Nintendo's annual report highlights the inequality between men and women at the Japanese video game giant.
Perhaps even more than in other sectors, the video game industry is deeply behind on gender equality. In 2023, it still seems natural for some to wonder whether "gaming is sexist" at a table of men, and for others whether "there are too many female protagonists?" in a medium where the typical protagonist is a 30-year-old brown-haired white male.
This problem can be found both among players in front of the screen, in the diversity of characters on screen, but also among those who create video games. As Nintendo's latest annual report attests.
A woman: 70 cents, a man: 1 dollar
GamesIndustry was able to identify this data published by Nintendo in its 95-page report to investors. The site points out that Nintendo still identifies a wide pay gap between men and women in its teams. On average, when a female Nintendo employee earns 70 cents, a male employee earns one dollar. The situation would be better for contract workers, where the difference in pay would be 91 cents to 1 dollar.
Nintendo does, however, attempt to justify this situation in its report.
''The pay gap between male and female regular employees is mainly due to differences in seniority and average age. There is no difference in treatment between men and women in terms of salary or appraisal system.
In other words, women and men would be entitled to the same level of pay for the same job. The underlying problem is that men are more likely to be promoted within Nintendo. At Nintendo, 95.8% of management positions are held by men.
Why are 95.8% of managers men?
We might also ask whether this disproportion is due to women leaving the company earlier in their careers. Nintendo of America has been the target of accusations of a toxic work environment, including sexual harassment. However, the report does not address these issues.
The industry's ability to retain its creators is one of the challenges facing video game development in 2023. The culture of constant crunching and ambient toxicity tends to turn off newcomers, despite their passion for the medium. Those who manage to make it to positions of responsibility are also those who can reproduce the patterns that have seen them succeed. In Nintendo's case - but they're no exception - reproducing these patterns can mean recruiting or promoting men.
In this respect, Nintendo seems to be a good example, since on average, an employee stays with the Japanese giant for 14 years, with an average age of 39.9.
Nintendo recognizes the problem
The good news is that Nintendo seems to be aware of the problem, and demand is coming first and foremost from consumers.
''As the interests and preferences of our consumers continue to diversify in the world of entertainment, it is essential to rely on a diverse workforce to reinforce the collective strength of the company. At Nintendo, we actively recruit and promote talent regardless of factors such as gender, age, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Let's hope that the method chosen by Nintendo will improve diversity in its recruitment. As the company points out, it's also this diversity that makes it possible to create richer games that can appeal to a wider range of people.
Among the measures taken by Nintendo to improve equality between women and men, the company highlights its leave policy following the birth of a child.
''We are also aware of the importance of creating environments in which female employees can give their best. We are actively working to improve support systems and encourage the use of childcare leave, including for male employees who help raise children.
As GamesIndustry reminds us, this report serves to highlight concerns at Nintendo, but these are problems that extend to the video game industry as a whole. And in the broadest sense, since the specialized press is no exception, including The Tech Chronicles.
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