A local video game company has partnered with a national nonprofit to encourage girls to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) opportunities.
Derrick Morton, CEO of Seattle-based FlowPlay, said it’s imperative to find girls and women interested in STEM studies and provide them the opportunity to pursue their passions.
In December, the company announced a month-long fundraiser through its series of games, including the hugely popular “OurWorld” a virtual world with 600,000 monthly players.
In the short time, the company raised $26,000, which will help fund the fourth free Girlstart summer camp in Bellevue.
“If you were looking at the gaming industry 15 years ago you’d see most players were men and boys, but since then, especially casual games, have been increasingly played by women,” Morton said. “Today’s there’s approximately a 50/50 usership, but the people making those games are still mostly men. It only makes sense to have more women involved in the video game process.”
Morton said that’s why he choose to partner with Austin-based nonprofit Girlstart, which offers free week-long camps for girls entering the fourth or fifth grade.
“Our first product was a game designed for girls ages 11-14,” Morton said. “I saw this as a great fit. Help encourage STEM careers for the girls and the audience playing the game.”
Lauren Bussiere, manager of corporate foundation and relations for Girlstart, said Morton’s donation will help reach at least 30 girls from Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue this summer.
“One of the reasons we have all-girl programs, is that at a young age, these girls are being told that they’re not good at (STEM courses) and they end up dropping out,” she said. “We need to provide an environment where girls have access to female role models of STEM women, and a safe place where it’s OK to fail and try again. It’s how the scientific method works.”
In the aftermath of “Gamergate,” an outpouring of hate and animosity towards women in the video game industry by a small, loud group of men, Morton and Bussiere agreed it’s more important than ever to have women involved in all STEM careers.
Morton said the small group fueling the hate behind “Gamergate” won’t prevent women and young girls from working in the video game industry if he has anything to do with it as he hopes to continue to create opportunities for them.
“We know we’d make a better product with women working here,” he said. “There’s just not enough qualified candidates out there yet.”
Once there is, he said, they’ll have the chance to start a lucrative career. Beginning engineers at FlowPlay currently make $80,000 out of college, he added.
“If you have a product that you expect women to play, having women involved in its creation just makes sense,” Morton said. “Men can only imagine how a female may respond to a game, women don’t have to imagine it, they can just tell you.”
Bussiere agreed adding it doesn’t stop there.
“In all STEM fields, such as video game design, the more diversity, not just male and female, but the overall greater diversity of ideas, opens up doors that would never be opened if you have a homogenous group of individuals,” she said.
The camp is currently slated for July 27 through 31 at the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue.
For more information about the camp, contact the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue at 425-454-6162.
