A Word on Game Industry Diversity

Hidden bias is a professional development equality issue that plagues the entire professional spectrum of every industry and role globally, caused by interviewers of all genders and ethnicities. You don't have hidden bias you say? Yes, you do. We all have hidden biases because we all have prior experiences and media influences that impact the way we experience others. It's right there in title: hidden. 

In fact Harvard.edu hosts an online project by Project Implicit to study bias related to disability, age, religion, race and a host of related categories using a scientifically created word association game called the Implicit Association Test. You like games, right? Play through one and you can see collective stats on prior players - and get their evaluation of your own bias level. If you don't want to register you can play as a guest with one click. But use caution - With great power (remember, information is power), comes great responsibility. As Project Implicit reminds us, "Because the IAT sometimes reveals troubling aspects of human nature, it poses the possibility of causing harm." This information should be respected, and I urge you to use it only to reflect upon the truth that bias exists in our social interactions.

So we've established that this is a thing. It is also a long-established fact that these biases can heavily influence the way we perceive and react to others, our beliefs about or confidence in a new acquaintance or even candidate for hire, and our run of the mill personal interactions in day to day life. But let's skip the self flagellation in favor of actual solutions, shall we? What can you actually do about hidden bias? How can you prevent hidden bias from negatively impacting your professional relationships? Well, I'm certainly no expert and would love your comments, but I have a suggestion based on my ten years in business, five years interviewing prospective hires, three years managing diversity programs and two years in our oft developmentally arrested industry of video games.

When you are interacting with someone, please stop and think before you commit to a judgment on who they are and what they are about. ESPECIALLY if you are in a position of evaluation for the purpose of hiring. ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY if you are making judgments related to their social behavior. Everything from the length of the pause between sentences to the body language in a Skype chat can develop into an unfounded hidden bias about the person's competence. "She didn't seem aggressive enough for our fast-paced culture. She was too nice." To many people this sounds like good insight - but it's a classic example of hidden bias against a female candidate. If you have a question about a candidate's ability to handle aspects of a job, address it with them directly. By all means, place the burden of proof in their lap to provide examples of their past demonstrated abilities that are on point with the issue (behavioral interviewing). Don't let yourself make assumptions about their character or their competencies based on your inherently compromised gut feelings.

This one tactic alone could significantly change the landscape of our industry's diversity. I know you think that you would never unfairly keep someone from getting a promotion, a job, or from simply being understood - almost no one sets out to do that - but this happens every day in meetings and email strings everywhere. We have to face the reality that it is us. And we need to make active choices to change. Especially especially in games.