The brand’s Real Virtual Beauty in Games initiative promotes more diverse female characters in video games and helps creators develop realistic avatars
The brand's new campaign aims to address the lack of female character diversity in games
As part of its ongoing commitment, Dove will also deliver a series of grants and awards to the best creators to fund and expand their work.
The brand’s campaign for the games community comes after research it conducted highlighted that 60% of female gamers feel misrepresented in video games.
“Dove believes that beauty should be a source of confidence, not anxiety, in every aspect of life – both real and virtual,” said Leandro Barreto, VP at Dove Global.
“Although the games industry has made significant strides to become more inclusive, progress needs to be accelerated to challenge the narrow definitions of beauty still visible in the virtual world.
"We hope to make a real impact on the millions of women and girls who are spending their free time playing games.”
Julie Lottering, Director of Unreal Engine Education, commented on the partnership: “Our goal with the training course is to educate game developers on the research that’s available so artists understand why representation in game design matters.
“And also to teach artists how to use the tools and techniques available to create more authentic characters, so all players feel empowered to have fun with friends.”
This is not the first time the beauty company has tried to help tackle societal issues.
Dove launched a social media initiative to portray black fatherhood accurately and has worked on campaigns to help end race-based hair discrimination.