Jessica Curry has highlighted the significant challenges women face within the gaming industry by pointing out systemic problems.

During a conversation with Radio 4's Woman's Hour on January 28, Jessica Curry shared her complex experiences in the gaming world. "The games industry has been the best and the worst of times for me," Curry expressed. "It's extraordinarily hard to exist as a woman, it kind of broke me in many ways."

Curry, who started The Chinese Room in Brighton with Dan Pinchbeck, is known for composing music for most of the studio's titles. In 2015, she became the first woman to win the British Academy Games Award for Music independently, thanks to her work on Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (featured above). As of now, she remains the only woman to have achieved this solo recognition.

When questioned about the lack of change, Curry highlighted industry-wide issues. "The games industry, I would say, is still resistant to any form of difference. Within the industry, it is very protective of its roots, which were male and white. I'd like to say it's changing, I'm not sure it is."

Curry discussed the challenges she faces as a prominent woman in gaming. "Because if I don't talk about it, I'm seen as ignoring the systemic issues within the games industry, but every time I do talk about it, I make myself and other women less employable, because people within the industry say, 'Oh, this is why we don't employ women, they talk about all the problems'. So you're kind of left in this impossible situation."

"And I also spend a lot of my time mentoring women, bringing people up, speaking about equality on all fronts, and that takes time and energy, whereas the guys in the games industry get to talk about their work. They're bigging themselves up all the time, they're being asked about 'how did they compose something'. Whereas we become emblematic of the problem. So it's really hard to know where to stand on it."

In a conversation late last year, a group of women shared their stories with GamesIndustry.biz, reflecting on changes in the industry a decade after Gamergate. While some noted progress, many agreed that equality is still elusive. "In general, it is still the case that women have to work harder to progress in the industry," shared Maria Sayans, CEO of Ustwo Games. "Their competence is questioned more often, and they are less likely to be included in formal and informal networking events."

In the Woman's Hour interview, Curry expressed gratitude to fans of The Chinese Room's games. "They are wonderfully erudite and articulate emotionally," she remarked, mentioning that she often receives heartfelt messages about the impact of the music from Everybody's Gone to the Rapture.

"People are saying, 'During the pandemic I buried my parent to your music'. I get messages saying 'I'm escaping a war-torn country, I have Rapture in my ears, it's the only thing that's keeping me going'.

Curry's interview coincided with the BAFTA Games in Concert event at the Royal Festival Hall in London, scheduled for Saturday, with more events planned throughout the UK. The concert will showcase music from titles like Assassin's Creed, Baldur's Gate 3, and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, performed by a 65-piece orchestra. "It's something I never could have dreamed of early in my career," Curry acknowledged.

In 2015, Curry announced her decision to leave the games industry, citing health concerns and "toxic relationships" with publishers, as well as the challenges faced by women in gaming. In 2018, Sumo Group purchased The Chinese Room, which Tencent later acquired in 2021. However, as of July 2025, The Chinese Room declared its independence once more.