According to the UK's new game industry census, most game developers are white.
UKIE publishes results of first article UK Game Industry Census Focus on the diversity of the workforce. The process was carried out by the University of Sheffield between September and October 2019.
During this period, 3,200 game workers participated, accounting for about 20% of the British game industry. Findings shared by Dr. Mark Taylor indicate that 70% of the workforce is made up of men, compared to 28% of women and 2% of non-binary.
Although this ratio is similar to other creative industries such as the film and television industry, it is "significantly lower than the national average for work." The result is even worse if you consider ethnic diversity.
Only 10% of the people surveyed were black, Asian or other ethnic minorities (BAME). UKIE said that this is higher than the national average and also higher than other creative industries. More interestingly, this percentage is "below the average" of the working-age population.
The report found: "Although the proportion of BAME workers is roughly the same in all jobs, there is a slight bias towards more non-department-specific positions, but the number of representatives in senior positions has decreased significantly," the report found.
More positively, 21% of gaming industry workers are LGBTQ +, and 79% of them are heterosexual. It found: "This is a fairly high LGBTQ + worker ratio, and other data sources suggest that heterosexuals make up 93-97% of the national population."
The proportion of non-binary and transgender people was 2% and 3%, respectively, which were also higher than the national average.
As for nationality, the report finds that international workers account for about one-third (28%) of the British gaming industry's workforce. It is said that 19% comes from the European Union and 9% comes from the rest of the world. Respondents listed 88 different countries as origins.
In response, UKIE launched #RaisetheGame, which aims to increase the diversity and inclusiveness of British game development studios. UKIE aims to recruit 200 developers and publishers by 2021. Xbox, EA, King, Jagex and Facebook have all expressed support.
UKIE plans to conduct the same census every two years to track the industry's progress on these issues. You can read the full report on the link.