Female Gamers Opportunity

Female Gamer OpportunityTomb RaiderJune 4th, 2015

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Purpose: Generate buzz and conversation.

Win with women.

The face of gaming is changing.

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Women console gamers as a whole have grown 70% (to 30.3 million)

since 2011.

Source: “More women play video games than boys.” The Washington Post, 2014

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They’re increasingly diehard.

More than 5 million women said they game on their console five

days or more a week.

That’s 4 times as many as 2011.

Source: “More women play video games than boys.” The Washington Post, 2014

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Women make up 44% of the total gaming audience, all up.

And represent 41% of the purchasing audience.

Source: ESA’s Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, 2015

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Women over 18 are the fastest-growing gamer demographic on

Xbox Live, making up 38% of subscribers.

Source: “The risk of the female game protagonist.” CNET, 2014

But the industry hasn’t caught up.

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Just 15% of video games have playable female characters.

(And those that do receive half the marketing

budgets given to games with male protagonists.)

Source: “The risk of the female game protagonist.” CNET, 2014

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Even internally, women make up only 22% of the game industry workforce.

Source: “10 powerful women in video games.” Fortune, 2014

11Source: “10 powerful women in video games.” Fortune, 2014

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“It’s double the animations, it’s double the voices, all that stuff and double the

visual assets. It was really a lot of extra production work. The only logical option we had was to cut the female

avatar.”- Alex Amancio, Creative Director for Ubisoft on why there were no female assassin’s in

Assassin’s Creed UnitySource: “Ubisoft abandoned women assassins in co-op because of the additional work.” Polygon, 2014

And women aren’t happy about this.

14Source: Twitter

15Source: Twitter

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Anita Sarkeesian was listed as one of Time’s 100 Most

Influential People of 2015 for her critique on gaming in her popular Tropes vs. Women in

Video Games series.

Source: “Anita Sarkeesian.” TIME, 2015

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She was also invited to talk

about her views on women in gaming on The Colbert

Report.Source: “Anita Sarkeesian.” TIME, 2015

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Tomb Raider’s own Rhianna Pratchett created the

hashtag #1ReasonToBe to celebrate why women should be a part of the video game

industry.The hashtag inspired the

creation of one of the most sought-after panels at the

Game Developers Conference.

Source: “Anita Sarkeesian.” TIME, 2015

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Conversations around women in gaming have reach around one million mentions over the past year, with the topic gaining more traction over time.

Women in Gaming Social Listening

Source: Razorfish, 2015

Holy crap, what do we do?

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Only 1 of the top 25 video games from the past two years had a female

protagonist.

Source: “Female Protagonists Still Rare in Gaming and Movies.” Jezebel, 2014

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And that game was…Tomb Raider

Source: “Female Protagonists Still Rare in Gaming and Movies.” Jezebel, 2014

We have a completely unique opportunity. We have Lara.

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There’s an intense and passionate desire for female representation in

gaming.

There’s an opportunity to become the torch bearer.

And we are literally the only game with the only

character that can fill that need.

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Lara’s Transformation Reflects the Transformation that the Industry is going through.

And we’re not the only ones to recognize this.

“The changing role for women in gaming has touched not just the players, but the

characters themselves. In last year’s reboot of ‘Tomb Raider,’ the wildly popular ’90s action-explorer, player character Lara

Croft transformed from a buxom adventuress in short shorts to a crafty,

fearsome survivor in better-suited outerwear.”

- Drew Harwell, The Washington Post

More Women Play Video Games and Other Surprising Facts Lost in the Mess of Gamergate, 2014

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And Transformation is the theme of our gameJourney of Discovery

The why is everything. It’s what whispers in our ear at night. It’s what pushes us forward when everything else is telling us to quit.  Lara Croft is searching for her why. She’s looking for the person she’s meant to become. This is her journey of discovery. It will take her from the peaks of frigid mountains to the depths of sunless tombs. It will force her to confront the kind of fear no person should ever have to face. And it will lead her to a strength she didn’t know she had.  When the journey is over, Lara will have the elements of her why. And they will transform her into the Tomb Raider.

More Women Play Video Games and Other Surprising Facts Lost in the Mess of Gamergate, 2014

Two strategic ways in.

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1.As Gaming Has Transformed, So Have

We.

Lara’s Literal Transformation

To show how we’ve changed with the time, lets literally highlight Lara’s transformation over the years. From the hypersexualized to the more authentic, badass she is now.

And welcome women who have written off Tomb Raider as a game made by men for men, back into the franchise.

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Video Games, Now with Real Women.Lara Croft is a representation of how far women have come in video games. She’s no longer just a sexy icon for guys to ogle, she’s a strong, authentic woman. Who happens to be a badass.

Lets use this authentic, more fully realized Lara to spark conversations and interest in the current state of gaming while celebrating just how amazing she is.

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It’s Time For A ChangeA lot has happened in the past decade. Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi have changed the face of the political landscape. Amy Schumer, Tina Fey and Broad City’s Ilana and Abbi have changed the face of comedy. Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer are changing the face of industry.

Meanwhile, the gaming industry is stuck in the 90’s. In this world, women aren’t playable; they’re a plot point. A romantic diversion. A victim. Or even, a sexualized commodity.

This direction uses Lara as an affirmation that women can be just as badass, just as authentic and just as important as anyone else in the gaming industry. That in 2015, it’s time for a change.

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2.Dare to Go Further.

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#NoExcuseIn the creation and marketing of video games, women are constantly neglected. They’re hard to animate, expensive to buy as playable characters and rarely relatable. This is not acceptable and, in light of the industries' evolution, there’ s no longer any excuse. The industry must dare to go further.

Lets use Lara, her spirit to over come and role as the premier badass female gaming icon to drive conversations and questions around the current state of the industry.

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It Takes OneA revolution, whether personal or public, starts with one person, one idea, one spark. For Lara, her personal journey to discover the truth leads her down the path to transformation.

For our audience, It takes one is a rallying cry to make small, but meaningful steps toward a representative gaming industry.

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This is our chance to make Lara’s transformation real.

We have the opportunity to bring the transformation that Lara has undergone in the franchise to the real world.

Don’t alienate men. This is about celebrating the changing

face of gaming (and Lara). Consider hypertargeting.

There is an opportunity to create specified messaging that only reaches our female target.

#FireWithinMe may work with all the ideas.

Considerations

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Why being provocative worksFor Women: Gives them something to rally around.

For Men: Forces reevaluation of a legacy franchise.

Thank You

Appendix

40Source: “More women play video games than boys.” The Washington Post, 2014

41Source: “More women play video games than boys.” The Washington Post, 2014

References

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References ESA’s Essential Facts About the Computer an

d Video Game Industry 2015 More women play video games than boys, an

d other surprising facts lost in the mess of Gamergate

The Risk of the Female Game Protagonist Women Now Make Up Almost Half of Gamers Rhianna Pratchett’s #1ReasonToBe Female Protagonists Still Rare in Gaming and

Movies 10 Powerful Women in Video Games Ubisoft Abandoned Women Assassins in Co-O

p Because of the Additional Work

Thank you.