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'Virtual Reality's Gender Problem' | Catherine Allen | TEDxYork

1,458 views · Published 20 December 2018 · 13:34 · Indexed 9 October 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2018 · Nonprofits & Activism

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There is a high likelihood that within our lifetimes VR sit alongside the cultural heavyweights of theatre, radio, books, film & television. By 2020 the VR content market is forecast to take $14 billion in revenue - £1 billion more than the US movie industry currently takes at box office. Like other forms of media, VR will not only be a mirror of society, it will be  a catalyst for social change; an embedder of norms, an amplifier of stereotypes and a site for humanity’s hopes, fears and dreams to be enacted. So , who will steer VR's future? Early adopters and the people who make it. This is why it matters that right now, only 14% of VR companies in the UK have any female directors, and that less than a third of the people who have experienced VR are women. Male bias is being woven into this new medium. 
However, what makes VR unique is its newness. It is setting off on the early stages of its journey and is still being shaped. The medium is still all to play for. In this talk, after outlining VR's current gender problem, Catherine Allen will explore the opportunity that virtual reality has to learn from the mistakes of other industries like Hollywood and Silicon Valley by presenting a vision of what the future of VR could be like - a vision for women and VR.  Catherine led the creation of two of the BBC's first VR experiences and now curates VR for the UK's leading arts venues with her company, Limina Immersive. Limina provide cultural venues with curated VR content and the software to exhibit it to the public. The company’s goal is to make immersive media more accessible by widening participation in the emerging sector. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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