Girls in Games turns five!

Girls in Games turns five!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Girls in Games, one of New Zealand's most recognised STEM programmes for secondary school-aged young women, is celebrating its fifth year of offering immersive one-day workshops that cover the basics of Game Art, Game Programming, and Game Design.

Girls in Games introduces young women aged 14-18 to creating simple 2D or 3D games using GameMaker.

Media Design School Senior Lecturer Tece Bayrak has been instrumental to the Girls in Games initiative since its inception in 2013.

Bayrak, who teaches Game Development as part of the school's Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art), 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 the Girls in Games programme annually," says Bayrak.

"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," says Bayrak.

Girls from schools across New Zealand have already registered for the Girls in Games Senior Dev Day (for Years 11-13) on 12 September 2017and Girls in Games Junior Dev Day (for Years 9-10) on 28 November 2017.

"Media Design School has always been dedicated to supporting emerging female game developers and Girls in Games is a testament to that,"

"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," concludes Bayrak.

To register for Senior Dev Day in September, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/girls-in-games-2017-senior-dev-day-tickets-32282313268.

Early registrations have also opened for Junior Dev Day, which will be hosted at Media Design School's Auckland, in November. Visitwww.eventbrite.co.nz/e/girls-in-games-2017-junior-dev-day-tickets-32282357400 for more information.

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