How to make the games industry a better place in our everyday

- One of the shortlisted winners of Pocket Gamer Connects’ Aurora awards, Anna Erlandsson, shares her experience of working for better game communities and collaborations in the Nordics.
Inspiring women are everywhere, and the game sector is no exception. In celebration of those paving new business paths for girls, women and non-binary people in the games industry, we recently introduced Aurora.
As part of Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025, we highlighted the women shortlisted for the Aurora awards - based on nominations received by the industry itself - live on stage, giving recognition, visibility and honour to the vanguards impacting the Nordic games industry.
Following the event, we caught up with some of them to gain deeper insight into their work and visions. In this edition, we spoke to Anna Erlandsson, the media and community lead at Norwegian studio The Gang.
PocketGamer.biz: In your work role, how do you promote a better environment for women and non-binary people in the games industry?
Erlandsson: I’m trying to look at representation in what we do, in supporting my fellow women and non-binary individuals in the industry, and to talk a lot about the gaming culture and what is needed to change it.
I try to talk with new ones in the industry about sustainable work, rights, and salaries, and I try to educate the men in the industry as well about how to not take women and non-binary workers for granted for a low salary. I know it is not nearly enough, but I try.
What inspired you to pursue a career in games?
To be honest, I never did. I started as a journalist and a very passionate gamer. The love for the gaming culture, from digital games to board games and LARP, was something that has always been there for me. And I loved the wonderful communities that formed around it.
“I wanted it to be more inclusive, diverse, and for the hobby to be accepted.”Anna Erlandsson
At the same time, I wanted it to be more inclusive, diverse, and for the hobby to be accepted. Many years ago, I started to be involved and advocate for inclusion and diversity in those areas. From lectures to hosting events to writing blog posts. And then one day, I got a job in the digital gaming industry as a community manager, and I just kept on walking, creating and building here instead.
In terms of gender equality, how has the industry evolved over the last five years?
Oh, that is tricky! I see more women now than when I started, so yay for that. But I also know about women struggling with lower salaries, being overlooked for promotion or being deemed as expendable.
Having more gender equality when it comes to numbers does not mean that things are all good; it rather means that we have to look deeper at salary gaps, rights and all that jazz to be able to give a good summary of whether the industry has evolved when it comes to gender equality.
“Having a bigger number of women and non-binaries than five years ago is a start, but we need to continue to look at long-term work to make it perfect.”Anna Erlandsson
It is the same process for every work done to create more diversity and inclusion, from increasing the representation of people of colour in the industry to improving the experience for LGBTQ+ individuals; we cannot look at numbers and say that it is a success.
We need to consider the overall attitude towards this, including the roles offered, salaries, and more.
Having a bigger number of women and non-binaries than five years ago is a start, but we need to continue to look at long-term work to make it perfect.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to women entering the games industry today?
Dare to go for it. Dare to apply for those jobs that you find interesting.
Reach out to the women working and ask if you can ask them for advice. We are not scary, and we have made the same journey you start now, so please reach out to us.
What projects or achievements are you most proud of, and how do they reflect your vision for the industry?
It is hard to pinpoint one project here. But I am proud of the work I do every day to build better communities, to make collaborations between different game companies in the Nordics, to make great activations for game releases, and to be in contact with influencers and creators.
My vision is a great community, happy gamers, happy collaborators, and an industry where we work for the best possible games and vibe possible. I try to keep that spirit in every interaction I do in every project I start.
I want the gaming industry to be a great place, and I want to leave it in a much better shape than when I entered it. This is my way of doing it a bit better.
Check out more interviews with the shortlisted women and non-binary people in our Aurora series.