WOMEN IN GAMES EUROPE: A NEW CHAPTER – A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

For nearly twenty years, Women in Games has worked to build a fairer, safer and more equitable games industry.

What began as a UK organisation has become something much bigger.

Today our community spans more than 2,600 Ambassadors across almost 100 countries, alongside corporate partners, universities, researchers, policymakers and volunteers working together to strengthen the global games ecosystem. As our work has evolved, it became clear that our organisational structure needed to evolve too.

I’m therefore delighted to share that Women in Games Europe has now been formally established, with our European headquarters based in Almería, Spain.

This is much more than opening an office.It represents our long-term commitment to building a stronger European presence and creating deeper connections across the continent.

Europe is home to one of the world’s most diverse and creative games ecosystems. Studios, universities, trade bodies, governments and cultural organisations are increasingly working across borders, and many of the opportunities and challenges facing our industry – from skills and education to AI, funding, entrepreneurship and policy – are European in scope.

By establishing Women in Games Europe, we can work more closely with organisations including Video Games Europe, national trade associations such as AEVI in Spain, our partners in Italy and across Europe, universities, research organisations and policymakers. It also enables us to participate in European programmes, develop new partnerships and access funding opportunities that help us increase our impact across the region.

Most importantly, it brings Women in Games closer to the communities we serve. And over the coming months we’ll be expanding our activities across Europe, growing our Ambassador network, supporting new partnerships and increasing our presence at industry events throughout Spain and beyond.

One of our ambitions is to build a Women in Games Spain community, following the success of Women in Games Italia, working alongside our Ambassadors and partners to create new opportunities for connection, collaboration and professional development.

The new European organisation is already creating opportunities. In September I will be speaking at the IEEE Conference on Games in Madrid, one of the world’s leading conferences bringing together games researchers and industry professionals.

Later this year we are also proud to launch The Games Forum Roma, a new international forum that perfectly reflects what Women in Games Europe hopes to achieve.

Rather than creating another conference, The Games Forum Roma has been designed as a working forum where industry, academia, culture and public institutions come together to tackle the questions no single sector can answer alone – from responsible innovation and AI to public value, sustainable careers and international collaboration. The emphasis is on creating relationships, shared intelligence and practical action that continues long after the event itself.

As Co-Director of the Forum, I’m particularly excited that the outcomes won’t end when delegates return home. The Forum will produce recommendations, partnership opportunities and year-round working groups that continue to connect organisations across Europe.

You can register to attend here.

For Women in Games, this represents the future of how we want to work. Building communities, connecting ecosystems and creating practical collaborations that make a lasting difference.

Women in Games Europe is an important step on that journey, and we’re looking forward to building it together.

Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO, Women in Games