Though women are playing mobile games at record numbers and make up 45% of gamers, they are heavily underrepresented in the gaming industry and as protagonists in video games. At Google Play, we have a mission to make mobile gaming truly for everyone by enabling women to be celebrated and empowered as both players and creators.
In 2017, we launched the Change The Game Design Challenge to inspire teens to turn their passion for gaming into careers. The Design Challenge has grown from just a five-winner program at its start, to now educating 100 students across the U.S. and Canada this year. Since our launch, we have been humbled by the creativity and drive of the teens who have participated in the program. Some have used their Design Challenge experience as a springboard to their gaming education in college. Others have taken the path of service, using their experience to mentor the next generation of young women in gaming. As the Design Challenge grows and reaches more applicants, what remains constant is the genuine interest and commitment our participants share for driving positive change for the industry.
Starting today, we’ll be accepting submissions for our 2021 Change The Game Design Challenge. We’re calling on teens to become Game Changers by sharing an original game idea and a unique vision for the future of the gaming industry. With school being virtual for the past year, and with a lot of us spending more extra time at home than usual, we’re hoping applicants think of our challenge as a fun way to switch things up while learning something new.
Much like last year, the 2021 Design Challenge will be virtual. Participants whose game ideas are chosen will be invited to an online game development workshop hosted by our partner, Girls Make Games. The workshop will consist of four sessions that will kick off in June and run through the end of the summer. At the end of the workshop, participants can expect to have made new friends and learned skills needed to create a playable game, no coding experience required. These Game Changers will also receive the materials from the workshop, a certificate of completion, custom swag and a brand-new Chromebook to help them continue to grow in their game development journey.
For a chance to participate in this workshop and join a group of innovators, applicants should fill out this entry form and share an original game idea. We’ll be reviewing entries on a rolling basis between now and July 31. The Change the Game Design Challenge is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only, subject to exceptions. For more details on submission guidelines and how to enter, please visit g.co/ctgdesignchallenge. At Google Play, we are excited to invest in a new class of Game Changers.
