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PlayFirst: There's not enough diversity in the games industry

Hiring a "white guy in a suit" won't lead to alternative ideas, says president of Diner Dash creator

PlayFirst CEO and president Mari Baker has highlighted the need for diverse development teams, feeling that many studios do not look beyond their own social circles to achieve this.

"I think a lot of people when they're building companies think 'I'm pretty good, I'll hire a bunch of people like me,'" the boss of the Diner Dash creator told GamesIndustry.biz in an interview published today.

"When you're a white guy in a suit, that's your thought, and you end up getting companies like that. I think there are lots of different approaches to success, but the diversity of ideas is what leads you to breakthroughs. I think a lot of people don't necessarily think about it."

Nonetheless, she felt it was important to not specifically target women, both in terms of games and staffing her own company. "I think that robust discussion and innovation comes from that mixture of ideas and skillsets.

"So I don't when I build a team consciously try to say 'I am going to get more women on board', but I think having that attitude valuing different views and mindsets helps to create an environment where you can build a more diverse team.

"Certainly for PlayFirst it helps us to be really true and honest about serving the female market as well. I don't think that women when it comes to a game specifically want to feel like it is made for women.

"There's a degree to which I just wanna play a good game, and I'm not trying to identify myself as a woman in choosing that game. I'm identifying myself as someone who wants to play a good and interesting game."

The full interview with Mari Baker, in which she also discusses Google versus Facebook, the pitfalls of iPhone development and why the recent spate of social dev acquisitions are really about building brands, is available here.

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Alec Meer

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A 10-year veteran of scribbling about video games, Alec primarily writes for Rock, Paper, Shotgun, but given any opportunity he will escape his keyboard and mouse ghetto to write about any and all formats.

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