Game Changers

gameCHANGERS The opportunities for women choosing a career in the interactive media industry are as endless as the innovations on which its players thrive BY CAROLYN PATRICIA GRISOLD hen told stories of playing Gabrielle Chevalier, co-CEO of video THIS IS AN EXCITING video games for 10 hours game distributor Solutions 2 GO Inc. INDUSTRY AND EACH YEAR W a day, every day, for three – increasingly taking the helm in BRINGS ANTICIPATION, NEW months – and being paid for it – you don’t interactive media, and staying there. “CHALLENGES AND BUSINESS expect the player to be a professional Chevalier has been making the most OPPORTUNITIES. woman. Yet, it may surprise you to learn, of this growing industry for decades. GABRIELLE CHEVALIER, 38% of our female population plays Her distribution business began CO-CEO, SOLUTIONS 2 GO INC. video games and the average age of a supplying movies, VHS and Beta to gamer in Canada is 33. With statistics independent and franchise video movie ” like these, it’s no wonder more and rental stores. When the Nintendo more women are choosing a career in Entertainment System took off and this engaging field. Ubisoft Toronto’s those stores began carrying the related leading lady Jade Raymond fully admits hardware and a selection of games, to being enraptured by the excitement Chevalier’s customers actually gaming offers. It is what drives her encouraged her to consider these to succeed in an industry that is new products, as the stores’ source developing at top speed. of supply was extremely limited. “It’s not just creating new experiences “By the late 1980s we were solely within a medium, it’s pushing the actual focused on video game distribution,” medium to evolve,” says Raymond. “It’s Chevalier recalls. “The industry was a chance to redefine, challenge and in its infancy and the opportunities change what the medium is, and that were huge.” is what gets me really excited about Solutions 2 GO Inc. (S2G) is now game development as a career.” the largest video game distribution And it’s this excitement that has company in North America. women like Raymond – as well as The Canadian interactive media 50 W OMEN O F I NFLUENCE MAGAZINE FEATURE NEW MEDIA industry as a whole presently employs around 50,000 people – 16,000 of which work with video games. This industry is worth about $4 billion annually. To contrast, the Canadian music recording and performance industry is worth approximately $1.2 billion and, the Canadian television broadcasting industry totals around $5.5 billion. Because of the economic force of the industry, the Canadian government is involved quite heavily in supporting its success, including investing $263 million into the Toronto studio of international game development giant Ubisoft. Headquartered in France, the company’s largest development studio is in Montreal, where Raymond proved her influence by executive producing Assassin’s Creed. Previously holding her own as a programmer for Sony Online and producer for Electronic Arts on The Sims Online, Raymond has also been a correspondent on The Electric Playground . And taking part recently in the TIFF Nexus Difference Engine Project – bringing women together who had little or no experience in development to create simple games with basic tools – Raymond was thrilled to see the collaboration that emerged among young women in digital media. “It was such a rewarding experience, ” she says, adding that there is a wide range of resources to help anyone looking to break into the interactive media H T R industry and video games specifically O W – from programming, to development N E R and design, communications, and beyond. H E L “The best way to find out about E I N A the industry is to talk to someone in D Y [it] – do your research and ask lots B O T of questions, and most importantly, O H P try to get an internship,” Raymond SPRING 2012 51 I R I H S E K H S O R U O K Y B O T O H P recommends. “I am also on the board “With the inception of S2G, we had and Streets of Rage ,” she recalls. of Women in Film and Television Toronto the opportunity to reinvent the video game Raymond wanted to find a career that and highly recommend groups like distribution model based on meeting combined art with math, her favourite this to network with other women in each publisher’s unique Canadian subjects, but could only think of the digital media industry.” distribution objectives,” she says. “Built architecture. That summer at her uncle’s In contrast to Raymond’s linear path on offering flexible solutions […] our changed everything. “It hit me that to success in her field, Chevalier began organization is constantly evolving someone must make these games, and her career in automotive manufacturing . with the industry, which keeps us they were a perfect blend of art, math She did not intend to build her own young, vibrant and able to adapt. and science.” business, but after consistently creating “The key is vision, passion, recognizing The video game industry and its success for her employers, when the and seizing the market opportunity, and unique nature of creative-technical opportunity arose to work for herself, most importantly,” Chevalier adds, production helps cultivate and develop she took it. “a little luck.” a wide range of skills in technology, “I value leadership, discipline, trust It was luck too that led Raymond to creative arts and management. These and creativity and a total commitment first stumble upon video games. Visiting skills have applications in other to be the best each of us can be,” she her uncle as a young girl, she came industries such as medicine – and says of her business philosophy. across his game collection and decided architecture – that subsequently drive Owning several businesses through - her mission that summer would be ancillary economic activity. out her career, Chevalier has found all to beat him at every game he owned. It is also a lucrative industry; the of them rewarding. “I mastered Tekken, Intelligent Qube average annual salary for employees 52 W OMEN O F I NFLUENCE MAGAZINE FEATURE NEW MEDIA at Canadian video game companies THERE IS A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN TO HELP TRULY in 2011 was $62,000, compared to the TRANSFORM THE [VIDEO] GAMES INDUSTRY INTO A MAINSTREAM average salary of workers in the broader FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT. economy at $29,000. “JADE RAYMOND, But most enter this field because MANAGING DIRECTOR, UBISOFT TORONTO of their passion for the products, and their enthusiasm for working in an Chevalier. “Currently our vice pr”esident number of successful and well-respected exciting industry. of sales, vice president of operations, women in senior roles over the years. Chevalier agrees. “I thrive on new vice president of purchasing, and “Men still outnumber women in opportunities,” she says. “I would not director of human resources are all these roles,” she says. “Although, I don’t be motivated to continue in business women in the prime of their careers.” believe it’s a reflection of gender if the industry was stagnant.” Chevalier stresses that S2G does discrimination, rather simply a reflection Technology is advancing almost not have specific policies to address of [how] the enormous time commitment exponentially; for companies that ride gender, ethnicity or any other diversity required to be at the top is not realistic these waves of change, keeping up with classification. “It was not my vision to for many women also trying to raise the flow can prove both challenging fill these positions with women,” she young families.” and inspiring. adds, “but simply the best possible Both Chevalier and Raymond are “We are just starting to realize the candidates.” mothers: the latter of a two-year-old, potential for what interactive entertain - Over at Ubisoft Toronto, women and the former now also a grandmother. ment can and will be,” says Raymond. make up about 20 percent of Jade One of the most significant moments “Social games, MMOs, [Microsoft] Raymond’s team, in many influential in Raymond’s career came when she Kinect, cloud computing – all of the production roles. “In my experience, was eight months pregnant. Working new technologies are opening up true breakthroughs happen when you at Ubisoft Montreal in a role she found opportunities for innovation.” bring a diverse group of people together,” fulfilling, Raymond was excited about Both Raymond and Chevalier note she says. her upcoming adventure into mother - that it helps to have a tech savvy team “Women are only one of many hood. “And then,” she says, “as I was that constantly strives to stay ahead of under-represented groups in game about to [go] on maternity leave, I was the curve. development,” Raymond continues. offered the managing director job at “You definitely need to be current with “In order to grow, the industry needs Ubisoft Toronto.” the trends if you want to stay on top,” fresh perspectives and new ways of At the time when she was expecting Chevalier adds. “We look at technological thinking.” to be gearing down, instead she took changes as new opportunities to grow Asked how to attract more women on a new city, a new team and a new and expand our distribution business.” into the industry, she states that it helps project. The Canadian interactive media to have women leading the development “It taught me to take risks and industry grows as demand grows. “Video of a diverse range of game types to embrace opportunity, [and] that as a games are being played by everyone generate and build that awareness.

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