GCON - Women Game Developers and Gamers Community

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GCON - Women Game Developers and Gamers Community

Not Listed, Saudi Arabia
Organization type: 
for profit
Project Stage:
Start-Up
Budget: 
$1,000 - $10,000
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Despite the facts that 40% of all gamers are women, only few are actively working in the industry, and the percentage is even lower in Saudi Arabia and ME countries. Our objective is to help women enter the Gaming industry professionally and create unique work opportunities for women in the field.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if Games Can Make a Real Change?
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

- Lack of attention and opportunity for women game developers, game artists and other related fields in the region - Lack of access to training and monetary resources for independent developers

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

- Established a community for women gamers and developers, connecting them together through small gatherings and an official annual Gaming Convention. This is our second year organizing the convention supported by sponsors - Continuing to build and foster relationships with companies and studios in the region - Currently working to develop monetary incubation programs and access to training
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

In April 2013 GCON hosted and launched a unique game development competition for women only, where 20 all female game development teams applied. Over 44 original ideas were submitted in this competiton
Sustainability

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

There are a few active communities helping developer in the region, however, GCON is mainly focused on women as developers and students in the college level.
About You
Organization:
GCOM - The Women Game Developers and Gamers Community
About You
First Name

Tasneem

Last Name

salim

About Your Organization
Organization Name

GCOM - The Women Game Developers and Gamers Community

Organization Country
Country where this project is creating social impact

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Project
Year founded

2012

Impact
Impact: What is the impact of the work to date?

- Over 44 original ideas were submitted in this competition
- 6 teams developed fully working games and qualified to the last stage of the competition
- 3 teams were able to win and acquire the necessary financial support and incubation to further develop and publish their games

Teams in this competition were not professional developers to start, however two out of the three winning teams have decided to work on their game development projects after the competition.

Teams two did not win are continuing to enhance their games and seek further support to complete the project. the competition inspired a lot of interest in game development and we are hoping to continue working with more young developers in 2014

Barriers: What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Obtaining the financial support necessary to scale and expand our activities nationwide is the main obstacle we might faced in the future

By continuing to host the annual convention and our entertainment activities we are able to secure the necessary operational funds, supported by upcoming crowd funding activities

Full Impact Potential: What are the main spread strategies moving forward? (Please consider geographic spread, policy reform, and independent replication/adoption of the idea or other mechanisms.)

Approximately 125 words left (750 characters).

Sustainability
Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

continuing to host the annual convention and our entertainment activities we are able to secure the necessary operational funds, supported by upcoming crowd funding activities

Founding Story: Share a story about the "Aha!" moment that led the founder to get started and/or to see the potential for this to succeed.

We first met at university, joined by our shared love for games. As CIS students we wondered about career opportunities for women in technology and why very few ever enter the gaming industry. The idea for a girls only gaming convention came after hearing about a local gaming convention we were sadly unable to attend, as the event was males only and no women were allowed, additionally, the organizers never considered dedicating a female day, as it was believed that girls and women have no interest in gaming. So, we decided to take a stand, stop waiting to be recognized and host a large scale convention of our own.

- See more at: http://www.changemakers.com/project/gcon-girls-game-developers-and-gamer...

Partnerships: Tell us about your partnerships.

United Electronics Saudi Arabia (Sony) - Main Sponsor of GCON2013
VERSO Saudi Arabia - Educational Sponsor of GCON2013
Ubisoft Abu Dhabi - Industry Sponsors of GCON2013

Women Powering Work
Is your project targeted at solving any of the following challenges?

Training and education such as skills workshops, entrepreneurship courses, apprenticeship opportunities

Does your project utilize any of the strategies below?

Customizing technology such as mobile phones, websites, or telecommuting tools to enable greater economic participation