Apr 13, 2007

College promotes female gamers

Program at Canada hopes to level playing field in video game industry

By Shaun Bishop / Daily News Staff Writer

Canada College hopes to become Level One for women who want to work in the video game industry, with the help of a project aimed at increasing female presence in traditionally male-dominated fields.

The Redwood City school announced Thursday that its 3D Animation and Video Game Art program, which trains students to work as video game developers and designers, was one of four technical programs at community colleges statewide to be selected for the CalWomenTech Project.

The project, which began last year, is run by the Alameda-based National Institute of Women in Trades, Technology & Science using a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

It will give Canada instructors training on how to recruit and retain women for its video game program, which launched in the fall and can lead to an associate's degree or can prepare a student to transfer to a four-year university. It will also help the school develop marketing materials and a personalized Web site.

So far, the video game program has had roughly equal numbers of men and women enrolling, but has been plagued by an "alarming" dropout rate among women in the classes, said Jean Mecorney, a multimedia professor at the college.

"Women should have access to whatever they want to do," she said. "The opportunity is there and I know women are interested in it, and we're hoping to help them attain their goals."

A direct effect of having few women in the gaming industry is that the vast majority of games appeal mainly to men in their themes and content, Mecorney said. Some women prefer games like The Sims that involve building relationships or solving puzzles as opposed to those that revolve around blood and gore, she said.

If there are more women giving input into game development, more young women could become interested in gaming, allowing companies to harness an untapped market of gamers that has eluded them for years.

"Really there's the opportunity for women, especially in these emerging technology areas, to shape their fields," said Donna Milgram, executive director of the National Institute of Women in Trades, Technology & Science. "Women bring something different to the table."

The awareness of female gaming has been building in recent years. Last month, Redwood City-based Electronic Arts Inc., hosted the Women In Games International Conference with industry experts speaking on the future of games targeted at women.

Lesley Mathieson, design director for Los Angeles-based High Impact Games, said she was always interested in games as a kid and started her career as a tester while she was in college. She said getting more women into the industry is a way to bring new perspectives.

"It's important in any entertainment industry to get as diverse a group of people as possible," said Mathieson, 32. "Otherwise, you just end up with people coming up with the same ideas over and over again."

More information is available at: www.canadacollege.edu/multimedia/


E-mail Shaun Bishop at sbishop@dailynewsgroup.com.