Skip to main content

Google’s Change the Game winners designed games we can’t wait to play

Google launched the Change the Game initiative a few months ago in an effort to empower teenage girls to design games of their own. Now, it’s announcing the winners, who will get prizes that include an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles, where they’ll tour Google’s L.A. campus, a scholarship to the Girls Make Games Summer Camp, and more. Not only that, but the top winner could also share her vision for the future of gaming and have a chance to win a $10,000 college scholarship and a $15,000 scholarship for her school’s technology program.

The grand prize winner is 17-year-old Christine, who developed a side-scrolling puzzle game in which you’ll play the role of a shape-shifting girl named Mazu, who has to solve puzzles to make her way through unfamiliar terrain.

There were four other finalists too. Eighth grader Dakota designed EcoVerse, a series of mini games in which you’ll clean and restore animal and plant life as part of the Galactic Restoration Team. Lily, a 9th grader, designed The Other Realm, an RPG game, adventure game, and puzzle game all in one that involves players uncovering clues about the main characters back story. Next up is 12th-grader Erin, who designed a game in which you’ll play the role of a famous musician’s granddaughter as she discovers his favorite music scattered throughout the world. Last but not least is 11th-grader Lauren, who designed Palette, a game for artists that involves mixing together different colors to match the target color. As you go, you’ll reveal a famous painting.

The new competition was launched in partnership with Girls Make Games, which is aimed at empowering female developers for all platforms, and the Entertainment Software Association Foundation, which supports the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program and encourages kids and young adults to apply STEM concepts to real-life scenarios.

Change the Game was first launched last year in an effort to shine a light on the underrepresentation of women in mobile gaming. According to Google’s research, only 27 percent of the mobile game industry identifies as female or transgender. Despite that, 86 percent of teenage girls play games on a computer, console, or mobile device, and 81 percent of teenage girls talk about these games with their friends. In other words, while teenage girls certainly play games, they’re underrepresented in the gaming industry as a whole.

“Our mission is to make mobile gaming truly for everyone by celebrating and empowering women as players and creators. To do this, we’re committed to improving gender diversity in three areas of the mobile gaming world,” says Google on the Change the Game website.

Hopefully, the competition will help not only empower female developers but specifically empower young female developers — which could go on to help contribute to a more inclusive gaming industry that represents all different kinds of people.

Updated on June 11: Google has announced the winners of the Change the Game initiative.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
As an Android user, I can’t wait for USB-C on the iPhone 15
The USB C port on the bottom of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

There's one question that strikes fear into the heart of any Android user: "Do you have a phone charger?" Or, at the very least, it makes me mildly annoyed in a world dominated by iPhones.

I've been an Android user since I first picked up a smartphone, and every time I'm around friends or family, someone will ask for a charger without fail. I've even picked up a couple of Lightning cables to keep around whenever someone needs to top off. Now, I'm ecstatic that the days of digging through a pile of misfit cables are finally behind me.
Universal for years

Read more
I can’t believe my favorite new keyboard came from a phone company
OnePlus Keyboard 81 on a pink background.

I don't get excited about keyboards much these days. There are so many good ones out there and little in the way of innovation. No surprise, then, that I wrote off the OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro immediately after it was announced. How good could a keyboard from a phone company be anyways? Boy, was I wrong.

Like any new keyboard, I pulled the Keyboard 81 Pro out of the box and drummed my fingers along the keys, expecting a harsh, unpleasant smattering of plastic and squeaky springs that I'd heard many times before. This stock mechanical keyboard feel isn't bad, but I've become a keyboard snob over the past few years (and yes, feel free to roast me for that fact). But I didn't hear that sound or feel that feel. The Keyboard 81 Pro was quiet.

Read more
11 features in iOS 17 that I can’t wait to use on my iPhone
ios 17 11 features i cant wait to use on my iphone mashup

Apple made a big splash at WWDC 2023 this year as it introduced the first major new product since the Apple Watch with the Vision Pro spatial computing headset. But of course, we also got software announcements for iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS 14 Sonoma.

Though I feel that iOS 17 is an overall underwhelming update compared to the past few years with iOS 14 and iOS 16, there’s still a lot of interesting stuff coming. The developer beta is out now, and people have been diving into all that iOS 17 has to offer so far. And you know what? There’s plenty to talk about — including a few things Apple didn't even mention during the keynote.

Read more