Diversity and ‘Hier spielt Vielfalt’

The games industry is justifiably proud of how incredibly diverse its games and its communities are. More than 3 billion people around the world play video games – regardless of age, gender, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. And the thousands of game developers around the world are just as diverse.

In December 2019, the German games industry launched the initiative Hier spielt Vielfalt (‘Diversity plays here’) with the goal of further bolstering its commitment to an open, diverse game culture. A joint declaration on the subject has thus far been signed by more than 1,600 individuals, companies and organisations.

To yet further raise awareness of the issue of diversity, game published the Best Practice Guide Diversity. It provides all readers with concrete tips, best-practice examples and advice for building diverse teams and games communities, and it is constantly being expanded. For example, it offers a guideline for respectful interaction with one another as well as legal tips for achieving greater diversity in companies. In addition, game takes part in various discussions, talks and events on diversity, provides numerous contacts in this area and contributes experience from the games industry.

Further information is available on www.game.de/diversitaet und www.hier-spielt-vielfalt.de

Interivew

Diversity and fair play in esports

Millions of people in Germany are esports enthusiasts, and ever more video game players in this country are active in esports themselves – at LAN parties, in online leagues or at the professional level in major esports tournaments. Diversity, inclusion and fair play are essential for the long-term success of esports and for the full and accurate representation of the esports community. But how can diversity in esports be made more visible? Clara Dietrich, Team Lead Marketing and Communications at the esports player foundation, in an interview:

Often, you see mainly men playing esports. How diverse are esports and what role do values such as diversity and equal opportunity play?

On the one hand, there’s great diversity in esports. That’s certainly true for the game community, because people of all genders and backgrounds play games around the world. On the other hand, the non-male part of the esports community still isn’t visible enough. Our industry and esports, with their young audience of millions, have an important responsibility here, to create an inclusive environment for all players and set an example. Also, esports can only be socially and economically successful in the long term if the entire community participates. For example, the fact that around half of players worldwide are women, but only a small proportion of them are visible in esports, just shows how much potential is still going untapped. Fortunately, more and more esports companies are showing a strong commitment and starting to market to these diverse target groups.

Read more about the work of the esports player foundation here.

How can diversity in esports be made more visible?

There are lots of different ways to make diversity in esports more visible and promote a more inclusive community. Even small steps count – the important thing is to get started. One example: here at the esports player foundation, we worked with Deutsche Telekom and SK Gaming in the Equal eSports initiative to set up a unique promotional programme for women and non-binary people in esports that offers them an additional ‘stage’ for their skills. The programme is already supporting two diverse esports teams. And this is about creating role models for society as well, and paving the way for further diverse talent to pursue a professional career. Making diversity in esports more visible also goes hand in hand with communicating values. Because unfortunately, an open culture can also run into aggressive opposition – for example, in the form of hate speech. Values like fair play are extremely important in countering these loud, toxic minorities in the games community.

What can game companies in the esports sector and the teams themselves do to combat hate speech and promote fair play?

Like other popular digital media, games and esports are affected by the larger societal challenge of hate speech online. To take on this problem, we’ve joined forces with partners from the government and business worlds to launch the Speak Up Esports campaign. Together with well-known video game and esports players and other experts, we’ve taken a strong, loud stance against hate speech online. To combat it, esports organisations need to put measures such as clear codes of conduct for fair and respectful interaction – like the one in our Fairplay Guide for EA SPORTS FC – on their long-term agenda, along with trainings and inclusive events and activities. This has to include transparent external communication that shows that a company is taking a strong stance against toxicity and hate speech and doesn’t offer a breeding ground for it.

Clara Dietrich

Clara Dietrich has worked at the esports player foundation since 2020 and is now Team Lead Marketing and Communications. Her passion for esports was sparked by a lecture in her master’s degree programme. Before joining the epf, she worked for four years at a performance marketing agency, where she headed the social media marketing team for three years.