Unlocking the next level for more girls in games
This week, MDS's illustrious games faculty hosted the first Girls in Games workshop of 2020. Determined not to let this legendary event become a Covid casualty, the team took the day online to create the first ever Virtual Senior Dev Day. Comms Officer Julia Cornes caught up with the team to find out more.
Dr. Samah Hassan Aly Abd El Maksoud, Learning Facilitator Game Programming, explains that Girls in Games is “a good environment for girls to check their abilities.” Thirty teenage females look part in a virtual Girls in Games workshop at Media Design School yesterday.
She thinks people may feel that “writing code is something magical” and that passion will cancel any gender roadblock behind the scenes of the games industry - “no one's going to stop them. They need to understand it.”
Stereotypes about video game players have shifted with players closer to 50% for both males and females nowadays. According to Tece Bayrak, Senior Lecturer Visual Creative Technologies, “the more diverse people who are making games, the more diverse the games are going to become,” calling for more females in the male dominated industry.
The more diverse people who are making games, the more diverse the games are going to become.
The industry is male dominated, although it’s slowly changing. With Girls in Games the MDS team have been facilitating these free workshops for teenage girls for the past 8 years. The all-female crew volunteer their time and use this safe space to showcase gaming as a viable career for these young women who want to learn and want to understand.
As a norm in a class of 40-50 there would be 5-6 girls – when this event is on campus the whole classroom and campus is filled with young women who get so happy and excited with their completed in 8 hours game with all the bells and whistles.
“We first need to give them opportunities, we need to open more doors for them,” Samah explains.” The next edition of Girls in Games workshop will take place in November. We’re super proud of this excellent community engagement initiative.
We first need to give them opportunities, we need to open more doors for them.
Junior Girls in Games will be held on campus on November 17th. Find out more or register here: https://junior-girls-in-games-2020.eventbrite.co.nz
Tece and Samah discuss Girls in Games 2020 and the background of the workshops.
“The diversity of the people who are making games, the diversity of the games are going to become” - Tece Bayrak proudly in a Girls in Games tee.
The students used BB Collaborate to virtually engage in workshop sessions.
