International Women’s Day 2020: Women in Games

At AppOnboard and Buildbox we’re committed to diversity and are proud supporters of the International Women’s Day (March 8th) and Women in Games. Our company is spread across the globe with staff from a variety of different backgrounds, all coming together to help enable anyone to create amazing games regardless of technical skill. Celebrating success together is a key part of our culture. 

Brittany Thompson / Director of People & Culture at AppOnBoard & Buildbox

“When you look at the demographic of all our users here at AppOnboard and Buildbox, you see different ages, races, and genders. We want to reflect that same diversity within our team because representation is important! Much like our software, the idea of diversity drives us to remove the boundaries in game development, empowering everyone to create and design full mobile games even without any prior coding knowledge.”

With our diverse community of over 500,000 no-code creators from all over the world using our software to bring their game ideas to life, we truly believe game development is for everybody. 

 

Women in Games

In honor of the upcoming International Women’s Day on March 8th, we reached out to several inspiring women involved in the Women in Games organization who are paving the way for women in gaming and tech to share a little about their experience.  

Jennifer Koch / Talent Acquisition Executive at Kwalee & Women in Games Ambassador at WIGJ

“I have been working in the games industry for just over one year, but it always been something I knew I wanted to be a part of, as I loved playing games as a child and still do.

I decided a long time ago that I would love to work in gaming, but never thought of myself to be creatively talented or good with numbers. So after I finished my degree in education, I decided to make it my goal to find a way into the industry. I naturally progressed into an administration role working on a local EU project to help young adults coming from challenging backgrounds to get their first job. After I knew I had built enough experience, I was able to make a move into my first HR role, which gave me the experience to apply for Kwalee. 

My passion for games really helped me to stand out during the interview process, and it’s become one of the main reasons that I love working at Kwalee. Everyone is really passionate about what we do, which creates a great work environment where like-minded people are working together to reach success. We all have similar interests and hobbies, so we sometimes get together and play board games, host movie nights or a bunch of us are big foodies so that we go to local food festivals together – and none of it feels like ‘forced fun,’ we all want to be doing it.

Another great aspect of working in games is the supportive community that I have experienced, and how you can very quickly feel like you’re ‘part’ of something. Recently, I was appointed as a Women in Games ambassador, and aim to help them in supporting the local community in encouraging diversity. Another area I’m going to be focusing on in 2020 will be to share more insight with educational establishments on how to increase the amount of young girls that are considering a career in the industry. I feel more needs to be done in the education sector to help this, so being a part of it is a big goal of mine!”

Charlotte Cook / VP, Gaming at Bidstack; Women in Games Ambassador at WIGJ

I’ve been working in the gaming industry since I graduated from university. I am making my mark on both the publishing and distribution sides of gaming. I’ve worked at some of the most influential gaming companies of our time and had a hand in launching multiple chart-topping AAA titles such as Grand Theft Auto, BioShock, and Borderlands, as well as PC favorites Total War and Football Manager. I also served as part of the team that created the UK marketing campaign for Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics. Through my work within the gaming industry, I’ve been recognized as one of MCV’s 30 under 30 winners, and I’m also an ambassador for Women in Games. My role with Women in Games is something that I’m particularly passionate about because the organization believes in a games industry that is free of gender discrimination and welcomes equal opportunities and fair treatment for all, empowering all women to achieve their full potential.

 

Elinor Schops / VP Business Development at CrazyLabs & founder of ‘Women in Games’ in Israel

‘Women in Games’ was created to answer the need for a professional conference for women in the gaming industry. We aim for an eye-level discussion and peer to peer communication, and so this event will provide attendees more than just the option to listen to lectures & panels.” says Elinor Schops, VP Business Development and the founder of ‘Women in Games’ in Israel. “We strive to create real open discussions that can help us and our counterparts in similar companies enrich our professional toolkit.”

“Unfortunately, the event had to be postponed to a later date due to the health concerns of the Israeli Health Department On March 5th, 2020. It will be the first independent conference in Israel about Women in Games. This event will focus on women working in gaming companies in Israel while providing a platform for the unique issues women encounter in the industry. The purpose of the event is to explore women’s interests in the Israeli and global gaming sphere, understand the challenges and difficulties we face, and find out whether these are a must in the business. We will also look at how we can serve an example for a new generation of women looking to enter the field.”

About CrazyLabs

CrazyLabs is home to industry-leading Hyper Casual games, famously adored Lifestyle games, and Causal IP games with top-tier global brands. As a top 10 mobile games publisher, (according to AppAnnie & Sensor Tower) and with over 2.9 billion downloads, CrazyLabs is a worldwide leader in casual games development, distribution, and innovation. The company’s headquarters are in Israel, with global offices in China, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Germany, and Ukraine.

Our Upcoming Podcast 

We’re proud to be supporters of Women in Games and other initiatives that encourage diversity in the industry. In our upcoming podcast series, which will be available soon, we’ll also be talking to a number of women from the gaming industry about their journey into development, why they’re passionate about gaming, the games they’re currently playing, and some diversity topics as well. So, stay tuned for that update!