Real Virtual Beauty aims to “increase the diversity and representation of female characters in games”

Women in Games, the Unreal Engine education team, game studio Toya, and toiletries brand Dove have teamed up to create “a series of actions aimed at increasing the diversity and representation of female characters in games, while supporting young girls in self-esteem education through the virtual world”.

In a joint statement, the partnership said that despite 1.3 billion women and girls making up half of the global gaming community – 60% of whom started gaming before they were 13 – 60% of female gamers interviewed by Dove “feel underrepresented and recognize a diversity lock as a key issue in video games”.

35% of young girls also said that their “self-esteem is negatively affected after noticing a lack of diversity in characters and avatars”.

To help change that, the companies have launched Real Virtual Beauty, a “series of actions to break beauty stereotypes and equip the next generation of young creators and actors”.

These commitments include the Real Virtual Beauty training course. Run by Epic Games and Dove’s Unreal Engine Education Team, it will challenge game makers to reflect real-life diversity, “avoiding stereotypes and biases” in design, and helping gamers and young people designers to develop their self-esteem and body confidence.

The Real-Life Virtual Beauty Avatar Library, on the other hand, will provide an online character art collection host on Epic Games’ Art Station platform in a bid to raise “the standard for depiction.” authentic, diverse and inclusive of women and girls across the stages”. avatar development.

Finally, there’s SuperU Story, “the world’s first Roblox gaming experience” that will also provide self-esteem education, “allowing young girls to customize their own avatars allowing them to experience more representative versions of the beauty”.

“The representation of women in gaming platforms, products and services has long been an issue,” says Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games. “As activists, Women in Games has a key goal of supporting women and girls in the games industry, and those who play games, so we are delighted to see Dove and its allies in the game industry to tackle it.”

“We are honored to work with Dove and leading experts to create the Real Beauty in Games training course, and we hope that together, as a community, we can make real beauty a reality in digital worlds. “, added Julie Lottering, director of Unreal. Motor training.