Hello, Jennie!

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

– It’s an important day that shouldn't have to exist. It’s crucial that women from different ethnic, economic, political, and cultural backgrounds can look back on their century-long struggle for equality, justice, and peace. We need to remind ourselves to keep working toward that goal for as long as it takes.

What does it mean in the context of the games industry?

– As an industry, we have to make sure that inclusiveness is part of our agenda, and remains there. We’ve made great strides in attracting women developers in recent years, but we still have a long way to go. Part of the problem is that games are sometimes viewed as a male interest, but the numbers don’t bear that out. Lastly, let me say that it’s so much fun developing games, and I want to share that experience with other women!

What steps are we taking, now and in the future, to further this work at Avalanche Studios Group?

– We’ve just wrapped up our first annual DEI report, which looks at our entire organization and all the things we’re doing throughout it. This includes conducting a full salary analysis, reviewing our everyday behaviors, and updating our code of conduct to reflect this work. A lot hinges on recruitment of course, so we’re constantly evaluating our hiring practices and measuring the effects of different initiatives. For example, 40 percent of 2021’s interns and master’s thesis students (who often go on to be employed) were women. We’re also looking at our games and thinking about inclusive design: players should be able to become characters they identify with, but also meet others like them.