and her sister, Ismini, co-founded WomenGamers.com,
a website devoted to the needs and interests of female gamers. The
site has games reviews, news and is written for and published by
women. It also has a career centre, for women looking to get into the
industry, as well as scholarships for gaming education.
Boinodiris'
efforts
have won her accolades throughout the international press, as well as
key roles on the boards of several institutes of higher education.
She points out, "WomenGamers.Com has helped to put women who
play games on the emerging markets radar. This step is critical in
the process of ensuring that women continue to be integrated into the
gaming industry both as consumers and more importantly as movers and
shakers."