International Day of the Girl was created to fight for gender equality around the world, and raise awareness of the issues faced by girls everywhere. Women across the globe are continually striving for protection from discrimination on the streets, in the workplace, and within the gaming industry. The Game of the Girl online panel featured women who work in gaming telling their stories and discussing their experiences in the workplace.
Game of the Girl was hosted by comedian and games journalist, Ellie Gibson, Anita Wong from Indigo Pearl, Izzy Jagan from Square Enix, Jade King from Trusted Reviews, and Imogen Mellor from GamingBible. They discussed their treatment in the workplace, celebrated women in gaming, and gave some very useful tips for those of you looking to get into the industry.
A Game of the Girl 2020 Steam sale commenced today and includes discounted titles celebrating strong female protagonists. A percentage of the proceeds will go towards War Child UK, so be sure to check Steam for discounts of up to 80% on titles such as Gone Home, Heaven’s Vault, and Bury Me, My Love.
The Game of the Girl stream supported the War Child UK charity. War Child UK helps children in territories of war and takes action for girls being mistreated. They use many forms of media, including video games, to help girls learn to read and write after being in dangerous situations.
Aside from helping a fantastic cause, the presenters gave many tips for those of you looking to get into the game industry. The advice provided ranged from keeping up to date with video games by watching YouTube let’s play videos and having the confidence to apply for every job or internship you see! None of the members of the panel had a video game relevant university degree, but find having a degree is a valuable commodity to your portfolio.
Women have come a long way in the industry, and their representation in games has come leaps and bounds. From being shown as nothing more than love interests, to now taking the lead role in games and truly showing their worth. It’s amazing to see women supporting other women, “I’ll get the doorstop!” Izzy Jagan commented when asked how she has been holding the door open for other women during her time in the industry.
If you want to learn more, be sure to check out #RaiseTheGame. Raise the Game are fighting you equality within the video game industry, and have lots of tips to let you know how you can get involved.