Fixing the Flow: the leaky pipeline | Paris Jagger | NZGDC 2025
0New Zealand might be crushing it on gender parity, but in the games industry? We've got a problem. It's not a secret, it's a "leaky pipeline" and it's gushing!
Women are acing education and rocking early career roles, even snagging two in five senior spots. But then... poof! They vanish mid-career. Are we just bad at hide-and-seek, or are we truly losing future leaders? The truth is, you can't fix what you don't measure, and this lack of basic data (who's hired, promoted, and leaving)has the potential to sabotage our entire industry.
New Zealand's game industry has the talent and the opportunity to lead differently. By measuring our studios' retention, engagement, representation, and sentiment, we can build more equitable studios and hopefully fix the flow for good.