BREAKING THE CYCLE: EMPOWERING GIRLS IN GAMES
A message from our CEO Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman…
As we step into 2025, Women in Games is proud to launch an important campaign that is close to our hearts—Girls in Games (GIG). Over the next year, our focus will be on impactful events, initiatives, and activities aimed at unlocking the potential of young girls and showing them the vast career opportunities available in the gaming sector.
The need for this initiative has never been more urgent. Girls love video games—nearly 85% play regularly—yet as they grow up, they are systematically excluded, discouraged, and ultimately pushed away from gaming and its career possibilities. This disengagement is not accidental. It stems from systemic barriers—bias in education, lack of representation, toxicity in online spaces, and persistent neglect of gender equity in policy and industry.
The cost is high. Girls are being denied access to essential 21st-century skills—creative problem-solving, interdisciplinary collaboration, applied creativity, and coding. More than that, they are cut off from rewarding careers that could nurture their talents, expand their opportunities, and help reshape the industry. As a result, the games sector remains male-dominated, reinforcing a cycle of exclusion that stifles innovation, limits talent, and perpetuates inequality.
At Women in Games, we refuse to accept this status quo. A decade of diversity pledges has not delivered meaningful change. Today, women make up just a quarter of the games workforce, with that number plummeting in senior roles. Among professionals with 20+ years of experience, an overwhelming 92% are white men—just 5% are white women, with few women of colour recorded. Women from marginalised backgrounds, already facing socio-economic disadvantages, are further excluded.
This is why we are launching Girls in Games—a bold, systemic intervention designed to break this cycle of exclusion and rewrite the narrative for the next generation.
GIG is designed to empower girls aged 8 to 24, with a focus on those further marginalised by poverty, ethnicity, disability, or geographical barriers.
GIG is more than an initiative—it is a movement designed to create real, lasting change. We are addressing multiple points of failure in education, industry, and society by building an interconnected ecosystem of opportunity, support, and learning.
Our Three Pillars of Change:
Industry Access and Opportunity Network
Connecting girls with role models, mentors, and industry pathways.
Showcasing inspiring women in games through career events, mentorship, and paid internships.
Decentralised, Community-Driven Informal Education
Skills-focused learning, delivered where girls live.
Led by WIG Ambassadors through workshops, mentorship circles, game jams, and partnerships.
Digital Resource and Support Platform
A safe, accessible, and interactive space for learning, mentorship, and community-building.
AI-powered safety tools, peer learning, and secure support spaces to combat online toxicity.
Our vision is to break the cycle of exclusion, empowering girls to thrive in games and creative technology, and realise their full potential to shape the future. And our mission is to drive systemic change by tackling barriers in education, industry, and society. Through targeted, integrated action, we will reverse disengagement, eradicate exclusion, and provoke lasting transformation.
This initiative builds on Women in Games’ extensive foundational work, including our research, events, gender equality advocacy, and growing Ambassador community. Girls in Games is not just a project—it is a call to action. We invite industry leaders, educators, policymakers, and our wider community to stand with us in reshaping the future of games. Together, we can unlock opportunities, build a more inclusive industry, and ensure the next generation of talent—regardless of gender or background—has the support, skills, and access needed to thrive.
The time for change is now. Let’s break the cycle—together.