Geek Girls LatAm is a technological sisterhood that Inspires, Empowers, and Connects Girls, Youth, and Latin Women with technology, the IT industry, and its direct relationship with STEAM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). As a non-profit entity, it carries out social welfare activities, knowledge transfer, and generation processes that support the technological transformation to and from Latin America, including institutions, public and private companies, academia, and civil society.
Queremos agradecer a todas las mujeres de Latinoamérica que se inscribieron para ser parte de la #CatedraGGL. Mañana iniciamos esta bonita aventura de empoderamiento y liderazgo femenino + STEAM. ¡Bienvenidas! 💜#GeneracionSTEAM pic.twitter.com/Ggv4WDjcXl
— Geek Girls LatAm 💜 (@GeekGirlsLatam) October 14, 2022
The Women Game Jam (WGL) is an annual event inspired by the Nordic Game Jam and created by Geek Girls LatAm, initially developed in Brazil; today, it is celebrated in more than ten countries.
At each location, jammers come together to brainstorm ideas, form small groups, create new, creative, and innovative games, and introduce them to their peers and the global community, all in a limited amount of time. For example, in 2021, 130 Jammers from different parts of the country participated in the Colombia location in the event of more than 1000 women internationally.
This “marathon” offers activities, special talks, meetups, and conferences to deliver tools for developers. The digital location in Colombia, directed by Tan Grande and Jugando, has the support of organizations from various parts of the country between Barranquilla, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Guajira, Pereira, and Bogota, among others.
Unfortunately, the latest edition of WGJ just ended, but we look forward to giving you more details on 2023’s event!
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Its official WGJ description reads:
Can you imagine being able to create a video game in 48 hours and do it during a sleepover? Be part of one of the most famous sleepovers in the video game development industry and bring your ideas to life.
- The Woman Game Jam is a game development marathon recognized for promoting the participation of women in the industry.
- From Geek Girls LatAm, we unite to continue promoting the creative industries and the talent of our GeekGirls in video games.
According to Forbes women, 55% of gamers (a term used to describe people who play video games) are women in the world, and in Latin America, they are 49.7%; these statistics make video game companies think of them as consumers prevalent among puzzle and strategy games. But on the other hand, we can see that although the number of female players grows annually, the number of video game creators decreases.
Many video game companies agree that women who have developed video games have brought a change and a new way of perceiving video games. Still, there are fewer and fewer due to the lack of development in girls of their STEAM skills. According to a Microsoft study, from the age of 11, many girls lose interest in STEAM careers due to a lack of resources to instruct them.
"For Geek Girls LatAm, supporting and promoting young women and men in this industry is a commitment from day one, and that is why we joined the WGJ this year," says Joanna Prieto, co-founder of GGL.
“We want to encourage the participation of women within the industry. Currently, we only have a 5% share in a scenario where we are almost 50% of the consumers," said Sandra Castro Pinzón, director of Tan Grande and Jugando, who explained that "game jams are industry meeting centers that allow generating new connections and friendships that will drive the next generations of video game developers.”
What are your thoughts on WGJ? Let us know in the comment section!
In case you missed it: Why is online gaming so popular in Latin America?
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