When creating the Game – Design and Esports Administration programs, Associate Dean Lisa Funnell recognized the need for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the gaming industry. She turned to organizations like Femme Gaming to ensure EDI plays a role in the programs.
When creating the Game – Design and Esports Administration programs at Mohawk College, a heavy focus was on the importance of equity, diversion and inclusivity (EDI) and what role it will play in these and future gaming-related programs at Mohawk. To ensure these and future programs offer a safe and welcoming environment for anyone interested in learning more about the gaming industry, Mohawk College is proud to have partnered with Femme Gaming, whose goal is to help create safe spaces for and empower women and gender-diverse gamers.
“Femme Gaming is an amazing organization that centers on equity in gaming. Their goal is to encourage girls in particular to get into gaming, and to spread understanding of the importance of safe and equitable spaces for all people in gaming. They're a great organization that is promoting the role that girls and women play in gaming,” said Lisa Funnell, Associate Dean for the Game – Design and Esports Administration programs at Mohawk College. “If you look at the statistics, about half of the gamers out there are girls and women. We want to make sure that they can see that this is a space for them, that there are career pathways in gaming and that we want to have the greatest diversity of players and creators in this particular industry and space,” she continued.
“We have basically a 50/50 split between male and female gamers, and sometimes that 50/50 split isn't represented in the voices creating games. That's something that we're both looking to accomplish is equal representation, both in market share, but also in representation and voice,” added Andrew Fedurko, a professor in the Game Design and Esports Administration programs.
Femme Gaming has helped to guide the program creation process by contributing their voices. In turn, Mohawk College is supporting them to empower the voices of young female and gender-diverse gamers wherever possible. “We are the official educational provider of Femme Gaming. What that means is we will support each other in mutual endeavors,” said Andrew. “The goal of this partnership is empowerment and representation in esports and video gaming as a larger community. That means promoting equity, diversity, inclusivity, representation, and combating toxic culture, specifically within gaming and specifically within esports, while at the same time getting more females involved in the gaming industry in Canada.”
The notion of EDI has always been a struggle in the gaming industry, and the goal of collaborations like the one with Femme Gaming is to change the industry from the inside.
One of the guiding principles in the gaming programs at Mohawk College is to produce graduates who can change the industry, making it more inclusive from the inside. Supporting Femme Gaming is important to Mohawk not only to spread their message, but to show students that there are already forces actively working to make that change. “The goal of this partnership is to really promote equitable and inclusive spaces in gaming, understanding that this is important for girls and women, but this is also important for people of all genders. Everybody deserves safe, inclusive and equitable spaces,” said Lisa. “When we talk to Femme Gaming and we hear about them and their experiences, their goals, their values, it just reaffirms to us why we're doing it as well. With the Game – Design program, it hasn't necessarily changed it, but it's almost like it's enhanced it through this partnership. It’s showing our students that there are organizations out there advocating and fighting for inclusivity, that we are on the right path, and that we can move forward in this industry knowing that we've got these other organizations really pushing for it.”
The partnership with Femme Gaming has led to incredible collaboration in tackling prejudice and the lack of representation in the gaming industry. For Lisa, the strength in Mohawk’s partnership with Femme Gaming is representative of the importance of collaboration in inclusivity. “I think that's the most beautiful part about partnerships. Collaboration is a huge part of the gaming world, right? You're constantly integrating and networking and connecting with others. It also then needs to be part of the creation process. As we're creating these programs and putting them out there, we're sending these messages of who we are, what we're about, but also who we're going to train and who we're going to put out an industry. Femme Gaming does a brilliant job of showcasing that these are the spaces that we're advocating for and we're doing the same from the training standpoint,” said Lisa.
“We’re sending that message to industry and to the gaming community that this is what we what we're training for. This is what we want, and this is what we expect. So be prepared because we're going to have a lot of people who are going to be engaged,” she added.
Inclusivity is at the core of all of Mohawk’s gaming programs, and Andrew wants everyone whose interested in the gaming industry to know that the programs are ready to welcome them with open arms. “I think this message extends to anyone and everyone. A lot of people don't feel that this is right for them, or they're concerned about if it's right for them,” said Andrew. “At Mohawk College, we want to make sure that everyone is included in this program and in our ecosystem of the gaming environments. For that and for any group, we say, ‘Hey, you're welcome here. This is an inclusive space. We welcome everyone because we want your opinion, your experiences, your unique perspectives are valued. You can help shape the future that this is a growing industry.’
He continued, “This is a culture that is growing and by having the right people, the right voices and this mutual strategy, we can not only help shape the industry, but the culture that supports that industry.
So, the message is that you're welcome at Mohawk. You're welcome to our Esports Administration program. You're welcome to the Game - Design program and not just to attend as a student, but to help contribute to the future economy, the future industry, and the future culture of this entire spectrum.”
Learn more about the Game – Design and Esports Administration programs at Mohawk College.
