Emma Smith from Creative Assembly on sponsoring this year’s MCV/DEVELOP Women in Games 2023 Awards

Creative Assembly are sponsoring the MCV/DEVELOP Women in Games 2023 Awards show again next month, and we had a chat with Emma Smith, their director of talent and social impact, about both the awards show and why supporting the efforts of women working in the games industry is so important. 

What is the appeal of sponsoring the Women in Games Awards this year? 

These awards mark an important moment to celebrate the successes of diverse voices; to celebrate the people, initiatives and organisations who are driving progression across the games industry. 
 
Why the Education Impact award in particular?

The quality of games education in the industry is an area we are very passionate about. Our education outreach programme, the Legacy Project, aims to breakdown the existing barriers and give people from all backgrounds the skills and information to become the game development talent of tomorrow. There has been a longstanding disconnect between the industry, and school and university students – with many completing their education without the right skills to enter the industry. The MCV Women in Games Education Impact Award is an opportunity to recognise those who are striving for excellence in this area and bridging the gap to support more aspiring game developers of the future. 

How important is it that your organisation supports the efforts of women working in the games industry?

We support initiatives that resonate with our values and that our people care deeply about. The games industry has the potential to be truly inclusive; we naturally attract incredibly diverse and creative people, and we want to see both Creative Assembly and the wider industry reach that potential. That means listening to the experiences of those working in it, supporting, and giving a voice to employee-led groups, such as our studio Women’s group, and continually looking at opportunities to improve internally, and to support the wider industry through role models, sponsorships, scholarships and more. 

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If you’d like to find out more about the MCV Women in Games 2023 Awards show, you can do that over on the event’s website.