New BAME in Games organisation launched to attract diversity in games

A new network has been founded to encourage a more diverse workforce in the UK games industry.

Called BAME in Games, the firm is an advocacy group designed to encourage a more diverse work force within games and the entertainment market at large. BAME stands for of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic.

The firm cites research from Creative Skillset’s 2015 Employment Census, with highlights that only 4.0 per cent of the UK’s games and creative media workforce is black, asian or minority ethnic. This is down from 4.7 per cent in 2012.

The national average for all industries is 10 per cent, rising to 30 per cent in London.

The organisation is being Chaired by Kish Hirani (pictured) who has previously worked at the PlayStation, Microsoft, THQ and the BBC. His vice chairs are Digital Jam’s Tanya Laird and Adam Campbell from Hopster.

BAME in Games has been founded by David Smith, who also founded Women in Games Jobs.

We would like to provide some focus on the talent that the games industry is failing to attract,” Smith said.

Games and the wider entertainment industry should attract the very best from all backgrounds. We want to nurture more talent from minority groups. We can also do more to promote the benefits of a diverse workforce.”