A Stealth Serious Game About Hiring Bias

Despite growing awareness, unconscious racism and sexism still affect hiring decisions. This paper investigates such bias through a serious game designed to raise awareness and observe player behavior. Participants made hiring choices in the game based on applicant “stats” and images. The results indicate the presence of significant hiring bias against women among several actors, particularly in the direct choice between male and female candidates and in the assignment of employees to traditionally male-dominated jobs such as construction workers. These findings confirm the continuing influence of gender bias in recruitment scenarios and suggest that unconscious bias can have a significant impact on recruitment outcomes.