ABSTRACT

Videogame development is usually seen as a male dominated field; even playing videogames is often wrongly viewed as a pastime for men only. But behind the curtain, women have always played myriad important roles in gaming. From programmers to artists, designers to producers, female videogame developers endure not only the pressures of their jobs but also epic levels of harassment and hostility. Jennifer Brandes Hepler’s Women in Game Development: Breaking the Glass Level-Cap gives voice to talented and experienced female game developers from a variety of backgrounds, letting them share the passion that drives them to keep making games.

 

Key Features

    • Experience the unique stories of nearly two dozen female game developers, from old-school veterans to rising stars.
    • Understand the role of women in videogames, from the earliest days of development to the present day.
    • Hear first-hand perspectives from working professionals in fields including coding, design, art, writing, community management, production and journalism.
    • Get tips for how to be a better ally and make your company and teams more inclusive.
    • Learn about the obstacles you face if you’re an aspiring female developer, and how to overcome them.
    • Meet the human face of some of the women who have endured the industry’s worst harassment… and kept on going.

 

chapter 1|4 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|10 pages

Brenda Romero

chapter 3|8 pages

Rebecca Ann Heineman

chapter 4|4 pages

From the Beginning

chapter 5|8 pages

Judy Tyrer

chapter 6|20 pages

Brianna Wu

chapter 7|8 pages

Karisma Williams

chapter 8|12 pages

It Starts in the Classroom

Women and Computer Science

chapter 9|8 pages

Jane Ng

chapter 10|8 pages

Kimberly Unger

chapter 11|4 pages

“You Must Be an Artist”

Stereotypes and Realities about Female Game Artists

chapter 12|8 pages

Laralyn McWilliams

chapter 13|8 pages

Elizabeth LaPensée

chapter 14|16 pages

Elizabeth Sampat

chapter 15|8 pages

Erin Hoffman-John

chapter 16|4 pages

Don’t Girls Hate Combat?

Variety in Game Design

chapter 17|8 pages

Jennifer Brandes Hepler

chapter 18|16 pages

Sheri Graner Ray

chapter 19|4 pages

Write What You Know

How Female Writers Expand a Game’s Audience

chapter 20|14 pages

Megan Gaiser

chapter 21|8 pages

Kari Toyama

chapter 22|4 pages

Good, Fast, or Cheap

What Does a Game Producer Do, Anyway?

chapter 23|10 pages

Katie Postma

chapter 24|18 pages

Donna Prior

chapter 25|4 pages

“Just a CM …”

Why Community Management Is Judged So Harshly

chapter 26|10 pages

Sheri Rubin

chapter 27|4 pages

The “Average Player”

How Game Testing Departments Can Bias Their Results

chapter 28|8 pages

Leigh Alexander

chapter 29|10 pages

Mattie Brice

chapter 30|6 pages

Anita Sarkeesian and Laura Hudson

chapter 31|4 pages

Conclusion