Zynga Partners With the International Game Developers Association Foundation to Champion Women in Games Ambassador & Scholars...
March 07 2018 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
Platinum Sponsorship Launching at the 2018 Game
Developers Conference with Inaugural Programming Aimed at
Increasing Representation and Advancing Opportunities for Women in
Gaming
Zynga (Nasdaq:ZNGA), a leading social game developer, today
announced their platinum sponsorship of the International Game
Developers Association (IGDA) Foundation’s Women in Games
Ambassador and IGDA Scholars programs, kicking off during the
largest gathering of game developers in the world, the 2018 Game
Developers Conference (GDC). The partnership is one pillar of
Zynga’s presence at this year’s GDC, where the company will be the
platinum sponsor of the GDC Mobile Summit, March 19 - 20.
Led by Women at Zynga, whose mission is to foster an inclusive
work environment that values diversity and empowers women to
succeed and become leaders in their careers and community, the
sponsorship of the Women in Games Ambassador program will enable
the IGDA Foundation to expand their programmatic outreach, which
helps women find their first professional opportunities in game
development. In addition, the partnership supports IGDA’s Scholars,
empowering students to further their careers and education through
scholarships and access to industry events and activities, like
GDC, with IGDA’s volunteers.
“Our goal at the IGDA Foundation is to inspire potential and
current developers from all walks of life and around the globe to
embark on successful and fulfilling careers within the gaming
industry,” said Jen MacLean, Executive Director, IGDA Foundation.
“We’re honored to partner with Women at Zynga, as their mission to
empower and support women across the gaming industry aligns with
our core values of mentorship, access and advancement for everyone.
Through our deep partnership with Women at Zynga during this year’s
GDC, we’re excited to pair our program participants with a
fantastic cross-section of leaders at one of the industry’s leading
social game developers.”
In addition to hosting nearly 60 IGDA Foundation program
participants during GDC, Woman at Zynga will also provide GDC
scholarships to 6 female students from the USC School of Cinematic
Arts’ Interactive Media & Games Division and Marshall School of
Business. The scholarships will give access for the students to
attend GDC while receiving on-site career mentorship from Zynga
game makers. The GDC scholarship program is one component of
Zynga’s partnership with USC to support the creation of innovative
social mobile gameplay. Announced in May 2017, Zynga’s USC
initiative funds three years of class curriculum and an event
series of panels and lectures on inclusivity and diversity in the
video game industry. The program is open to students from across
the USC campus who are interested in innovative game design, as
well as inclusivity and diversity in the development of social
mobile games.
“As a leading mobile social game developer, Zynga is committed
to creating and supporting initiatives that build an inclusive
environment for women working in the mobile games sector, as well
as those interested in pursuing a future career in our industry,”
said Frank Gibeau, CEO, Zynga. “At Zynga, we aspire to be a top
destination for women in gaming and I’m proud of how our own
industry-leading Women at Zynga initiative has partnered with IGDAF
and USC to support the next generation of game makers. We look
forward to joining the conversation at this year’s GDC on how to
meaningfully empower and advance women in gaming and foster a
thriving industry for all game developers.”
According to a 2017 Google Play and Newzoo study, 65% of women
aged 10 to 65 in the U.S. play mobile games, with women making up
nearly half of all mobile gamers. To facilitate a discussion on the
state of women in gaming, Women at Zynga will host an esteemed
group of industry leaders for a GDC panel focused on building
diverse entertainment audiences and inclusive points of view in
gaming. Moderated by Lucy O’Brien, Games and Entertainment Editor
for IGN, the panel will feature Jen MacLean, Executive Director,
IGDA Foundation; Lisette Titre-Montgomery, Art Manager, Double Fine
Productions; and Nicole Opas, Vice President of Games, Zynga.
Established in 2011, Women at Zynga embodies the company’s
belief that an organization is stronger when it values diversity,
equality, inclusion and respect. The employee-led group develops
female-focused enrichment programs around education and training,
professional development and community building. In addition to
advocating for women’s achievements and advancements in gaming, the
group is also focused on the retention and recruitment of female
game makers across the industry.
As the platinum sponsor of the GDC Mobile Summit March 19 - 20,
Zynga will also hold an industry panel on building entertainment
experiences for emerging mobile platforms. Moderated by Craig
Chapple, Senior Editor of PocketGamer.biz, the panel will explore
the exciting growth of emerging mobile platforms for instant
entertainment experiences, including a state of the market and
what’s next for Facebook’s Instant Games and Android’s platforms.
Open to all GDC Summit attendees, the panel featuring Leo Olebe,
Director Global Games Partnerships, Facebook; Benjamin Frenkel,
Android Product Manager, Google; Nicole Opas, Vice President Games,
Zynga; and Michael Carter, CEO, Blackstorm Labs, will take place on
March 20 in the West Hall (Room 2011) of Moscone from 11:20 a.m. –
12:20 p.m.
About the International Game Developers Association
(IGDA)
Now in its 24th year, the International Game Developers
Association is the largest non-profit membership organization
serving individuals who create games. The association exists to
advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers by
connecting members with their peers, promoting professional
development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer
community. For more information, visit the official
website or follow the IGDA
on Twitter and Facebook.
About Zynga Inc.
Since its founding in 2007, Zynga's mission has been to connect
the world through games. To-date, more than 1 billion people have
played Zynga's games across Web and mobile, including FarmVille,
Zynga Poker, Words With Friends, Hit it Rich! Slots and CSR Racing.
Zynga's games are available on a number of global platforms
including Apple iOS, Google Android, Facebook and Zynga.com. The
company is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., and has
additional offices in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, India,
Turkey and Finland. Learn more about Zynga at
https://www.zynga.com/blog or follow us on Twitter and
Facebook.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180307005327/en/
ZyngaErin Smith Cheng, 650-224-2462esmithcheng@zynga.com
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