DONNA
For an equal industry
In 2021, only 21.4 % of game industry workers in Sweden are women¹. While the number is slowly growing, it’s still nowhere close to corresponding with the distribution of gamers, which previous studies in Europe has clocked at an average of 43 % women.²
DONNA is a local initiative of the University of Skövde to bring more women into the industry – in part by means of getting more women into game development education. After all, as founder Jenny Brusk explains, “it’s obvious that unless we manage to recruit more female students to our courses, game companies will have a more difficult time recruiting women”
Every year in relation to Sweden Game Conference, DONNA DAY takes place: an event where students and industry can network and exchange experiences.
Our contribution
There are many important initiatives dedicated to furthering the cause of women and non-binary in the games industry, with DONNA being more local to our roots in Sweden.
We are proud to collaborate closely with DONNA to support their efforts to inspire women and non-binary students to pursue careers and entrepreneurship in game development. As Gold sponsors of DONNA Day 2022, we invest in the future of our industry by helping more applicants join regardless of financial situation, with travel, lodging and food all covered throughout DONNA Day as well as free access to Sweden Game Conference, one of the country’s biggest game conferences. We are also happy to contribute as mentors and speakers at DONNA Day, sharing our knowledge and experiences to inspire passionate creatives who share our ideals of diversity and equality.
We hope to soon be able to share exciting information about a new collaboration.
¹ Dataspelsbranschen spelutvecklarindex 2021, Nyckeltal
² Videogames in Europe: Consumer Study, European Summary Report November 2012, Ipsos Media CT
LGBTQI Certification
An industry for everyone
RFSL’s goal is to become totally unnecessary. As one of the oldest of its kind in the world, the non-profit organization works with and for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people (LGBTQI). When society is characterised by the respect and acceptance of people’s differences, that goal is achieved. There hasn’t been a more self-evident cause since The Council of Elrond decided to hurl the One Ring into the depths of Mount Doom. Which is why Kinda Brave joins this ongoing Quest.
Our contribution
In early 2022, Kinda Brave took its first steps with RFSL in becoming the world’s first LGBTQI certified games company. All employees within our publishing division, including the management of all our studios – both current and future – will undergo a six-month certification process focusing on diversity and understanding. This includes training in topics such as human rights, norms and power, reception and work environment issues, laws and rights, discrimination and LGBTQI terminology.
Through the certification, Kinda Brave supports the important work of RFSL in exchange for levelling up our organization with XP points in Wisdom. This experience will contribute to a safer, more inclusive work environment that everyone in our group will benefit from – regardless of identity or background. And until RFSL’s goal to become redundant has been realized, we’ll simply keep working towards a games industry for everyone.
“In the early 90’s, the games industry was perceived as male dominated and only targeted towards that audience, with games such as Mortal Kombat and DOOM dominating the scene. Back then, there were doubts about the interest from a female audience. However, the success of the game Barbie Fashion Designer in 1996 was a breakthrough. It was one of the first titles showcasing that a diverse perspective could create a successful and profitable business. But also, more importantly, it was able to include a new target market and audience – which otherwise would have been left out from the hobby.
With that said, RFSL Utbildning AB is extremely proud and excited to have Kinda Brave as one of our partners in creating a more inclusive society. Through the LGBTQI+ certification, Kinda Brave is one of the pioneers in the Swedish games industry, taking further steps within diversity and inclusion. Sex and gender diversity are not the only areas embedded in our certification. There’s also intersectionality such as ethnic origin, social orientation, age and disability. We are confident that through this collaboration, we can create both a more profitable business and an inclusive games industry and society.”
Karl Yves Vallin
Managing Director RFSL Utbildning AB
