Towards a more inclusive game industry: Metacore and Better Games Together
For the third year in a row, Metacore is part of Helsinki Pride together with Better Games Together collective. In recognition of Pride Month, we’re looking back at the work that we’ve done as part of the Better Games Together collective and at Metacore to build a more inclusive, and more diverse game industry – as well as reflecting on the work that we all still have ahead of us.
Metacore, as part of Better Games Together collective, is proud to be one of Helsinki Pride’s main partners for the third year running. Helsinki Pride is the pinnacle of our collective Better Games Together efforts, but our commitment to move towards a more diverse and inclusive game industry continues throughout the year. A few examples of joint activities over the years include education and knowledge sharing, training sessions on topics such as LGBTQIA+ history and issues in Finland, as well as regular get-togethers between the companies of the collective.
The Better Games Together collective – consisting of Metacore, Supercell, Next Games, We In Games, and Rovio – is building a more diverse and more accepting game industry that is a safe place for LGBTQIA+ people to work and be their full selves everywhere.
As part of the Better Games Together collective, Metacore will once again be present at the Helsinki Pride March. You can spot our truck and walking block in the Helsinki Pride March on June 29, or stop by our Friend Zone lounge area at the Helsinki Pride Park Celebration later that day. We hope to see many new and familiar faces!
Creating a culture where everyone feels safe and seen
At Metacore, our mission is to entertain hundreds of millions of people for decades. This can only be achieved through diverse teams where everyone feels safe, seen, and able to be their full selves at work. That’s why the cornerstones of Metacore’s culture are trust, psychological safety, and well-being. Together, these fundamentals guide us to work together in ways that allow us to succeed in our competitive, fast-changing environment while ensuring that Metacore is a workplace where everyone can truly be themselves.
Since Metacore’s early days, we’ve invested in developing our culture and employee experience, constantly revisiting them as we grow. We’re happy to see that this work has paid off: according to our most recent employee satisfaction and engagement survey (answered by over 90% of our team), we scored extremely highly in both psychological safety (88/100), sense of belonging at Metacore (86/100) and DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, 89/100). These are areas that we’ll continue to focus on when defining and refining our culture and ways of working.
We’ve also taken actions to increase our awareness and educate all Metacoreans about DEI topics, offering regular training sessions as well as need-based sparring throughout the year. Examples of practices we have in place to increase belonging include allowing all Metacoreans to define their own pronouns and gender identity both on company communication channels and official HR databases, as well as having onlygender-neutral restrooms. We’re constantly developing our ways of working and updating our knowledge with the help of external partners.
Building a better games industry every day of the year
The work on diversity and inclusion is never done, but we've come a long way in inspiring and igniting positive change around us. And much of that work starts with the people and companies that build games.
Diverse teams make the best games. And so by focusing first on the people who develop games, we can influence the types of games that are played, characters that are brought to life, stories that are told, and communities that form and thrive around them. Helsinki Pride’s theme this year is peace and hope. To quote Helsinki Pride: Hope can be found in the community and in other people. We couldn’t agree more and will continue to do our part in driving a meaningful change in games and entertainment as well as working towards a stronger, safer, and more diverse community in games and beyond – not only during Pride Month but every day of the year.