Video Games Europe applauds UK games industry for publication of census on diversity and launch of initiative to improve equality and inclusivity

  Video Games Europe welcomes the UK Interactive Entertainment Association’s (Ukie) publication today of the most authoritative census on diversity in the video games industry to date, along with the launch of a hugely important initiative, #RaiseTheGame, a pledge to improve equality and inclusivity in the sector. #RaiseTheGame launches in London today, 4 February, with the founding partners: EA, King, Microsoft, Jagex and Facebook.  Underpinning this launch is a diversity census, conducted and analysed independently by the University of Sheffield, with the intention to run it every two years to track how the industry's diversity profile changes over time. Click here for the Ukie news release, census findings and pledge information. Companies that sign the pledge will be asked to provide information annually on how they are tracking against the following Pledge commitments:

• Creating a diverse workforce by recruiting as fairly and as widely as possible
• Shaping inclusive and welcoming places to work, by educating and inspiring people to take more personal responsibility for fostering and promoting diversity and inclusion
• Reflecting greater diversity within games at every level from game design and development through to marketing and community engagement

“Ukie’s census reveals much to celebrate and some challenges.  Companies based in the UK that sign up to the #RaiseTheGame pledge will be committed to increasing the diversity of culture, experience and talent that fuels our highly-creative sector that should indeed reflect the diversity of our video game players around the globe. This is an ambitious, exciting and proactive initiative that could inspire genuinely positive change for our workforce and our players and that provides a great best practice template for other regions." Simon Little, CEO of Video Games Europe

“Diversity isn’t a nicety; it’s a necessity if the industry is going to grow, thrive and truly reflect the tens of millions of people that play games every day in this country. A diverse industry that draws on myriad cultures, lifestyles and experiences will lead to more creative and inclusive games that capture the imagination of players and drive our sector forward.” Dr Jo Twist OBE, Ukie CEO 

Information on Ukie’s census report and pledge is available at: https://ukie.org.uk/UK-games-industry-census-2020 Video Games Europe’s German member, game, launched a diversity declaration back in December 2019 - “Hier spielt Vielfalt”. To date, more than 300 companies and institutions and more than 650 people have signed the declaration. The Diversity Guide will soon be available in English with examples of various projects of games companies.  Please see website for the full details and list of signatories. https://hier-spielt-vielfalt.de/en/

Contact:

Heidi Lambert, Video Games Europe Press

Tel: +44 1245 476 265

[email protected]

www.isfe.eu

@Video Games Europe_Games