Girls' Game Lab launches to host game development workshops for young girls

A team of women with years of game development and workshop experience at their disposal have come together to launch Girls’ Game Lab, an organization to help young girls in the UK explore game development.

The organization aims to give girls aged 8-12 access to workshops that introduce them to both coding and game design, and offer guidance to those that someday hope to have a job in the game industry.

The first workshop is set to take place on August 3 in the UK at Playground Games’ new studio in Leamington Spa, and will see developers from both Playground Games and other studios leading lessons for those in attendance.

All three of the founding members have experience running similar workshops in the UK, and have come together to channel that experience into their own organization. Girls’ Game Lab is headed up by freelance producer Caoimhe Roddy, PlayStation producer and Women In Games regional coordinator Rachael Gregg-Smythe, and Women Making Games North East co-founder Lucy Smith.

"When we were kids, we didn't even know it was possible that making games could be our actual jobs. There were no workshops, or any guidance whatsoever at school for this sort of career, especially for young girls,” said Roddy in a press release. "With Girls' Game Lab, we want to show this next generation of girls that they can be the next prominent game designer, and build a career out of something they're truly passionate about."