In video games industry too, women paid 24% less than men, survey shows

While two-thirds of men with at least six years of experience received an annual salary of at least $125,000, just 38% of women and non-binary people did, the survey shows.

Representational image of an online gamer | Pixabay

Women working in the video-game industry earn 24% less than their male colleagues on average, according to a new survey — a wider gap than in the US at large that suggests the sector is still struggling to shed its male-dominated culture.

Some 60% of women and non-binary people working at video-game companies believe they are under-compensated, according to the report, which surveyed 562 US-based games workers in July.

They were right: While two-thirds of men at these companies with at least six years of experience received an annual salary of at least $125,000, just 38% of women and non-binary people did, the survey shows. Men typically hold the majority of executive positions at these companies.

In the US overall, the gender pay gap is about 15%, according to the survey published Friday by the Game Developers Conference Festival of Gaming.

Video-game workers are paid more generously than the average American, the report showed, at an average salary at $142,000. That’s slightly higher than in 2024 — although thousands of game developers have lost their jobs amid a contraction in the industry.

Gender equity has long been an issue for video-game companies. Top firms including Tencent Holdings Ltd’s Riot Games, Ubisoft Entertainment SA and Activision Blizzard, owned by Microsoft Corp., have faced allegations of fostering sexist workplaces. Many have opted to hire more women in recent years or paid settlements to former employees.

Today, just 25% of people working in games are women, according to a survey of 3,000 developers in February.

(Reporting by Cecilia D’Anastasio)

Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.