According to a new UK report conducted by the University of Sheffield, men still vastly outnumber women in the games industry. For quite some time, experts have pinpointed a major flaw in the gaming world - a lack of diversity. Some companies have done a lot to combat this, but the issue persists nonetheless.

While 48 percent of women in the United States say they have played video games, not many choose to identify themselves as gamers. Only 6 percent (compared to 15 percent of men) take on that identity - and it's no wonder why. Riot Games, for example, is in the midst of working out a settlement after a class-action lawsuit was filed over its culture of sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse leveled at female employees. While Riot has pledged to do better (and has been making great strides by many accounts) and other companies have expanded their efforts at inclusiveness, the issue of a sexist work culture persists industry-wide regardless of location.

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The report from the University of Sheffield polled about 20 percent of the U.K. gaming industry (about 3,200 people), Eurogamer says. The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), which backed the study, acknowledges that there is a major issue - the percentage of women working in the industry is  "significantly under the national average of those in work." Only 28 percent of respondents are women compared to a national average approaching 50 percent.

Chun Li

While much progress needs yet to be made to eliminate the rampant sexism in the industry and developers must do more to attract female workers, there is some good news. The numbers show improvements in many areas regarding diversity. The number of LGBTQ respondents in the study is about 21 percent, compared to as little as 3 percent in the overall workforce. In addition, 10 percent of those who participated are black, Asian, or minority ethnic (BAME). While this is higher than the national average, the report notes that there are significantly fewer minorities in "senior positions." This is another area in which the industry must improve.

Gaming has traditionally been considered by many to be an activity associated with males. While this is not at all true, the word "gamer" carries with it a negative stigma and the industry is well-known to be filled with sexism and other major issues that would cause it to be unwelcoming to most non-male creatures. The industry can change and improve - and it is headed in the right direction overall - but until that happens, it will have trouble attracting large amounts of female talent.

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Source: The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (via Eurogamer)