McLean County Times

Assistant professor and chair of sociology and anthropology Todd Fuist is helping to promote gender diversity in video games, an industry often tailored for a masculine audience.

Fuist and assistant professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati Katherine Castiello Jones acted as consultants for Warner Brother Games, providing presentations and workshops about gender inequities and inclusion. These materials focused on the diverse team of employees at WB Games with the goal of cultivating an understanding of different perspectives.

“As a part of those presentations, we provided tools for things like workplace communications and understanding towards the (goal) of fostering situations where everyone can make their voice heard and feel respected,” Fuist said. 

While running a workshop over Zoom presented its own set of challenges, Fuist and Jones were able to present their work to WB Games employees in several different countries. They hope to see a gaming industry that is diverse where consumers feel that their identities are seen.

“Whether you're in gaming, Hollywood, higher education, sports, retail, wherever, I think the important thing is that we ask to see positive change both as employees and as consumers towards supporting workers as well as benefiting customers,” Fuist said.

Fuist also taught a class at Illinois Wesleyan University on gaming in which one of the units focused on gender diversity. Using games, he helped students look outside their own perspectives and see other people’s viewpoints. With this model, Fuist and Jones helped create situations where WB Games employees could participate in a more equitable work environment. 

Even though the project came to fruition during the 2021-22 school year, Fuist has always had a love of gaming. 

“I grew up playing games of all kinds, including video games, board games and role-playing games, so I’ve been following a number of different parts of the gaming industry for just about my whole life,” he said. 

_{Source: https://www.iwu.edu/news/2022/fuist-coaches-wb-games-in-gender-diversity.html}