Researchers Study Software Gender Gap

"For more than a decade, academics and technology executives have been frowning at the widening gender gap in computer science....

Now, some computer science researchers say one solution may lie in the design of software...."

Girls Bridge Gender Divide in Math

"Researchers looked at standardized test scores of more than 7 million students, ranging from the second grade to high school junior. Whatever gender differences there once existed between girls and boys in terms of math performance are gone..."

You’ve Played ‘Em, Now Make ‘Em: Careers In Game Development

Who:
Lance Powell, Electronic Arts
Tim Trzepacz, softegg.com
Bill Kroyer
Anne Toole, Writers Cabal

What:
Women in Animation

When:
Thursday, July 17, 2008, 7pm

Where:
DreamWorks campus

RSVP and for more info:
Women in Animation

Video game industry tries to broaden its appeal

"These video games don't sound like anything that would grab a teenage boy's attention, and that's the point. They are part of an important expansion of the video game industry as it works to pull in women, girls and other demographics and cement its place as mainstream entertainment..."

Video Games It's a Girl Thing

"The two middle school girls had never had a lesson on video game creation before this week, but on Tuesday they were learning how to make their ideas appear on a computer screen at the free Tech Savvy Summer Girls Camp run by Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology...."

WIGI Community Mixer - Seattle

Women in Games International and Big Fish Games invites casual games professionals and those wanting to break into the industry to their first annual social event at Casual Connect ‘08.

Casual Connect is an annual conference for the casual games industry with over 3,000 professionals attending. The Women in Games International (WIGI) mixer will be held Thursday, July 24, at 7 pm at Dragonfish Asian Café in Seattle, a few short blocks from the Casual Connect site (Benaroya Hall), in the heart of downtown Seattle.

Those attending the WIGI mixer can expect delicious food, cocktails, goodies and amazing chances to network. Meet e-mail buddies face-to-face and mix-n-mingle with industry insiders. All attendees are reminded to bring their business cards to make the most of the event and to qualify for door prizes and giveaways. The event is hosted by Big Fish Games and Women in Games International. Goodies and giveaways will be provided by Big Fish Games, a global leader, developer and distributor in the casual games market.

Women in Games International Community Mixer at Casual Connect 2008
Sponsored by Big Fish Games
Time: 7 pm – 10 pm
Location: Dragonfish Asian Cafe
www.dragonfishcafe.com
722 Pine St
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 467-7777

There is limited space at this venue, so please RSVP early!
RSVP HERE: http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/DVJMALYWVTLXMSZLSGVR/BFG/WIGIMixerCC08

About the Sponsors/Hosts

Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a global leader and innovator in the online games industry, producing and delivering the world's best games and game experiences. Big Fish Games Studios develops and publishes the industry's leading brands for computers, mobile devices and consoles. Its portfolio of hit games includes Mystery Case Files®, Hidden Expedition™, Azada™ and Fairway Solitaire™. Big Fish Games' portal at www.bigfishgames.com distributes more games worldwide than any other online site and offers visitors a rapidly expanding selection of content by launching A New Game Every Day!™

Women in Games International
Women in Games International was founded in 2005 in response to a growing demand around the world for the inclusion and advancement of women in the game industry. Women in Games International is managed by a steering committee comprised of like-minded individuals, is supported by corporate and media sponsors and directed by a global advisory board. www.womeningamesinternational.org

More "Chick Flick" games on the way?

""Chick flick" games may become more prevalent as game makers begin to wake up to new opportunities, Rebel Monkey CEO Margaret Wallace tells Next-Gen...."

Aspiring Women Game Artists Competition

Open for Entries
Deadline Friday, June 20th

Something is terribly wrong with the Game Development Industry and you can fix it… but only if you are a woman.

9% of game artists are women and they make on average over $10,000 less per year than their male counterparts. (Source: Game Career Guide, 2007.)

Notes on Game Dev invites all women aspiring game artists to submit an essay to the 2008 NoGD Aspiring Women Game Artists Competition for a chance at a full time scholarship to Sessions Online(SM) School of Game Art.

Sessions Online School of Game Art, an accredited online program that can be accessed anywhere, wants to provide education to women and diversify the industry. Students leave the program with a strong portfolio and reel reviewed by faculty and industry professionals before graduation.

Entries will be judged by female leaders in game art and education including Heather Kelley, Sheri Graner Ray, and Cristin McKee. Prizes to be provided by Sessions Online School of Game Art, IGDA, and Game Developer Magazine.


PRIZES:

Two Grand Prize Winners will receive:
• A fully paid grant for the Accredited Game Art Certificate Program at Sessions Online School of Game Art. ($5355 value)
• The right to use the NoGD Grand Place Award Winner digital seal in their future portfolio / reel.
• A one year membership to the International Game Developers Association.
• A one year subscription to Game Developer Magazine.

Two Runners Up will receive:
• The right to use the NoGD Grand Place Award Winner digital seal in their future portfolio / reel.
• One year subscription to Game Developer magazine.


HOW TO ENTER:

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:
Friday, June 20th.

GUIDELINES FOR ENTRIES:
Write a 500 word essay that answers the following questions:

- Why do you want to be in the game industry?
- What is your past experience with art?
- What is your dream art job in the game industry?

Submit entries as an email or PDF to competitions@sessions.edu with your name, email, and phone. Deadline is Friday, June 20th.

The winner will be announced on July 1st.

Women in Games Conference Call for Papers

Women in Games Conference
University of Warwick, UK
10-12th September 2008

Call for papers and participation

The Women In Games conference encourages research and seeks to promote careers for women within the games industry. If games are to become a true sibling medium to music and cinema, the industry needs greater balance in its audience and its workforce. The Women In Games conference welcomes participants from both industry and academia, providing a forum for presentation and discussion of issues relating to all aspects of women's involvement in games, including game development, game playing and women as portrayed within games.

Although this conference is concerned with women and games please note that men are also very welcome to participate! The industry needs a meaningful dialogue between the sexes as it moves forward.

Further details of the conference and this year's themes are available at the conference website: www.womeningames.com

Call for Girl Games

Synaptic Gaming & Simulation, LLC will soon launch an exciting new
website focusing on games specifically designed for girls between the
ages of 10 and 18. Independently developed games for tweens and teenage
girls are being sought. While all games will be considered, games which
contain some educational element in one or more of the following areas
are preferred. Of special interest is the objective to engage more
girls in virtual worlds to the extent that they have an opportunity to
learn lessons in:

Money management
Math
Science
Technology
Engineering

Games must be rated E for Everyone.

Games must be playable on standard home computers (Windows 2000 or
later) and should not require the latest graphics, sound, or video
cards.

Selected games will be published with very favorable terms for the
developer. Details will be contained in confidential communications
with selected developers.

For immediate consideration, reply in confidence with the following to:
Elizabeth Hubbard
Synaptic Gaming & Simulation, L.L.C.
Managing Member
ehubbard@synapticgaming.com

Name of the Game
A summary of the game (limit 500 words)
If the game contains an educational element, identify the learning
objective(s)
6 screen shots
Brief statement of what makes the game appealing to girls
System specs for the game's optimal play
Game credits (including writers and artists)
Contact information

We invite you to share this Call for Games with other independent game
developers. This is an open and on-going call. There are no deadlines.
All submissions will be evaluated as they are received. The target
launch date for the new website is June 1, 2008.

How stereotyping affects testing and performance

The group is developing an online game called Trait Mate to measure and modify children's stereotypical beliefs. By the age of 5, stereotypes about gender have been indoctrinated.

Excerpts:
"
“Stereotype threat can be induced by a variety of subtle cues in the
testing environment,” McGlone said, “such as the gender composition of a
class or being asked to indicate one’s ethnicity or gender on a test
demographics question. These cues heightened awareness of people’s
‘ascribed identities’—for example, identities based on things about
themselves that they can’t easily change.”

McGlone acknowledged that many aspects of personal identity are
achieved—membership in social categories based on individual
achievements—rather than ascribed. He contended that deficits in test
performance caused by stereotype threat could be mitigated by reminding
test takers of the achieved identities they possess for which there are
positive performance expectations.

“In other words, by putting women in a situation where they’re not
preoccupied with negative gender stereotypes, you can significantly reduce
the gender gap in standardized testing performance,” he said.
"

Pair Programming and Women

ABSTRACT:

Pair programming, when used as a form of collaborative learning, has been
shown to increase the number of women (and men) persisting in their
previously stated intent to pursue degrees in computer science. In
addition, paired teams have been found to significantly outperform
individual programmers in terms of program functionality and readability,
to report greater satisfaction with the problem-solving process, to have
greater confidence in their solutions, and to be more likely to complete a
programming assignment.

Surprise Surprise Video Game Study Discounts Girls

Surprise, Surprise...video game study discounts girls

by Suzanne Freyjadis-Chuberka

"
Two Harvard researchers have just released a book based on a study about
the nature of violent games and their effect on youth...

In an interview the lead researcher, Prof. Cheryl Olson says, "Since we bought into the myth that girls don't like violent games, we didn't recruit them for focus groups in this set of studies." ...
"

Diary Girl

Konami sent out the following press release for well, it's not really a game, more of a social networking tool:


KONAMI SHIPS DIARY GIRL TO RETAIL STORES NATIONWIDE

Make Friends Around the World With New Children's Title on Nintendo DS™

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - March 18, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Diary Girl™ has shipped to retail stores in North America. Developed for Nintendo DS™ system, this title provides girls of all ages the ability to interact with friends through their own customizable avatars, as well as organize a calendar and address book in their own password-protected electronic journal.

"The Diary Girl package gives young gamers an organizational tool, mini-games, and a social interactive component, all on their personal DS handheld system," said Rozita Tolouey, Director of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "Kids increasingly crave games with a social networking aspect and Konami is dedicated to giving them that and more with this new title."

Diary Girl packs friends, fun and organization in a password-protected electronic journal for Nintendo DS. Featuring a daily calendar and an address book, Diary Girl is a lifestyle accessory for the busiest girl around. Players are given their own avatar to customize with various clothes and accessories, as well as make-up and hair. For the girl on-the-go, advanced DS capabilities allow young gamers to talk to their friends in real time without a cell phone using the WiFi voice chat function of the game, and instant message with the Picto-chat style text messaging service. To complete the Diary Girl package, players can also participate in mini-games including mazes, jig saw puzzles, card matching, and personality quizzes. No girl's DS collection can be complete without Diary Girl.

Little Girl Games

This article from the Escapist, while titled "Little Girl Games," seems to be more about working with licensed IP.

An excerpt
"It's easy to see how these kinds of elements might get overlooked by a development team comprised primarily of young men. But as Corbetta explained, one of the first things he learned in working on licensed titles is you're not making a game for yourself."

Interview with Per Rosendal of Guppyworks

Interview with Per Rosendal, CEO, Guppyworks. Guppyworks is working on Guppylife, a MMO for girls. This interview was conducted in behalf of GameDev.Net

Sony Scholarship

Wed Feb 20, 7:37 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) said Wednesday it is luring women into video game design with a 10,000-dollar scholarship and paid internships.

"We are under-represented," Devra Pransky of SOE told AFP after the announcement of the scholarship at a major Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

"Video game making is male dominated and we need to change that."

A Sony-sponsored survey in January of female students enrolled in game design and programming at The Art Institutes showed that about half of those surveyed think more women would play video games designed by women.

The perception of the video game industry being a male bastion deters women from getting into the field, those surveyed agreed.

"It is a misdirection that women don't like video games," said SOE publicist Taina Rodriguez, who sported a lime green t-shirt with the acronym G.I.R.L. -- Gamers In Real Life.

"If more women make games, then more women will play games and get excited about making games. We want to strengthen that cycle."

Students enrolled in The Art Institutes schools can begin applying for the SOE scholarship in April. The winner will get 10,000 dollars for tuition and a paid internship at an SOE studio.

The Art Institutes has 35 campuses in the United States and offers online education.

"I love games, but I'm a bit old school," said Niki Dominguez of The Art Institute of California in San Diego. "I'm an Atari fan."

She also boasts a nine handicap playing golf on Nintendo's Wii video game console.

Students enrolled in accredited universities or trade schools can also apply for SOE internships.

NYT article: Vital Signs (Men and Video Games)

Vital Signs
Patterns: A Video Game, an M.R.I. and What Men's Brains Do
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
Published: February 19, 2008

Why does it often seem that men enjoy playing video games more than
women? Perhaps because they do.

A new study finds that when men play the games, a part of the brain
involved in feelings of reward and addiction becomes much more
activated than it does in women.

This may explain why men are more likely to report feeling addicted to
video games than women are, the researchers say in an online article
in The Journal of Psychiatric Research. The lead author is Fumiko
Hoeft of the Stanford University School of Medicine.

For the study, the researchers took a group of 22 young volunteers —
half men, half women — and had them play a game as an M.R.I. machine
looked at what was happening in their brains. The study found that in
the men, there was much more activity in the mesocorticolimbic system.

Given the abundance in video games of violence and other themes near
and dear to many men, there may be a natural explanation for why their
brains light up more. But the senior author of the study, Dr. Allan L.
Reiss, said the researchers made a point of steering the game they
used in a more neutral direction.

The volunteers played a simple game in which they were told only to
click the images of balls they saw, with no mention of a goal.

The players soon figured out that if they kept the balls from
advancing too close to a wall, they gained ground. Both the men and
the women did well — but the men did a lot better and appeared more
motivated to acquire terrain.

Link to article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/health/19patt.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Flex Time Good For Your Health

"Following participants for one year, researchers found that if an employee's job flexibility improved over the course of 365 days, so did their healthy habits..."

Study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

WIGI at VGXPO - Philadelphia

"Tales from the Trenches: Women Who Know "
Breaking In: The Game Conference, produced by VGXPO
Panel presented by Women in Games International
Sunday, November 4
11am - 12pm

From player to developer to educator to executive, female professionals in the games industry provide personal testimonials on their trials and triumphs, from getting that first job to learning to be a leader. Join our discussion as these women describe what it took for them to get in the door, to establish winning business strategies and partnerships and to build a lasting career in games.

Moderator Fiona Cherbak of Women in Games International chats with panelists Amber Dalton, PMS Clan Leader; Gano Haine, VP of Development for LimeLife; Jennifer MacLean, General Manager of Games for Comcast Interactive Media and Susan Gold, Academic Coordinator at GarageGames, about their experiences as professional women in games.

For more details on Breaking In: The Game Conference and America's VideoGame Expo (VGXPO) visit www.vgxpo.com/breakingin.htm.