Editing Video game developer (section)

===Discrimination and harassment===
====Gender====
{{main|Women and video games#Treatment of women in the industry}}
Game development had generally been a predominately male workforce. In 1989, according to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', women constituted only 3% of the gaming industry,<ref name=variety2013>{{cite web |url= https://variety.com/2013/digital/features/womengamers1200683299-1200683299/ |title= Videogame Biz: Women Still Very Much in the Minority |work= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date= October 1, 2013 |access-date= 2013-10-20 |author= Marc Graser |archive-date= 2016-05-04 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160504205306/http://variety.com/2013/digital/features/womengamers1200683299-1200683299/ |url-status= live }}</ref> while a 2017 IGDA survey found that the female demographic in game development had risen to about 20%. Taking into account that a 2017 ESA survey found 41% of video game players were female, this represented a significant gender gap in game development.<ref name="Campbell">{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/8/16855940/videogame-diversity-report-igda | title = Game companies are failing on diversity, according to new report | first = Colin | last = Campbell | date = January 8, 2018 |access-date= August 3, 2021 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = August 3, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210803230934/https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/8/16855940/videogame-diversity-report-igda | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theesa.com/resource/2017-essential-facts-about-the-computer-and-video-game-industry/ | title = 2017 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry | publisher = [[Entertainment Software Association]] | date = 2017 |access-date= August 3, 2021 | archive-date = August 3, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210803230936/https://www.theesa.com/resource/2017-essential-facts-about-the-computer-and-video-game-industry/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

The male-dominated industry, most who have grown up playing video games and are part of the [[video game culture]], can create a culture of "toxic geek masculinity" within the workplace.<ref name="nytimes toxic geek">{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/style/women-gaming-streaming-harassment-sexism-twitch.html | title = Dozens of Women in Gaming Speak Out About Sexism and Harassment | first1 = Taylor | last1 = Lorenz | first2 = Kellen | last2 = Browning | date = June 23, 2020 | access-date = August 17, 2021 | work = [[The New York Times]] | archive-date = June 23, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200623155037/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/style/women-gaming-streaming-harassment-sexism-twitch.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Campbell"/> In addition, the conditions behind crunch time are far more discriminating towards women as this requires them to commit time exclusively to the company or to more personal activities like raising a family.<ref name="cjc ea spouses"/><ref name="vox aug1121">{{cite web | url = https://www.vox.com/22617457/activision-blizzard-lawsuit-ubisoft-open-letter-toxic-gaming-culture | title = Gaming culture is toxic. A major lawsuit might finally change it. | first = Aja | last = Romano | date = August 10, 2021 |access-date= August 11, 2021 | work = [[Vox (website)|Vox]] | archive-date = August 11, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210811003908/https://www.vox.com/22617457/activision-blizzard-lawsuit-ubisoft-open-letter-toxic-gaming-culture | url-status = live }}</ref> These factors established conditions within some larger development studios where female developers have found themselves discriminated in workplace hiring and promotion, as well as the target of sexual harassment.<ref>{{cite journal | last1= Prescott | first1= Julie | first2 = Jan | last2 = Bogg | title = Segregation in a Male-Dominated Industry: Women Working in the Computer Games Industry | journal = [[International Journal of Gender, Science, and Technology]] | volume = 3 | date = 2011 | issue= 1 | pages = 205–27 }}</ref> This can be coupled from similar harassment from external groups, such as during the 2014 [[Gamergate controversy]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2019-08-30-gamergate-sexual-abuse-twitter-developers-zoe-quinn.html | title = Emerging from the shadow of GamerGate | first = Jessica | last = Conditt | date = August 30, 2019 |access-date= August 3, 2021 | work = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = August 3, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210803230936/https://www.engadget.com/2019-08-30-gamergate-sexual-abuse-twitter-developers-zoe-quinn.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Major investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct that went unchecked by management, as well as discrimination by employers, have been brought up against [[Riot Games]], [[Ubisoft]] and [[Activision Blizzard]] in the late 2010s and early 2020s, alongside smaller studios and individual developers. However, while other entertainment industries have had similar exposure through the [[Me Too movement]] and have tried to address the symptoms of these problems industry-wide, the video game industry has yet to have its Me Too-moment, even as late as 2021.<ref name="vox aug1121"/>

There also tends to be pay-related discrimination against women in the industry. According to [[Gamasutra]]'s Game Developer Salary Survey 2014, women in the United States made 86 cents for every dollar men made. Game designing women had the closest equity, making 96 cents for every dollar men made in the same job, while audio professional women had the largest gap, making 68% of what men in the same position made.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/221586/Gender_wage_gap_How_the_game_industry_compares_to_the_US_average.php | first=Kris | last=Graft | title=Gender wage gap: How the game industry compares to the U.S. average | website=[[Gamasutra]] | date=July 22, 2014 | access-date=December 27, 2015 | archive-date=January 27, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127224543/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/221586/Gender_wage_gap_How_the_game_industry_compares_to_the_US_average.php | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Increasing the representation of women in the video game industry required breaking a feedback loop of the apparent lack of female representation in the production of video games and in the content of video games. Efforts have been made to provide a strong [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)]] background for women at the [[secondary education]] level, but there are issues with [[tertiary education]] such as at colleges and universities, where game development programs tend to reflect the male-dominated demographics of the industry, a factor that may lead women with strong STEM backgrounds to choose other career goals.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/17/i-was-always-told-i-was-unusual-why-so-few-women-design-video-games | title = 'I was always told I was unusual': why so few women design video games | first = Becca | last = Caddy | date = February 17, 2020 | access-date = August 19, 2021 | work = [[The Guardian]] | archive-date = February 26, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210226044422/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/17/i-was-always-told-i-was-unusual-why-so-few-women-design-video-games | url-status = live }}</ref>

====Racial====
{{see also|Race and video games}}
There is also a significant gap in racial minorities within the video game industry; a 2019 IGDA survey found only 2% of developers considered themselves to be of African descent and 7% Hispanic, while 81% were Caucasian; in contrast, 2018 estimates from the [[United States Census]] estimate the U.S. population to be 13% of African descent and 18% Hispanic.<ref name="2019 igda survey">{{cite web | url = https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/igda-website/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/29093706/IGDA-DSS-2019_Summary-Report_Nov-20-2019.pdf | title = Developer Satisfaction Survey 2019 Summary Report | date = November 20, 2019 | access-date = June 4, 2020 | publisher = [[International Game Developers Association]] | archive-date = March 15, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200315002625/https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/igda-website/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/29093706/IGDA-DSS-2019_Summary-Report_Nov-20-2019.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/14/video-game-industry-grapples-with-murky-track-record-on-diversity.html | title = The $150 billion video game industry grapples with a murky track record on diversity | first = Ryan | last = Browne | date = August 14, 2020 | access-date = August 17, 2021 | work = [[CNBC]] | archive-date = August 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210817150052/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/14/video-game-industry-grapples-with-murky-track-record-on-diversity.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/21/confronting-racial-bias-in-video-games/ | title = Confronting racial bias in video games | first = Eric | last = Peckham | date = June 21, 2020 | access-date = August 17, 2021 | work = [[Tech Crunch]] | archive-date = August 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210817150052/https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/21/confronting-racial-bias-in-video-games/ | url-status = live }}</ref> In a 2014 and 2015 survey of job positions and salaries, the IGDA found that people of color were both underrepresented in senior management roles as well as underpaid in comparison to white developers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/igda-website/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/21180408/IGDA_DSS_2014-2015_DiversityReport-2016.pdf|title=Developer Satisfaction Survey 2014 & 2015 - Diversity in the Games Industry Report|publisher=[[International Game Developers Association]]|date=2016-09-12|access-date=June 4, 2020|archive-date=2020-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604193501/https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/igda-website/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/21180408/IGDA_DSS_2014-2015_DiversityReport-2016.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Further, because video game developers typically draw from personal experiences in building game characters, this diversity gap has led to few characters of racial minority to be featured as main characters within video games.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42357678 | title = Video games: How big is industry's racial diversity problem? | first = Rahil | last = Sheikh | date = December 20, 2017 | access-date = August 17, 2021 | work = [[BBC]] | archive-date = August 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210817150051/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42357678 | url-status = live }}</ref> Minority developers have also been harassed from external groups due to the toxic nature of the video game culture.<ref name="nytimes toxic geek"/>

This racial diversity issue has similar ties to the gender one, and similar methods to result both have been suggested, such as improving grade school education, developing games that appeal beyond the white, male gamer stereotype, and identifying toxic behavior in both video game workplaces and online communities that perpetuate discrimination against gender and race.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/15/video-game-industry-diversity-problem-women-non-white-people | title = The video game industry has a diversity problem – but it can be fixed | first = Chella | last = Ramanan | date = March 15, 2017 | access-date = March 15, 2017 | work = [[The Guardian]] | archive-date = June 28, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190628153943/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/15/video-game-industry-diversity-problem-women-non-white-people | url-status = live }}</ref>

====LGBT====
In regards to [[LGBT]] and other gender or sexual orientations, the video game industry typically shares the same demographics as with the larger population based on a 2005 IGDA survey. Those in the LGBT community do not find workplace issues with their identity, though work to improve the representation of LGBT themes within video games in the same manner as with racial minorities.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1579/out_in_the_industry.php?print=1 | title = 'Out' in the Industry | first = Bryan | last = Ochalla | date = March 30, 2007 | access-date = August 17, 2021 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = August 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210817150053/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1579/out_in_the_industry.php?print=1 | url-status = dead }}</ref> However, LGBT developers have also come under the same type of harassment from external groups like women and racial minorities due to the nature of the video game culture.<ref name="nytimes toxic geek"/>

====Age====
The industry also is recognized to have an [[ageism]] issue, discriminating against the hiring and retention of older developers. A 2016 IGDA survey found only 3% of developers were over 50 years old, while at least two-thirds were between 20 and 34; these numbers show a far lower average age compared to the U.S. national average of about 41.9 that same year. While discrimination by age in hiring practices is generally illegal, companies often target their oldest workers first during layoffs or other periods of reduction. Older developers with experience may find themselves too qualified for the types of positions that other game development companies seek given the salaries and compensations offered.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-04-04-ageism-in-games-the-issue-never-gets-old | title = Ageism: The issue never gets old | first = Steve | last = Peterson | date = April 4, 2018 | access-date = August 17, 2021 | work = [[GamesIndustry.biz]] | archive-date = August 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210817150052/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-04-04-ageism-in-games-the-issue-never-gets-old | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/298853/No_industry_for_old_men_or_women.php | title = No industry for old men (or women) | first = Simon | last = Parkin | date = May 30, 2017 | access-date = August 17, 2021 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = August 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210817150052/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/298853/No_industry_for_old_men_or_women.php | url-status = dead }}</ref>