What motivates Girls to become Game makers?

and how to I inspire girls in a game-making class to want to participate?


(to clarify, I am preparing to teach a class of Middle School aged students. Some of these students have never heard of RPG Making or any of this stuff before. They have of course heard of phone apps, Candy Crush Saga, and various video games.)

The knowledge that they can stand toe-to-toe with males in the same industry, proving critics wrong.


Also, the additional knowledge that they are part of the 'rare' statistic of females in this industry - Game Development has a lack of females, but this is presumed to be because females are thought to focus more on non-technical academics. However, this isn't really the case.


I could go into a long spiel, but if you prove that they can be a force for change in the industry just as much as men, and that they are not disadvantaged in any way by their gender, this should drive them to consider game development as a viable path in life. The same applies to other creative industries, such as web and graphic design - all three have the same 'issue' of 'too few' females.


Basically: ignore the media. Take part in game design if it's what you want to do. The game you make does not have to be focused on either gender. Unfortunately, a lot of female-targeted games tend to include IAP and are generally condescending... This is prevalent in mobile gaming. This doesn't have to be the case!

Introduce some of YOUR favorite games, even some made with the engine, perhaps and have them play it. Erm.. them.

That might help a bit!

Dona Bailey, one of the co-creators of the original Centipede game was the first female coin-operated arcade game designer.    Carol Shaw was the first console came designer, she created a number of games for Atari and Activision before she retired quite comfortably.

Doing a little research and telling them about female game developers would probably be a good first step, beyond that just introducing them to a lot of different games is the best way I think.   The more games they see the more they'll be prone to have an idea which will spark them to want to make a game themselves.    Show them different games and start discussions on how they think the game could be better.   What they would have done differently to improve the game.    Maybe have groups come up with ideas for developing a game.

I'm not a female, but the fun can be in using an RPG to tell a story in a very unique way. 

Ask the girls if they have a story they want to share with their friends?  Ask if they would like to be able to create the entire world of their story and have their friends play in it?  To create the worlds of their hopes and dreams to share. 

That's exactly what a good RPG does.

I've even seen some very well made marriage proposals via custom game levels and the likes, including one who got the woman who voiced GlaDOS for Portal to contribute.  Those are fantastic ways to propose to a very game-minded person (man or woman).

Show them a game of Yaoi and tell them they can make a game like that.

I think the reason why it's so hard to think of the motivational things to say is because there are so many reasons to make a game. And different reasons resonate with different people.

Games can be a way to share your passions.

So, if you really, really, really love animals, you could make a game that shows how to take care of an animal. If you really love reading, you can make an interactive story. If you love soccer, you can make a sports game. You could make a game where you have to paint the entire world pink! Or launch a rocket and explore the space. Or travel back in time and ride dinosaurs.

- Ask what their favorite thing in the world is, and talk about how that could translate into a game.

Games can be a tool to learn and educate.

You can make a puzzle or a quiz to explain math. You can make a game about a historical event, or a game that follows a drop of water from the ocean, to the clouds and back to the ocean.

- Ask what their favorite subject is and if they could think of a way to teach it to others.

Games can be a way to chronicle important events.

You can make a game out of your very favorite Christmas tradition. Or a game all about getting ready for a wedding. Or a game about what you want to do on your summer vacation.

- Ask what their best memory is and how a game might illustrate it.

Games can be a way to feel better.

You could make a happy game that cheers someone up. Or a game about overcoming an obstacle and solving a problem.

- Ask what kind of scary thing they could make into a monster, or how they solved a big problem by themselves.

Games can be funny.

You can make a game that's silly by asking an important "what if". Like "What if all grown ups were suddenly replaced by chickens?", or "What if a magical pumpkin told you that you had to save the world using nothing but the magical rubber band?"

- Ask what the silliest thing they can think of is.

Games can be all about teamwork.

You could be good at art/design and like to map, while someone else is really good at math/logic and they might like making events.

- Ask which people they'd want to make the game together with.

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So, find out what gets them excited and help them translate that into a game.

My 2 cents, anyway. :)

How old are the girls you're trying to get interested? That makes a difference in what they might find attractive. For me what I really like about game making is building a world and making it interactive. It's an easy and fun way to express my creativity.

From my experience with several of them, some even indie devs themselves, it's because they have a story (or more) to tell.

A lot of girls have a fantasy heart, dreamy landscapes in their souls and tales and heroes in their minds. They also know how to make a twist!

So I'd say because they are great story-tellers.  :guffaw:   :D   :rock-right:

One thing that was big for me, and I assume is generalizable, is seeing the results of what you're doing. When you're making a story event, outlining how the characters walk around and engage in dialogue and so on, then hit the test play and it's like your own little play, all how you imagined, playing out; it's like magic. :D I figure that'd be the same for boys or girls and for different genres; navigating an environment or engaging an enemy you made the ai for or watching a story you want to tell playing out.. Just show your prospective future female developers how ideas plus a little hands on work equals creating something that's theirs as they imagined it. 

First you should show them a game you made with the engine, and tell them you can make games like that

Second you should tell them what will happen when you finish and release you first game, to make them excited ~ (Like it will get popular and some people will know you game and wait for the next game you will make, or sometimes people will play your game and record it on youtube, stuff like that !)

That's a promise that can't be kept, I wouldn't recommend even suggesting it. Just say things like "you can share it with your friends" and that should be enough. Kids come up with the "I'll put it online and it'll be super popular!" thing all by themselves, they don't need the encouragement or the disappointment.

One of my friends organized a panel about this at PAX recently, it's worth a watch:

Ironic humble bundle, as well.