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IGF 2024 Open Forum #64 Women in Games and Apps: Innovation, Creativity and IP

    Roundtable
    Duration (minutes): 60
    Format description: Round table discussions and equal participation of all stakeholders.

    Description

    The overall objective will be to show how innovation, creativity and a conducive intellectual property ecosystem can enhance gender equality in games and app development. To achieve this, the session will first showcase the creativity and innovation of women in video game and app development. Secondly, it will show how the intellectual property system can further ensure equality and creative attribution. Thirdly, it will present practical IP tools, policies and good practices to be used at the national level. The event will also provide space for a diverse group of stakeholders  from various regions.

    The event will be co-moderated onsite and online. Speakers will also attend onsite and online. 

    Organizers

    🔒World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
    Michele Woods, Director, Copyright Law Division; WIPO Ryszard Frelek, Counsellor, External Relations Division. 

    Speakers

    Ms. Kate Edwards, Geographer, CEO and Principal, Consultant – Geogrify. LLC, Seattle, U.S (onsite)

    Ms. Tami Bhaumik, Vice President of Civility and, Partnerships, Roblox (onsite)

    Ms. Alaa Abdulaal, Chief of Digital Economy Foresight, Digital Cooperation Organization (onsite)

    Ms. Meaad Aflah, CEO & Cofounder, Starvania Studio (onsite)

    Ms. Michele Woods, Director, Copyright Law Division, WIPO 

    Mr. Julio Raffo, Head, Innovation Economy Section, Department for Economics and Data Analytics) (online)

     

     

    Onsite Moderator

    Ryszard Frelek, Counsellor, External Relations Division, WIPO

    Online Moderator

    Ms. Kristine Schlegelmilch, Senior Advisor, IP and Gender, Office of the Deputy Director General (PTS), WIPO

    Rapporteur

    Ryszard Frelek, Counsellor, External Relations Division, WIPO

    SDGs

    5. Gender Equality
    5.b
    5.c
    17. Partnerships for the Goals
    17.6
    17.7

    Targets: SDG 5 The event will aim to showcase good practices, tools and policies that are aimed at empowering women in the videogame and application development industries. SDG 17 The videogame and app industry require multi-stakeholder collaboration between, for example, developers, platforms, and policy-makers, to name a few. These kinds of cross-sectoral partnerships are linked to enhancing, promoting, and encouraging public-private partnerships in support of sustainable development. The program will consider how legal and regulatory frameworks required for developing countries and economies in transition can be enabled to drive such collaborations.

    Key Takeaways (* deadline at the end of the session day)

    Inspiring women leaders in the tech development field are evidence of a steady increase in women’s participation within the technology development sector. Nevertheless, there is still a need for further efforts to encourage and support women in pursuing, and importantly, maintaining careers in the tech industry.

    IP tools designed specifically for gaming and app development exist, but we need to promote these resources more effectively among women developers and aspiring young developers.

    Active video gaming industries promote local human capital development, foster start-ups and entrepreneurship, and encourage new R&D; all of which may be leveraged to foster economic growth, innovation and competitiveness in an evolving industry .

    Call to Action (* deadline at the end of the session day)

    Highlight success stories of individual women developers and policies that support women’s participation in game and app development. Also support women developers with training on managing IP in the game and app industries, including through the use of WIPO resources.

    Create metrics, such as IP indicators, to gauge female involvement in the apps and game development sectors, in order to inform and shape policies and initiatives that governments can implement to address gender disparities in the tech industry.

    Session Report (* deadline 9 January) - click on the ? symbol for instructions

    The event focused on highlighting on how innovation, creativity and a conducive intellectual property (IP) ecosystem can enhance gender equality in games and app development.  To achieve this, firstly, the session showcased the creativity and innovation of women in video game and app development.  Secondly, it showed how different policies can help ensure equality and creative attribution. Thirdly, it presented practical tools that can be used by developers across the world to protect and commercialize their creative works.

    The event was moderated by WIPO’s Kristine Schlegelmilch (online) and Ryszard Frelek (onsite).  Speakers included:

    • Ms. Kate Edwards, Geographer, CEO and Principal, Consultant – Geogrify. LLC
    • Ms. Tami Bhaumik, Vice President of Civility and, Partnerships, Roblox
    • Ms. Alaa Abdulaal, Chief of Digital Economy Foresight, Digital Cooperation Organization
    • Ms. Meaad Aflah, CEO & Cofounder, Starvania Studio
    • Ms. Michele Woods, Director, Copyright Law Division, WIPO
    • Mr. Julio Raffo, Head, Innovation Economy Section, Department for Economics and Data Analytics, WIPO

    The event highlighted, among others, the following:

    • Video games are a cultural force and an important form of entertainment across the world. Governments are beginning to recognize their cultural and economic importance and look for ways to support the growth of developers, including those who are underrepresented.
    • Active video gaming industries promote local human capital development, foster start-ups and entrepreneurship, and encourage new R&D; all of which may be leveraged to foster economic growth, innovation and competitiveness in an evolving industry.
    • Women represent one of the fastest growing demographics as game players.
    • Tools and playbooks exist that allow developers to create experiences that are gender inclusive.
    • Inspiring women leaders in the tech development field are evidence of a steady increase in women’s participation within the technology development sector. Nevertheless, there is still a need for further efforts to encourage and support women in pursuing, and importantly, maintaining careers in the tech industry.
    • New technologies, which allow for game creation without technical knowledge, provide an opportunity to open up and diversify game development.  
    • The Empowering Women in and through ICT Thought Paper prepared by the Digital Cooperation Organization. Drawing from global case studies, surveys, and roundtables, the paper proposes actionable strategies and initiatives to promote women’s empowerment and financial inclusion in the digital economy.
    • IP tools designed specifically for gaming and app development exist, but we need to promote these resources more effectively among women developers and aspiring young developers. This includes WIPO resources such as:

    From the discussion, the following calls for actions were identified:

    • Highlight success stories of individual women developers and policies that support women’s participation in game and app development.
    • Support women developers with training on managing IP in the game and app industries, including through the use of WIPO resources.
    • Create metrics, such as IP indicators, to gauge female involvement in the apps and game development sector to inform and shape policies and initiatives that governments can implement to address gender disparities in the tech industry.