Who works in computer games?
Overall the computer games industry comprises around 485 businesses with the majority being classed as games developers. Around 35 companies can also be classed as games support companies including outsourcing specialists and middleware developers and retailers.
These businesses employ a total of 7,000 people in the UK. The most common occupations are art & design, accounting for 1,700 (24%) of the workforce; business management accounting for 1,500 (22%) and production accounting for 1,350 (19%). A significant proportion work in technical development - 950 people (13%). Other smaller occupational groups are strategic management (6%), animators (6%), content development (3%) and audio/sound/music (2%). All other occupations in total account for just 4% of the workforce.
Diversity is a serious issues for the games industry. In contrast to the relatively diverse locations of games companies, the profile in terms of age, gender and ethnic minority is not as favourable.
The figures paint a stark picture of an industry that has yet to overcome the impression that it is dominated by young white males and this is something that companies frequently look to address.
Representation of women in computer games is very low at 6%, compared to 47% of the whole economy. Individuals from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background make up just 3% of the workforce in the computer games industry. This is lower than the 9% of BAME individuals in the working age population across the entire UK economy.
Reflecting perhaps the youthful nature of the sector, the age profile of the games industry shows a heavy slant towards younger employees, with 61% of the workforce aged 35 or under, and only 23% having dependent children. This fact is reflected in the very mobile nature of the industry with practitioners willing and able to move between companies, regions and even nations in search of employment.