Increasing Diverse Opportunities across the Technology and Gaming Sectors
Leading global interactive entertainment software company Electronic Arts is showing growth in its already ramped up women-focused recruitment efforts opening opportunities for women in the technology and gaming sectors.
“EA recognizes the need to incorporate more diverse perspectives into our game development to create games that attract a diverse audience,” EA Global Diversity and Inclusion Manager Kelsey Wesley said. “The women in our workforce bring an invaluable perspective to this process, which is evident in the diverse characters and experiences we offer,” she added.
Commitment to Diversified Workforce
While the company unites the world through play, it is building on success in increasing its women-focused recruiting efforts. As one of the biggest video game publishers in the world, EA is progressively increasing its women-focused recruitment efforts across-the-board, demonstrating a continuing commitment to a diversified workforce.
Its numerous efforts this year include a presence at the world’s largest gathering of women technologists, the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. Also recruiting efforts at the European Women in Games Jobs Conference and Lesbians Who Tech Summit. The company also hosted onsite networking events for local talent in partnership with Women in Games International at various EA locations.
“These sponsorships provided EA’s global recruiting team opportunities to connect with thousands of highly skilled candidates in the technology/gaming fields,” Wesley said.
EA’s across-the-board women recruiting initiatives also include a variety of student opportunities. AE recently hosted several dozen high school girls on campus for the first time as part of the Girls Who Code program. The seven week program provided opportunity for the students to create their own apps while being taught by professional developers at EA.
Creating and Inclusive Company Culture
Internally, EA has also been making strides in creating an inclusive company culture that includes women-focused engagement and development programs. International Women’s Day was celebrated across 14 of its locations this year, providing engagement and development opportunities for nearly 1,000 employees.
Earlier this year, EA launched a new internal Women’s Resource site with resources on professional development and best practices for health and work-life balance. Local Women @ EA Networking Events were implemented globally to create and strengthen the connections among employees and network with top EA women leaders. Each event had an average of 100 male and female employees in attendance, and the effort inspired several EA studios to start their own Lean In Circles.
In addition to employee programs, EA has showcased its female talent prominently with female leaders of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst and Star Wars Battlefront, taking the stage at E3 to showcase their games to over four million viewers. At the event, EA launched the promotional campaign She Lives to Play, that celebrates the strong female characters featured in some of its most popular games.
