University of Bradford in cooperation with Bradford College will host Women In Games 2010 in March. Women In Games is in its 7th year and Bradford brings a strong technological and cultural background to this internationally recognised event.

"We are very excited to be hosting the next Women in Games conference in Bradford, through a collaboration between The University of Bradford and Bradford College," commented Mark Eyles, founder of Women in Games, "both institutions have a commitment to computer games and will be working closely with local developers to ensure that Women in Games continues to act as a bridge between industry and academia."

Traditionally the games development industry has been dominated by young, white, middle class males. The Women In Games conferences battle to combat this and with this aim the theme for 2010 will be diversity, looking at nationality and ethnicity as well as gender. With a focus firmly on Industry and Academia the Women In Games 2010 conference looks to showcase the Industry, academic research and latest technologies relating to games and women

As developers move more frequently between studios across continents and outsourcing has taken off in Eastern Europe, China and India to name a few, consumers of games are more likely to be found in countries not traditionally associated with strong markets or sales. With the opening and expansion of global markets the old boundaries between Asian and Western games industries are no longer so well defined. Therefore traditional views of the games industry need to change and evolve.

"Technology is a global industry" commented Dr Ian Palmer, Dean of School of Computing, Informatics and Media at the University of Bradford "and our students need to be ready for tomorrow. The University of Bradford is active in promoting games and technology to women and those traditionally not involved within the industry and we are passionately dedicated to celebrating diversity and confronting inequality."

Academic games courses look to encourage diversity and inclusion from the younger and next generations of games developers. Simultaneously within education more and more students enter from highly varied backgrounds around the world and are choosing to study the development, design, business and culture of games worldwide, and many choose to do this in the UK.

"Bradford College is committed to encouraging all regardless of race, age and gender" commented Michele Sutton OBE, Principal of Bradford College and as such won the Regional Champions Award for Diversity and the National Association of Colleges Beacon Award for Diversity in 2008. "People are at the heart of education and 'Women In Games' underpins our long history of inclusivity at Bradford College."

Our goal for Women In Games 2010 is to build bridges between different cultures within the games industry, game markets and game study, in what is becoming an increasingly globalised marketplace.

The conference welcomes participation from women and men from a variety of backgrounds - arts, humanities, social sciences, exact sciences and computing, both academics and industry professionals, to explore the issues that open up the whole game development process.

Email bradford@womeningames.com for more information on the conference.

  

Email enquiries@womeningames.com for more details on sponsoring the conference