Abstract: This interview explores the underrepresented voices of women in the virtual reality (VR) industry. Through interviews with five women actively working in VR, including artists, community researchers, and industry professionals, the discussion sheds light on their experiences, creative processes, recurring themes, and ongoing challenges. From Linda Zhang's exploration of social dreaming and community co-creation to Michelle Cortese's efforts in making virtual spaces safer for femaleidentifying individuals, each woman brings a unique perspective to the conversation. The chapter delves into their candid discussions about the trials and tribulations they face in the VR industry, aiming to inspire and empower other women considering entering this evolving field.

Keywords: virtual reality, women in technology, diversity in VR, gender disparity, industry studies

I have been studying virtual reality (VR) for seven years and have noted, time and again, that the voices of women—and particularly racialized women—are missing from conversations about the VR industry and its evolution. When working in virtual reality, women and female-identifying artists and professionals face many barriers, such as income equality, discrimination, and accessibility issues. This chapter started as an honest and open conversation about how women were making VR work. I interviewed five women who are currently working in VR about how they are creating work, the themes they return to, and the challenges they continually face. These women came to this conversation with different perspectives and agendas. Some are artists (such as Nadine Valcin and Cat Bluemke), others are gamers (Paloma Dawkins), community researchers (Linda Zhang), and individuals who work in the industry, at Meta (Michelle Cortese).

Linda Zhang is an assistant professor in the School of Interior Design at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). She creates VR with her community in Toronto's Chinatown and is interested in social dreaming and community co-creation, and how they allow her to think critically about culture, meaning, identity, and memory. I was following her ChinaTOwn Project and its many iterations over the last three years. Michelle Cortese is currently the Design Operations Lead at Meta and teaches at New York University (NYU). I came across her book chapter “Designing Safe Spaces for Virtual Reality” and needed to hear more about her work on making virtual spaces safer for female-identifying people.