At times, gaming can seem like very much of a boys club. The number of women who play video games has been on the rise in recent years. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (33%) than boys age 17 or younger (just 18%). Sweden even has a group of rock star gamer girls known as Les Seules who tour the globe and challenge players to beat them at Counter-Strike. (Got to love Sweden!) What is lacking is women behind the games, involved in programming, game development and creative conceptualization.

According to a 2007 survey by Game Developer Magazine less than 1 in 5 workers in the game industry are female. Of that number, only a meager 3% are game programmers. The majority of women in gaming work in marketing, PR, managerial and administrative roles, not on the creative side. Kathy Vrabeck is the former president of EA’s casual games division, “Historically, the people who play video games have tended to be more male. So it’s not surprising that these boys grow up and aspire to work in the industry. That’s why we’ve seen fewer women think about it as a career choice.” Though the number of women who play games is high, according to the International Game Developers Association, they represent just under 12 percent of the industry. This has some game executives seeing women as a largely untapped audience.

Tracy Fullerton, a professor of interactive media and a contributing author to the book “Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming” describes a “virtuous cycle”. The more women who play video games, the more who will come to see the gaming industry as a serious career path. So could the future of women in the gaming industry be changed simply by targeting games to girls? Lucy Bradshaw, general manager of Electronic Arts’ Maxis Studio, manages developers working on The Sims. Bradshaw recalls, “Some of the human qualities of The Sims didn’t come out until women started working on it. It wasn’t until we added kids and relationships that things changed. It became more about these little human beings, these ‘Sims,’ rather than just the objects in their lives.” Since The Sims franchise has now sold over 100 million copies thanks in part to its appeal to women, the importance of women on the visionary side of gaming seems obvious.

“The female demographic is a demographic … it’s not a genre.”

Courtney Simmons is public relations director for Sony Online Entertainment. She believes women are being “gamed down to,” because, she says, “there is a lack of understanding about how women play.” Simmons also thinks that by diversifying the work force, developers will appeal to a wider audience. She wants to see “more women making games,” she says, “making more games that women want to play.” Interestingly enough, a 2005 Michigan State University study found that girls who played games designed by all-female teams and all-male teams, rated games designed by all-female teams higher than those designed by the all-male teams, although they were unaware of the gender of the designers.

At this year’s SXSW a panel titled “Gaming as a Gateway Drug: Getting Girls into Technology” was presented. The panel focused on ways to increase the numbers of girls playing games and therefore find future employment in the gaming industry. The panel also hoped gaming would play a part in an overall focus to interest girls in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. On the panel, Megan Gaiser, president and CEO of Her Interactive pointed out that, “Creativity is the great equalizer. It takes the balance of both genders to create unique and diversified content.” In the same spirit, Sheri Graner Ray of Sony Online Entertainment stated, “They’ll say, ‘Here’s the Sims. That’s what you get,’ or, ‘Here’s Barbie.’ Barbie is perfect for its particular demographic, but we need to treat the female market like we do any other market. We need to go in and target it appropriately. The female demographic is a demographic … it’s not a genre.”

There may be another draw for girls to find employment in the gaming industry. Recent research by MCV shows that women earn more money across the sector then men (at least in the UK). This includes retail, games publishing, development, marketing and PR. Nicola Bhalerao, a software engineer at Microsoft studio Rare and head of the Women in Games Conference added: “This is fantastic news. Hopefully it will help attract more women to make great quality games.” Offering women better pay is a good start for gaming companies. The industry could also offer scholarships for women in the fields of game design and programming, more flexible hours, a less sexist work environment and better role models.

While it is highly doubtful that the scantly clad women with over sized boobs and extreme violence will disappear from games, we may begin to see more of a balance. Although Lara Croft is awesome and the Tomb Raider games are entertaining, she is not realistic. Girls need to see some real-life superstars both emotionally and physically strong. There is no magic bullet to winning women or girls over into gaming. Companies need to put a little more thought and time into their games. Just make a better game and it will be enjoyed by everyone. On a personal note, I’d like to add that I’m very proud to be one of the two female gamers and writers for Games Are Evil. Many gaming sites and magazines don’t have women on staff. They’re clearly missing out.