While women have been gaming for a long time, in the last ten years the topic of women and video games has gained momentum and below we list what we believe are some of the ten most significant events that occurred. In each of these, a statement about women and the video game industry were made.

First up is an event organized by the Frag Dolls about 4 years ago for E3. The Frag Dolls organized a Women of E3 photoshoot (the photo above) where all the women were given t-shirts and a chance to network. I actually recognize many women in the picture. I was probably too busy running around covering E3 by myself.

“Females in the gaming industry have long been a minority, but this is less and less true as our community is growing, This year during E3 we will be gathering together as many industry and gamer females as possible for this event to demonstrate the significant presence of women in gaming.”

This hasn’t been a yearly occurrence, but definitely made a statement at a time where E3 was attended overwhelmingly by males.

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Programs launched to teach girls about game development. Over the last decade we saw an emergence and a real commitment to teaching young girls about game development and tech. The hope is to empower girls in math, science, engineering and technology. GirlStart is a Texas-based organization that strives to help girls explore those fields in after school and summer camp programs. Project IT Girl’s objectives are to teach girls about Information Technology.

The DigiGirlz program was created by Microsoft to give high school girls the opportunity to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees, and participate in hands-on computer and technology workshops. Hopefully these programs will grow and help encourage more girls to study the sciences in college.

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Women in Gaming International and IDGA Women in Games. Both organizations started within these past ten years. Women in Gaming International presents events and meetups throughout the United States.

“Women In Games International was founded in 2005 in response to a growing demand around the world for the inclusion and advancement of women in the game industry. ”

IDGA Women in Games is a newsgroup and newsletter that is focused on the career of women in the games industry. We are a sponsor of IDGA Women in Games because we find what they do incredibly important. The organization also created www.GameMentorOnline.com which matches up new graduates with a mentor in the game industry.

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In 2009, I attended my first Women in Games Luncheon and Awards at GDC. The event has eight years of history and is sponsored by Microsoft and IGDA Women in Games. It surprised me that I was the only press at the event, which had it’s largest attendance in 2009.

The great thing about the event was not only the recognition that the ladies deserved, but the networking opportunities that the event offered. The women were from many different companies and various positions within. It allowed women to get to know other women in the industry and talk about what they are currently working on. The event grows every year and I hope this year at GDC it’s even bigger!

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The last ten years showed us a new breed of “booth babes”. Models were being replaced by women in various groups that actually played games. This gave companies an advantage because these women can talk about a product and know how to use it. Ubisoft created the Frag Dolls in 2004 and the PMS Clan was founded in 2002. There’s been some controversy about the groups, but in the end we have seen both groups prove themselves competitively and inspired a slew of new clans.

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The gaming industry is used to working hard. Some groups seem like they are constantly in crunch. Until 2004, this was an accepted policy of just how the gaming industry works. It took the spouse of an EA employee simply named, EA_Spouse to change everything. You can read the original post here. In it she calls for action to stop the practice of absurd amounts of overtime and getting their employees overtime pay. It only took one woman to start a discussion which ended up in new policies at Electronic Arts and influencing the entire gaming industry.

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Lara Croft has been a symbol of a strong, sexy female gaming character for years. In the last few years, however game sales for Tomb Raider have been down along with disappointing reviews for the franchise. Instead of really looking at what is wrong with the current titles, Eidos announced earlier this year that what Tomb Raider needs to be better is a “female-friendly”, Lara Croft. They believe that if her proportions were down-sized from an “accidental” increase of 150 per cent of what was intended, then more females would rush to play the game again.

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While many women were getting into gaming not all were happy about the explosion of the gaming industry. Those games take time to play and some women felt their husbands and boyfriends played a bit too much. Support groups like GamerWidow.com and World of Warcraft Widows started popping up everywhere. Women gather to share stories and advice. Most of the articles claim their spouses are addicted and neglectful in their household duties. It seems as there has been a slow down in activity on their sites so maybe they’ve started gaming as well. Our advice is for people to try and play with their spouse sometimes. There are enough co-op and other fun titles that could get your spouse actually interested in gaming.

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I think the Nintendo Wii and DS definitely changed the gaming audience these past few years. Not only did the make a system that embraced a more diverse group of gamers, but they also created a heavy marketing campaign directed at the women audience. They incorporated female stars like Beyonce, Nicole Kidman and Lisa Kudrow to name a few. They support and have booths at the Women’s Conference here in Long Beach where women try out the latest games and have fun laughing with friends trying to do Wii Fit. The Wii is also the first system my mom (and probably other mom’s) asked for. While Nintendo is getting some heat from hardcore gamers, I hope they continue to market and embrace more diverse audiences.

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I couldn’t end this list without talking about GamingAngels.com. We started in August of 2005 after I won a trip to E3 through Sony. At that trip, I started to pass out business cards and make connections. Soon we had a small staff and we began blogging. Over the past five years, GamingAngels has changed but our purpose and mission has always been the same, get women talking about video games and other previously male-dominated hobbies to show companies that women are interested in their products and deserve to be marketed to. I have given talks at PAX, E for All and have been on a few podcasts. We volunteer to teach teens about the option of a career in tech, we sponsor groups like She’s Geeky, Girls In Tech, and IGDA Women in Gaming. We have grown the community and in 2009 we’ve tripled our readers and stats. Our staff of 13 volunteers work hard to make GamingAngels not only a community for women, but a vibrant community with real news and articles that rival non-indie sites. I am so proud of all of you and thank you for helping make my dream come true. We have many plans for 2010, we’ll have more reviews, interviews and giveaways this year than any other year prior. We’re starting the year with a bang and I only hope that you continue to enjoy your stay here.