Female game devs unite for International Women’s Day

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Today there are more girls than ever smashing through the tech boys' club to create inventive, engaging, and downright fun video games.

As part of International Women’s Day 2019, 10 students from Gateshead College’s Games Design Course visited PROTO: The Emerging Technology Centre to speak to some of the talented women working in games, in Gateshead.

The women from Hammerhead, Sumo Digital, High Tea Frog and People Can Fly have 32 years of experience in the industry between them and are at all different stages of their careers.

Sally Blake, a senior producer at Hammerhead has worked on high profile games such as Just Dance, Watchdogs and The Division while Laura Miller, one third of High Tea Frog, is currently working on the indie game studio’s first game, Cake Bash.

Leah Rhianne Betts, a games designer at People Can Fly has worked on titles such as Sea of Thieves and has developed various aspects of games from early concepts to games as service features while Melisa Young is a Level Designer at Sumo Digital, the studio responsible for Little Big Plant, Snakepass and Crackdown 3.

Commenting on the event, Sally Blake of Hammerhead said: “'It's been fantastic to come together to celebrate International Women's Day by pairing up with Gateshead College to introduce students to women in the industry. The students had an opportunity to ask questions about their chosen career path and get a flavour of what it's like working in the games, AR and VR industry. I'm very passionate about ensuring that everyone who is aspiring to join us feels welcome and included, so hopefully today the students left feeling motivated and inspired!'

Christabel Cannon who is currently studying for a HND in Games Design at Gateshead College said: “The event was amazing; I found it so informative and inspirational to hear from the game developers who all have successful careers in the industry. They gave me a true insight into the sector and have really motivated me to pursue my dream of becoming a games developer.”

Fri Mar 29 2024