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Saying you want gender equality and really meaning it are two completely separate ideas. However Sweden has taken a huge step toward that very goal, especially where gaming is concerned.

The Swedish government has awarded 272,000 kronor (around $36,672) to a video gaming trade body called Dataspelsbranschen.

The company will exploring how Sweden can support games that offer diverse gender choices, as well as label those games as such.

We are all for Gamer equality. No matter race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

But it doesn’t stop there, as Dataspelsbranschen can give companies certification for marketing the games to the public and make efforts to put videos games that promote gender equality in prominent positions in retail stores.

“Of course games can be about fantasy but they can be so much more than this,” says Anton Albin, Dataspelsbranschen manager. “Games can help us to create more diverse workplaces and can even change the way we think about things.”

“We declare our support to the women affected,” the statement says. “We want to defend everyone’s right to be and act in the game [industry] without being treated worse because of background, affiliation or gender. Threats should always be taken very seriously.”

If Sweden decides to follow through on this initiative, it will be the first country tackling the issue of gender equality. And it will be doing so head on. This will spell a great time for change within the gaming industry, and perhaps will quell the deliberators of #Gamergate, and their opponents.

Kenay Peterson
The Gaming Ground