QTI Member Articles
Monthly articles submitted by member organisations
MDS Celebrates Five Years of Girls in Games
September 25,
2017 1151 1151 
Media Design School is a strong supporter of emerging female game developers - and this year celebrates five years of its acclaimed Girls in Games initiative.
Girls in Games is one of New Zealand's most recognised STEM programmes for secondary school-aged young women, introducing 14–18 year olds to the basics of Game Art, Game Programming and Game Design through immersive one-day workshops.
Media Design School Senior Lecturer Tece Bayrak has been instrumental to the Girls in Games initiative since its inception in 2013, and has noticed the correlation between young women who participate in STEM programmes such as Girls in Games, and the increased representation of young women in the games industry.
"Over the past five years, Girls in Games has evolved from a programme involving nine schools to two specifically tailored workshops each year that see close to 100 young women from all over New Zealand participate in," says Tece, who teaches Game Development as part of Media Design School’s Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art).
"Girls in Games has undergone many changes over the course of the past five years, but the fundamental principle remains the same: to encourage young women to consider Game Development as a viable, engaging, and rewarding prospective career path.
MDS hosted a Girls in Games Senior Dev Day (for Years 11-13) on 12 September and a Girls in Games Junior Dev Day (for Years 9-10) is coming up on 28 November 2017.
"More so than ever, our world needs diverse minds to create change in all areas. We hope that Girls in Games is fulfilling its role to contribute to this change.”
Pictured here: Participants at Girls in Games 2017 Senior Dev Day.