Portal and Quantum Conundrum lead designer Kim Swift wants games to be more diverse and for the industry to "just plain grow up." She was one of many women in the gaming industry to voice their concerns in the #1ReasonWhy hashtag on Twitter, which collected various instances of sexism which make the industry a difficult place for women to work.
"I was one of those kids that dreamed of making video games one day," Swift wrote on her blog. "When I looked at the gaming landscape and browsed through Nintendo Power, I didn’t see a person with two X chromosomes that I could point and go ‘Yes, if she did it, so can I!’"
How can games attract and value a more varied group of creators now that these and other problems have been aired, grieved, dismissed, and trolled? Swift said on her blog that it won't happen today, but it could happen in 20 years.
"When this current generation of kids sees the good example that we should be setting now. And though we may not be able to tell it completely like it is just yet [for fear of retribution], there’s still plenty we can do to help future generations of game developers. So ladies, my call to arms is this: Be visible. Be outspoken. Be strong. Be smart. Be kind. Be everything that the younger versions of us could’ve pointed to and proudly said: 'Girls make games too.'"
