Happy International Women’s Day, one and all!
It’s crazy to think that we’re already here again, but it’s also a really special time of year. While many of us, myself included, love gaming and keep up to date with many of the comings and goings of the industry itself, it’s not often that we get to look at some of the amazing women who help make our community the amazing place it is.
No longer is it rare to see women in the gaming space. In 2020, women made up almost 42% of the gamers in the United States and even in Asia, which accounts for 48% of the world’s total gaming revenue; women make up over 45% of their gaming population.
So, to celebrate Women’s Day 2024, I thought I’d take a step back from my regular scheduled content and instead take a look at some of the names and faces that might not be household names but are responsible for being gaming not only the modern age but into our homes as well.
So, if you want to learn about five extraordinary women transforming gaming, I’ve got you covered.
Lori Bajorek
While this name might not be familiar to you, Lori Bajorek is the president of the National Esports Association. She uses her position to champion esports athletes’ wellness and academic success.
Not only is Lori responsible for bringing inclusivity and learning to many of the esports that we know and love, but she is also responsible for reshaping how esports are perceived in many educational circles.
Lori Bajorek is currently the president and CEO of the National Esports Association, and in 2022, she was honoured in the Microsoft Legacy Project for her innovative work.
Lori Bajorek is also known for delivering a viral TEDX Talk all about the educational potential of esports.
Carly Taylor
Working as the Director of Franchise Security Strategy for Call of Duty is none other than Carly Taylor, someone with a deep understanding of data science and a background in chemistry.
Carly Taylor is responsible for revolutionising security in the gaming world and, by doing so, is responsible for enhancing the experience for players across various gaming platforms.
Before transitioning into data science, Carly Taylor worked in a lab where the lack of female representation in STEM drove her to mentor and educate others.
Not only has she led discussions on anti-cheat techniques at the GDC Online Game Technology Summit, been a keynote speaker on generative AI in gaming at the ProSocial Summit and pioneered advanced security methods using machine learning and analytics for Call of Duty, but she also focuses on helping more women and underrepresented individuals break into STEM and jumpstart their careers in gaming.
Corrinne Yu
What do games like King’s Quest, Quake II, and Halo 4 have to do with nuclear physics research? Well, Corrinne Yu, for starters.
Corrinne Yu is an American game programmer who has worked on some of our favourite games and franchises; she also wrote the original engine for the Spec Ops series and was a founding member of Microsoft’s Direct 3D Advisory Board.
Over the years, Corrinne Yu has worked as an engine programmer at Gearbox Software while also working on Unreal Engine 3 with an emphasis on lighting, shadows and physics.
She’s also worked as a graphic programmer for Naughty Dog, Amazon.com and General Motors as a VP of Engineering. However, Corrinne Yu’s career has spanned way further than just gaming; Corrinne Yu also programmed on the Space Shuttle program at Rockwell International California, and her nuclear physics research won her a national award from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Michiru Yamane
Gaming is a massive industry that has many different ways to contribute to it, as proven by Michiru Yamane, a Japanese video game composer and pianist.
If you don’t know her name, you have almost definitely heard her scores. Thanks to two decades of work at Konami, Michiru Yamane has over 40 games under her belt. She is perhaps best known for her work on the Castlevania series.
Michiru Yamane always had an interest in music and attended a music high school specialising in advanced piano courses, which was also when she started playing video games at various local arcades.
After studying composing, Michiru Yamane began her career as a composer for Konami in 1988. Outside of Castlevania, her compositions can be heard in games like Suikoden III, Suikoden IV Elder Gate and The Sword of Etheria.
Debbie Bestwick
Deborah Jayne Bestwick, or Debbie Bestwick as she prefers, is a British entrepreneur known for being the CEO of Team17. Over the years, Debbie Bestwick has been awarded many accolades thanks to her work in the video game industry and was even pronounced a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Debbie Bestwick first fell in love with gaming when she was twelve and played Football Manager on her brother’s ZX Spectrum. Then, when she was sixteen, she got a part-time job at a Nottingham video game store, which Debbie loved so much that she decided to drop out of school.
Shortly into her time working at the video game store, the owner stepped down, and a young Debbie Bestwick took over. Less than a year later, she negotiated the store’s sale to entrepreneur Michael Robinson and its integration into his UK-wide computer retail chain Microbyte.
After that, Debbie and a co-worker conceived the idea of converting 17-Bit Software, a video game publisher also owned by Michael Robinson, into a venture that acted as both a publisher and developer – something that would later become 17-Bit Software and then Team17.
Debbie Bestwick ran Team17’s daily business until she bought out everyone else involved to become the CEO and sole director.
While these are five women that I chose to feature, it’s hardly a comprehensive list of everyone who deserves to be featured.
If you’re interested in learning about some of the female game developers behind some of our favourite games, you can read our previous Women’s Day posts here and here.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go hug my mom because if it wasn’t for her playing Doom with baby Arielle on her lap, I wouldn’t be where I am today. For that, I owe my mom everything.