Let's Celebrate the Women in Gaming and Technology

As we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) this Tuesday, the 8^th of March, here at Overclockers UK we’ve decided to take a deep dive into the incredible women in gaming and technology.

Celebrate Inclusivity

With the rise in popularity of games in the 70s and 80s, more and more women got involved in developing and producing video games. As the industry continued to evolve, women began creating dedicated games for girls to enjoy playing.

The industry has moved on from creating ‘girly’ games and now features more strong and empowering female characters. Most notable of which is Lara Croft from the infamous Tomb Raider series.

What’s more, thanks to the BAME, LGBTQ+, and #MeToo movements, the gaming industry continues to evolve, featuring more diversity and better representation for players from all backgrounds, genders, and sexualities.

This includes the people working on the games themselves.

The number of women working in any role or competing in Esports is around 5% or 1 in 20
Women in Games (WIGJ)

Working to Make a Difference

Women in Games International (WIGI):

Women in Games International (WIGI) is a non-profit charity dedicated to the advancement of economic quality and diversity in the global gaming industry.

Since the organisation was founded in 2005, the WIGI has shared resources and technology, improving female representation to work towards normalising women in the video game industry. The organisation creates conferences for the gaming and the tech industry to highlight the issues facing women in tech and video games. This includes covering topics such as career advancements, self-advocacy, and creating diverse content.

In doing all of this, the WIGI hopes to create an industry that showcases better representation and diversity to reflect the growing global population of gamers.

Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play by Meagan Marie:

Celebrating accomplished women in the gaming industry, Meagan Marie’s book ’Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play’ features women who have helped to establish and expand the industry. Ranging from executives, programmers, and cosplayers, each of the women featured have helped to diversify and lead the industry in a new direction. Some examples of the names included are, Ashly Burch (Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn) and Emily Greer (Founder and CEO of Double Loop Games and Kongregate).

Approximately 50% of players globally are women
Women in Games (WIGJ)

Women in Games (WIGJ):

Established in 2009, Women in Games (WIGJ) work to fight gender discrimination in the video game industry. As a non-profit organisation, the WIGJ provides job search and placements, scholarships, tournaments, and annual conferences to celebrate and support women in gaming.

The gameHERs Awards

A live stream ceremony, the gameHERs awards recognise and celebrate women and those who identify as women for their success in creating content, building communities, and empowering others in gaming.

Notable Women in Gaming and Technology

Some notable women in the gaming industry are:

Dr. Lisa Su: CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
Mabel Addis: First female video game designer – The Sumerian Game (1964).
Ellen Beeman: Cofounder of the Women in Games International. Game designer/producer who has worked on games for EA, Microsoft, and Disney.
Jennifer Hale: Voice actress. Best known for BioShock Infinite, Mass Effect, and Metroid Prime.
Bonnie Ross: Video game developer and head of 343 industries – the studio that manages Halo.

Kim ‘Geguri’ Se-yeon: South Korean Esport professional and first female player signed into the Overwatch League.

Some notable women in technology are:

Ada Lovelace: First computer programmer.
Grace Hopper: One of the first programmers to work on the Harvard Mark I.
Annie Easley: NASA scientist. When hired, Annie was one of four black employees. Worked on the Centaur rocket project.