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Home»News»Entertainment News»Culture»Gaming & Diversity: Wizards of the Coast Hosts First-Ever “Women in Tech” Mixer

Gaming & Diversity: Wizards of the Coast Hosts First-Ever “Women in Tech” Mixer

By Andrea ChinApril 27, 2017
Image courtesy of Vice news article, "I Spent a Gloriously Geeky Day with the Makers of Dungeons & Dragons"
Wizards of the Coast in Renton WA headquarters Image courtesy of Vice news article I Spent a Gloriously Geeky Day with the Makers of Dungeons & Dragons

Recently, I attended a “Women in Tech Mixer,” a networking event hosted by renowned game company Wizards of the Coast in their Renton, WA headquarters.

The free event was created exclusively for women interested or currently working in technology in creative, marketing, project management, and technical roles.  It was a first for Wizards, which has been a dream company for many aspiring fans of Magic the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.  

With its spell-slinging, creature-casting mechanics, high-stakes tournaments, and addictive collectibles, Wizards has developed quite a nerdy reputation.  Magic the Gathering is also one of Hasbro’s most lucrative franchises, beat only by Star Wars.  Working at their headquarters would be taking part in a legacy that has been an integral part of the gaming industry.

What does it take to be a female geek working in tech Image courtesy of Hasbro Glassdoor

Sadly, the reality of working at Wizards of the Coast is the same for anyone who wants to work in the gaming industry.  Entry level roles are snapped up quickly, technical standards are high, and the interview process is notoriously long.  

The “Women in Tech Mixer” seemed to be a step in the right direction, offering attendees the chance to mingle with current employees from a variety of departments and learn about what it’s like to work at Wizards.  And, of course, have a chance to nerd out.

Conference room for the Women in Tech event Also great for draft nights Image courtesy of Vice news article I Spent a Gloriously Geeky Day with the Makers of Dungeons & Dragons

Networking among complete strangers can be a stressful experience for anyone.  There were several things I liked about attending this particular event, including the small group discussions.  You could hop in, hop out of topics such as “How to Get into the Tech Field” and “What’s Behind a Job Description.”  There were Wizards employees from project management, creative, and software engineering teams, who spoke about their recent projects and day-to-day responsibilities.  

I had some good conversations at the “Project Manager” table, which works closely with marketing to create huge, interactive events like the Kaladesh Street Fair at PAX West 2016.  For a company that is rooted in traditional “pen and paper” type of games, these events are crucial to getting players of all levels to interact with their products.  

Inside the WotC office Image courtesy of 425 Business magazines Office Envy article

Eventually, the table discussion turned to non-job-hunting topics like “girls in gaming” and “what defines a true gamer?”  It’s no secret that the gaming industry has had serious diversity problems.  This is not only concerning representation of different groups (genders, religious beliefs, ethnic groups, etc.), but also the representation of entire genres.  

Of course, there are always going to be exceptions that run counter to the trend, but it seems to me that a lot of games are the same because they share the same core mechanics, play styles, or genres.  Remember when every major publisher was making their own version of a gritty, “realistic” zombie survival game?  

You love what you love even if youre green Image courtesy of Magic the Gatherings The Power of Passion article written by Mark Rosewater

The lack of diversity doesn’t just affect players, it affects employees in the industry – especially women.  According to a recent article from Unite-IT, when dividing jobs in the game industry by gender, men are still dominating in most of the core content creation roles like programming, visual arts, game and narrative design.  

In spite of growing equality in player demographics (Unite-IT claims that there are 2x more adult female gamers than young male gamers), the glaring fact of the matter is that there need to be more opportunities for women to enter those key development roles.  The game industry is a tough place for everyone, and the lack of the diversity shouldn’t be one of them.

Office dragon Image courtesy of 425 Business magazines Office Envy article

Looking back at the Women of Wizards networking event, I have hope that there are small, meaningful changes happening even in established game companies and that women are being recognized as a growth opportunity.  In other parts of the tech industry, diversity has become a key strategy for companies who want to recruit the best talent and stay on top.  

As far as my own experience with Wizards of the Coast, I heard from many participants at the end of the event who felt it was a successful networking event for them and they wished for another in the future.  I genuinely hope this will result in some great career opportunities for smart, geeky women.  When one woman helps another, amazing things can happen!

Dungeons and Dragons game industry jobs gaming Gaming Industry gaming jobs geek Geek Culture Hasbro jobs in game industry jobs in gaming Magic: The Gathering nerding out networking video game industry video game jobs what's it like to work at wizards what's it like to work at wizards of the coast where is wizards of the coast Wizards Wizards of the Coast wizards of the coast job fair wizards of the coast jobs wizards of the coast networking wizards of the coast networking event wizards of the coast recruiter women women in tech women in technology wotc
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Andrea Chin

Andrea is a glamorous gamer, pastry chef, and cosplay princess from the Emerald City. She plays board games across the spectrum, from the very casual Cards Against Humanity to sleepless nights of Twilight Imperium. Andrea is a big fan of RPG and experiential games like Monsterhearts, Dungeons & Dragons, murder mystery parties, and escape rooms.

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