“The games industry has been the finest and the worst of instances for me,” mentioned Jessica Curry in an interview with Radio 4’s Lady’s Hour on January 28. “It is extraordinarily hard to exist as a lady, it sort of broke me in some ways.”
Curry, who co-founded The Chinese language Room in Brighton alongside Dan Pinchbeck, composed the music for nearly all of the studio’s games. In 2015, Curry turned the first solo lady to obtain the British Academy Games Award for Music, which she gained for her soundtrack to Everyone’s Gone to the Rapture (pictured above). Over a decade on, she remains to be the solely solo lady to have obtained the award.
When requested why that’s, Curry pointed in the direction of endemic issues. “The games industry, I’d say, remains to be resistant to any type of distinction. Inside the industry, it is rather protecting of its roots, which had been male and white. I would like to say it is altering, I am undecided it’s.”
Curry mentioned that being one in every of the few high-profile ladies in games was a double bind. “As a result of if I do not speak about it, I am seen as ignoring the systemic issues inside the games industry, however each time I do speak about it, I make myself and different ladies much less employable, as a result of individuals inside the industry say, ‘Oh, for this reason we do not make use of ladies, they speak about all the issues’. So that you’re sort of left in this not possible state of affairs.
“And I additionally spend a lot of my time mentoring ladies, bringing individuals up, talking about equality on all fronts, and that takes time and vitality, whereas the guys in the games industry get to speak about their work. They’re bigging themselves up all the time, they’re being requested about ‘how did they compose one thing’. Whereas we turn into emblematic of the downside. So it is actually hard to know the place to stand on it.”
In December final 12 months, a dozen ladies spoke to GamesIndustry.biz about their experiences in the games industry in the decade since Gamergate. Though many reported some optimistic adjustments, the consensus was that there’s nonetheless a good distance to go in phrases of attaining equality. “Usually, it’s nonetheless the case that ladies have to work more durable to progress in the industry,” mentioned Maria Sayans, CEO of Ustwo Games. “Their competence is questioned extra typically, and they’re much less doubtless to be included in formal and casual networking occasions.”
The Lady’s Hour interview additionally noticed Curry praising the followers of games made by The Chinese language Room. “They’re splendidly erudite and articulate emotionally,” she mentioned, including that she receives messages from them emphasising how essential the music from Everyone’s Gone to the Rapture has been in their lives.
“Individuals are saying, ‘Throughout the pandemic I buried my mum or dad to your music’. I get messages saying ‘I am escaping a war-torn nation, I’ve Rapture in my ears, it is the solely factor that is holding me going’.”
Curry was talking to Lady’s Hour forward of BAFTA Games in Live performance, which is able to happen at the Royal Competition Corridor in London on Saturday, with additional dates scheduled round the UK for later in the 12 months. The live performance will characteristic music from games like Murderer’s Creed, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Everyone’s Gone to the Rapture, all carried out by a 65-piece orchestra. “It is one thing I by no means might have dreamed of early in my profession,” mentioned Curry.
In 2015, Curry introduced that she was stepping away from the games industry, citing well being causes, the “poisonous relationship” with publishers, and the industry’s remedy of ladies. The Chinese language Room was acquired by the Sumo Group in 2018, which in flip was acquired by Tencent in 2021. However in July 2025, The Chinese language Room introduced it was as soon as once more going unbiased.