From "Candy Crush" and "Minecraft" to "Journey" and "SpellTower," we are witnessing the emergence of novel types of gameplay that fly in the face of gaming stereotypes - who plays them, what they look like and, yes, who makes them. Yet, behind the closed doors of the industry, a culture of virtual guns, babes and ammo spills out and spoils what could otherwise be a revolutionary design space for new kinds of thinking, learning and collaboration, if only the industry would diversify.

Contemporary video games are arguably this generation's favorite medium. The average game player is 34, and numbers show men and women play games equally. Ninety-seven percent of American youth play video games at least two hours a week. Many kids want to grow up to be game designers, but it may be a long road for some of these idealistic youngsters. In 2013, women represented 13 percent of the industry, including business and legal positions. Women are routinely paid on average 25 percent less than men, even on the art team.

Very often gender is the last thing a creative team wants to "deal with." Last year's Game Developer's Conference reverberated from women's horror stories in a Twitter revolt (#1reasonwhy hashtag). These tales are complicated by companies that want productive, happy, dynamic teams - not disruptions and accusations. No one wants to ask development teams to self-censor. What if that hurts creativity? Wouldn't it be easier to avoid women altogether? That's certainly what a group of players of "Battlefield 3" did in 2011 to "eliminate the problem."

Here's the stone cold truth: Women make great games. Ever play Jenga or Set? How about Centipede? You guessed it: These are examples of women making games! In fact, the original U.S. game industry was founded by a woman: Anne W. Abbott designed the first board game, Dr. Busby in 1843, which sold 15,000 copies in 18 months. In 1904, Lizzie Magie submitted the first board game patent for the Landlord's game, later co-opted by Charles Darrow to become Monopoly. I'm not sure how "game design" evolved into a "man's profession," but it certainly didn't start that way.

Why does it matter who makes our games? Innovation comes from fresh voices and new ideas. The Alien Game project shows games made by girls have broader appeal across both genders. It matters to women who feel excluded from a livelihood. It matters to kids who can't grow up to be someone they want to be. It matters to all of us as we expand the role of games from entertainment to platforms on which classroom learning and everyday communication takes place.

If we add more diverse voices, we will create vastly different games that reflect a diversity of thought and social values. Bring us different games that inspire, teach, entertain and open minds: By 2020, let's revolutionize the game industry by making it 50/50.

Mary Flanagan, Ph.D., is the Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Digital Humanities at Dartmouth College. She directs the game design think tank