Award-winning games designer delivers female workshop

Leeds City College, hosted a day of workshops for female gaming enthusiasts, who are interested in the industry.

Gaming industry veteran, Fee Laming, delivered presentations to year groups, 9-12 and shared her experience of the industry, as well as the range of careers within the sector that young girls could look into.

“As an industry we desperately need and want more diversity. I think that it is really important that girls realise that this is a viable and interesting career option for them and that they can do this,” said Fee.

The hour-long sessions included quizzes, links to other STEM subjects and information to dismiss any myths female students may have about the industry.

As a multi-award winning games designer, Fee has been recognised among the top 100 women in gaming and also runs her own company which has designed games and animations for Microsoft and the BBC.

A student who attended from Woodhouse Grove School said, “The presentation was very interesting because it helped me discover more about the gaming industry and the range of jobs there are, because I thought there were only programmers.”

“We are moving forward in technology. It is forever changing and I think it is important for more females to go into the industry because we will add a different perspective and outlook, and will bring a range of ideas to the table that can benefit the female market,” she added.

While the presence of female developers has doubled since 2009, the gaming industry has been male dominated for a very long time. However, with advances in technology and a broader understanding of the sector, this is slowly changing, as more women are taking an interest, not only in playing games but designing them too.

If you think your female students would benefit from one of Fee’s presentations please contact the School Liaison Team at transitionteam@leedscitycollege.ac.uk