Introducing a NewImages panel about parity in the XR field, moderator Oriane Hurard lost no time setting the scene. “I’m a VR producer based in Paris,” Hurard began. “I’m also a feminist. Sorry, not sorry.”
Hurard laid down some harsh statistics early on. “XR is at the crossroads between the film and video-games industries,” she noted. “[Except] in France we have just 23% of our feature films directed by women and only 4% of our games made by a female creative director. So the idea of this panel today is how to build a better environment for creators and audiences.”
“We need to try again and again to work with people with whom we feel close, and not to replicate the dominant roles we’ve seen around us… Really working as a team, taking credit, giving credit, and considering this collective value as highly as we should is super important as we try to create another model.”
“There’s so many barriers to even getting exposure to VR in so many parts of the world, and that needs to be part of this conversation as well,” she added.CEO Catherine Allen both argued that representation was key.