Every year, workshops and activities from Girls Make Games (GMG) make me feel more proud, surprised and excited about the game industry than I was last year. Last year, women accounted for 48% of gamers In the United States and at every level of the industry, women are making up more and more of the gaming workforce. Whether in development, publishing, marketing, competitive e-sports, journalism or any other in the gaming sector, women are making their collective presence known. come and their individual voices are heard.
Girls Make Games was founded to help nurture the next generation of women’s voices in gaming, giving them the platform and resources to pursue their passions. For this year’s iteration and to celebrate Women’s History Month, Sony Interactive Entertainment offered participants the unprecedented opportunity to tour one of three development studios—Sucker Punch Productions, Insomniac Games, and Bend Studio—to learn, listen, and connect with other young creatives in a welcoming and instructive environment.
Let’s take a closer look at how each event unfolded:
Sucker Punch Productions
The event invited attendees to participate in interactive workshops organized by GMG instructors, allowing them to learn the basics of game design, such as art, sound and write code. Every GMG event is open to girls of all skill levels, but in this case, many attendees have already begun to develop their skills.
Brian Fleming, founder of Sucker Punch Productions said: “I was amazed how many of our participants had such experience. “Because [some], it was probably their second or third event with GMG and they went beyond the curriculum of the day. Great to see!”
At its core, GMG focuses on engagement at the grassroots level, as part of a broader industry-wide effort to challenge an outdated culture of homogeneity. “I see GMG and similar efforts as the most effective solution to the profound gender imbalance in our business,” says Fleming. “It requires patience and long-term vision, but in my opinion it is [a] The real solution.”
Workshops held at Sucker Punch’s studio in Bellevue, Washington were divided into two groups, according to the varying experience levels of each participant. In those groups, each attendee can practice their skills and contribute individually to a collaborative project.
Joanna Wang, Artistic Production Director of Sucker Punch Productions, emphasizes the importance of encouraging each girl’s specific interests. “They might like art, they might like programming—a little knowledge of how to make games. And what we can do is give them the big picture, explaining how those pieces fit together.”
She continued: “We’re showing them some of the tools needed to make a video game, and they can see what part of the process is of interest to them. So hopefully they can identify their personal strengths and start thinking about how they can apply that to their future.”
Sucker Punch is known for many hit games on PlayStation, such as sly cooperative series and their most recent success, Tsushima’s Ghost. But they still maintain a tight working environment. “We’re big enough to have some interesting facilities: our mocap, our foley studio — and of course the snack bins in the kitchen,” Fleming laughs. “But we’re also small enough so I don’t think it’s too much for them.”
The welcoming environment helped encourage creative thinking for each participant. “We really appreciate the fresh perspectives they bring, the questions they ask,” Wang said. “A girl who is passionate about traditional painting, but wants to transfer that skill to video games. That motivated me to bring that same creative energy into our own games—she wanted to be one of us, didn’t she? And that makes me proud of what I do, but also proud of what she will bring to the industry in the future.”
She added: “Another girl asked me about the internships Sucker Punch offers! She’s so ready, so come on in. In moments like that, I can feel the torch being passed on to the next generation.”
Insomnia game
Located in sunny Burbank, California, Insomniac Games was founded in 1994 and their offices provide the perfect environment for GMG workshops. Aaron Jason Espinoza, Sr. “We had about 12 kids eager to participate, from our local community in Burbank all the way to New Mexico,” said community director at Insomniac Games. “We want them to learn not only about how to make games, but also how games can affect the emotions of players and the importance of thinking about the player experience.”
After a short tour around the studio and taking some photos with Ratchet’s Omni wrench and Rivet hammer, the participants sat down to meet with some of the key employees—or Insomniacs—to ask questions and find understand the many people involved in creating the game. Animator, writer, sound designer, programmer, community manager; all of these people and many others shared their experiences with the team and highlighted their contributions to the group’s projects.
“It’s a great look at how the game developer is a collaborative effort,” explains Espinoza. “The kids were amazed at all the paths they could take to pursue the life and career of a game developer.” The participants then had the opportunity to apply what they had learned by developing their own side-scrolling platform, and Espinoza was impressed with the results. “They’re thinking about platform placement, enemy placement, and what gives the best player experience.”
“The experience was amazing and our team was delighted to host it,” said Espinoza. “We can’t wait to see what these kids will do with the knowledge they will develop as they become game developers!”
studio bend
This workshop marks the first time Bend Studio has hosted a Girls Make Games workshop, inviting thirteen participants from the local community to their offices in central Oregon. Like the other two events, this activity day revolves around hands-on workshops that provide hands-on experience with the basics of game development, as well as the opportunity to sift through the brains of young women. Women of Bend Studios.
Kevin McAllister, Community Manager at Bend Studio said: “We started the workshop with a tour, showing the kids around the many floors of the building where our different departments sit and socialize. work. “Of course, the big Rager Bear statue got a lot of attention,” he added with a laugh. Once the tour is over, the participants settle in to start creating their own side-scrolling platform, with the goal of realizing a finished product by the end of the day.
“They are so excited to see their work come to fruition and how their creativity has turned into something they are truly proud of,” says McAllister. “From cute little foxes to a blinking frog, the characters they created to implement at their level even impressed our developers with what they achieved in the game. such a short period of time.”
As well as the workshops held at the Insomniac and Sucker Punch offices, the developers encourage each participant to identify personal strengths as it relates to game design and development, while honing their skills. that ability through the exercises of the workshop. After the lunch break, members of the Bend team from various fields in the studio held a developer workshop to talk about their journey in the games industry, sharing roles and responsibilities. their responsibilities as well as answering questions from the group in question.
Between creative activities and chat discussions about finding a career in the gaming industry, the Bend team has worked hard to deliver a comprehensive, informative, and enjoyable experience for everyone. attend. McAllister said: “It was an absolute privilege for our team to host this amazing experience. “We had a lot of fun talking about games with the next generation of game developers. Maybe one day we’ll even see them working on a future project at Bend Studio!”
