After Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser’s recent condemnation of the events at Activision Blizzard, Nintendo has pledged greater transparency and more diversity at the company.
The company announced the intended changes in its latest Corporate Governance Report, as spotted by Nintendo Life. The report states that the company, “respects human rights in its recruitment process,” and hires employees based on their skills, no matter their gender, age, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Nintendo also apparently doesn’t currently have any targets in place, “for the appointment of women, foreign nationals, and mid-careers to managerial positions.”
The company also recognises that due to its large presence in entertainment media, and the diverse needs of the consumer, it needs to reflect that in its workforce. Part of this is increasing the number of women recruited at the company. And creating an environment where they can develop their careers on top of that.
“We intend to increase the proportion of women in managerial positions from the current proportions in the Nintendo Group’s principal offices globally (23.7% as of March 31, 2021) and Nintendo Co., Ltd in Japan (4.2% as of March 31, 2021),” writes the report.
changes must be made
Both sets of statistics are nowhere near as high as they should be, but Nintendo of Japan’s are exceptionally low. Less than a tenth of the Japanese division has women in managerial positions. And just under a quarter at Nintendo of America.
Having women in positions of authority doesn’t automatically mean a safe environment. But it’s still shocking to see such low numbers. It is important for Nintendo to increase its transparency diversity. Hopefully it means it when it says it is committed to these changes.
Changes to the games industry are essential. Activision Blizzard has huge, systemic issues that the company needs to work on. It is currently still dealing with an ongoing lawsuit that claimed the company fostered a, “frat boy,” culture. Nintendo being clear about its intentions is a step in the right direction. But it certainly isn’t enough to deal with the issues the industry faces at large.
Featured Image Credit: Nintendo