The Video Game Industry is booming. It is currently estimated to be worth over $300 billion USD – more than the combined value of the markets for movies AND music. But where are all the Girl Roblox Developers?
Historically video gaming has been a male dominated industry. Excitingly, Roblox Developers like Jenny Towne, Anne Shoemaker, and Megan Letter are creating space for more females to enter the industry.
Roblox launched in 2006 and is one of the most popular gaming platforms in the world. Children aged 9 to 12 in particular love it. It launched on the stock exchange March 2021, and is valued at $38 billion USD. Roblox boasts 32.6 million gamers playing daily. Why is it so popular? It’s a uniquely open platform. Roblox allows players to become creators, and publish their own games using free software.
In the greater global gaming industry females are 46% of players. Roblox reports similar data – 40% of their players are female.
“Nothing can stop you from getting into game dev. You need a computer and an idea…” Jenny Towne.
Roblox stats on female game developers are harder to find. While they report 7 million active developers, they don’t provide a split based on gender. Industry stats report only 24% of all game developers are female. So if gender parity in Roblox game development could be achieved, there would be space for over 1.8 million more female game developers!
Making video games teaches children so many important skills – improves reading, teaches problem solving skills, they make and connect with friends, have opportunities to teach and lead, learn the joy of publishing, and it sparks creativity and imagination.
Organisations are supporting more females in the video game industry
Organisations working to change the video game industry gender inequality include: Girls Who Code, Girls Make Games, Girl Geek Academy and Buzzy Games.
Females obviously enjoy playing video games just as much as males, but remain underrepresented in making them. What will follow is a series of profiles of Girl Roblox Developers. These will aim to inspire more young girls to make their own Roblox games, because as Jason Reynolds said “it’s hard to be what you can’t see”.
Featuring Female Roblox Developers and sharing how they got started
Each profile will detail how they got started in Roblox development, what stops girls from getting into game development and how to change this. Their stories are unique and inspiring. Jenny, an Environment/3D artist put it best when she said “Nothing can stop you from getting into game dev. You need a computer and an idea.” The recurring theme from their stories is that the tide is changing. The gaming world is starting to recognise females are exceptionally creative, talented and skilled. The opportunities in game development for girls are endless!
Which female game developers and games should we feature?
If you know a champion female Roblox developer you would like us to interview and showcase, or are interested in how you can get started making games reach out via Twitter @tealastephens or email [email protected]
Written by Teala Stephens
Twitter: @tealastephens
Website: https://tealawrites.com/
Interested in learning more? Check out my other articles: