#SheMakesGames! You’ve played games – now hear from the Girl Geeks who make them!

#SheMakesGames is an opportunity to learn and understand the world of video game development.

It is a great place to start if you’ve ever been interested in the art of video games. Maybe you’re a digital marketer yearning to build a community of game-loving fans or a graphic designer who loves building characters. Believe it or not your skills are desired in the games industry – and we’re bringing you the best of the best people to share what this amazing world is like!

What is
#SheMakesGames?

Wondering how to be your best in a games career? Maybe you want to work in indie game studios or AAA gaming studios in Melbourne. If you’re full of curiosity about being successful in the games industry, #SheMakesGames delivers early career development and networking in a friendly way.

There is a lack of opportunities for women to develop their skills in the games industry: the #SheMakesGames program will provide these women with the opportunity to network and get support from others, and give them skills and confidence to be in charge of their own careers. This professional development day offers a mix of training in both hard technical skills and the soft skills required to negotiate career success in the formative years of your early career.

History of #SheMakesGames – From making games to so much more…

In 2015, Girl Geek Academy co-founder Lisy Kane curated the first ever Australian all-female game-making day, #SheMakesGames. Our flagship event was held at ACMI-X in October 2016 as part of Melbourne International Games Week. The keynote speaker for the day was Brie Code who spoke about what video games can be and provided an incredible insight to her experiences as a game developer and advocate. Learn more about the 2016 #SheMakesGames event from the coverage by Good Game! From here we heard from talented women in the local game development industry about their journeys into the games industry and what the game development cycle looks like. In 2017, we held #SheMakesGames again with more hands-on workshops from amazing women in the gaming industry and an eye opening keynote by Anna Tito about her experiences working in AAA studios around the world.

Girl Geek Academy conducted a survey for women in games in Australia as background research to solidify our own experiences and expertise in running events for women in Victoria.

The results from the Girl Geek Academy survey include:

A majority (more than 50%) of women working in the games industry have been doing so for 3 years or less.

Individuals are more likely to pay for their own career development than their employers.
There is a need for a variety of different ways of learning including workshops and conferences.
#SheMakes Games is a one-day event designed to meet the learning needs of early career practitioners in the games industry.

Workshop for hackers!

For those whose role is to code
Interested in learning more about programming for games and supporting tools? This one’s for you!

Workshop for hipsters!

For those involved in design and making great experiences Interested in game design and learning more about what makes gameplay great? This one’s for you!

Workshop for Hustlers

For those who bring the business and more… Interested in learning the business side of game development? Marketing, PR, business development is your thing then this one is for you.

Our Past Partners Have Included…

Registration is currently closed – but…

you should check out #SheHacksGames! #SheHacksGames is the first all-woman game jam in Australia – and our first hackathon specifically for the gaming industry!