love and war

Tips for Female Employees at Video-Game Companies: Yell and Wear Bright Clothes

Photo: Courtesy of Square Enix

Feifei Wang answered a difficult question for Quora: “What is it like to be a woman working in the video game industry?” As one of the few female employees working for a game company (though she selects not to write which one), Wang indicates that the primary problem is that women are overlooked. She writes: 

I guess other than the common harassment, the subtle sexism, the jokes, the dismissive attitude, which I’m sure many others would mention, my strongest feeling as a woman in the gaming industry is being ignored. People don’t expect you to know anything or have an opinion about game. They don’t give you the “courtesy pause” they normally give to the guys. I feel that I always need to wave my hand and yell, “I’m here!!! I exist!!!”

So I yelled. I speak up whenever I can. I guess part of the reason I was often perceived as argumentative and opinionated is because I feel that I need to say something, I need to remind people that I’m here. Like me or hate me, you can’t ignore me. It might sound a bit pathetic, but I even filled my closet with bright color clothing. For one, I like bright, warm, vibrant colors, and also because I want to stand out, I want to be that one lady wearing hot pink in an ocean of blue, black, gray T-shirts and Jeans.

But it’s not all a sea of subtle sexism and drab clothes; Wang says she believes that the workplace is improving for women in the industry and, even with the hassles, working on something you love is “totally 100% worth it.” And the “bottom line is, sexism is everywhere.” Good luck, everyone. 

Tips for Female Employees Working in Video Games