Images: Level Her Up
Level Her Up is a volunteer-run community of women game developers from Western Australia looking to inspire more women to try out the awesome world of game development by providing free workshops, collaborative game jams, and a social community of likeminded individuals. Level Her Up was an idea borne out of my own experiences growing up - I have three brothers and played a lot of games with them in my youth, but found myself to be an odd one out, with no other girls in school talking about games, and only meeting another female developer around 10 years into my career. Games and computers weren't something that was stereotypically thought to be for girls, in my surroundings. Thankfully times have changed and it's a lot more common to see girls playing games now, and learning how to code, which is fantastic. The organisation aims at opening up the world of gaming (specifically game development) to that generation of women who didn't get to share in that community of girls with similar interests growing up, or who didn't think game development was an option for them, or who simply are interested in trying something new. In 2023 we held our first year of events which were highly successful, with limited seats becoming sold out and high attendance for all the workshops (around 35+ in each, maxing out our venue capacity), and several creative games made in our game jam.
"We made a game in a weekend! I didn't think it would be possible but we went from theme to concept to a functioning game in two days. I learnt so much, challenged myself and would love to do another"
"I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the Level Her Up game jam recently, and it was an experience like no other. This two-day event was a crash course in game development, taking us from concept to a playable game in a very short span of time. The journey was intense and filled with highs and lows, but the rewards were beyond measure. What made this game jam truly exceptional were the mentors who generously shared their expertise, not only in every aspect of game design and development, but also in how to remain calm and moving forward after accidentally deleting your game in the dying hours of day 2… By the end of it, we all walked away with a game we were genuinely proud of. Level Her Up's game jam not only equipped me with valuable skills but also left me with a sense of accomplishment and a network of passionate game developers. I can't recommend this experience enough to anyone looking to dive headfirst into the world of game development. Thank you, Level Her Up, for making this journey unforgettable."
I founded the organisation in late 2022/early 2023, building a team of volunteer committee members and mentors to assist, and organising aspects such as funding, workshop structure, event organisation, team management, and so on. I have also been the Lead Unity Mentor for the free workshops, designing and presenting the workshop content. I stepped away from leadership of the organisation in 2024 but have continued to lead the Unity workshops.
Interested in talking games, immersive software, or anything nerdy? I'd love to chat.
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