Sony Santa Monica and WIGI step up to help Girl Scouts earn game dev patch

A few years ago, Women In Games International (WIGI) announced it would be working with the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles to create a patch in video game design. The goal at the time was to support young Girl Scouts to pursue careers in the arts and sciences, and encourage them to think about careers in video games. 

Now, Sony Santa Monica is lending a hand to help those scouts earn their patches. According to a post on the company blog, Sony Santa Monica will host two game design workshops in Los Angeles on September 24th and October 1st where participants will be able to get a crash course in the game design process.

Sony Santa Monica’s participation is a good boost for the video game patch, which WIGI hopes will be able to able to become a Girl Scouts of the USA national proficiency patch. The national organization currently offers proficiency patches in geocaching, digital moviemaking, computer expertise, and more. 

But it’s not even all about video games. WIGI reaffirms the argument it’s made for the last few years that a game design patch would also encourage girls to look at game-adjacent careers in science and technology. “By creating a STEM-aligned video game patch program for Girl Scouts, we’re helping young women see what opportunities are open to them in these fields,” says WIGI vice president Amy Allison. 

“WIGI promotes diversity in the video game industry, and spearheading this effort means that women have more opportunities to be better represented in the next generation of video game creators."