In honor of International Women’s Day, Google is celebrating inspirational women in tech — particularly those that have contributed to the Google Play ecosystem. This week, on Google Play, you will see a collection of apps and games developed by women, along with movies and TV shows with strong female leads.
While Google will highlight movies and TV shows, what it really seems to want to show off is apps and games developed by women. The company launched its “Change the Game” initiative last fall in an attempt to help highlight and empower female developers. It makes sense — Google conducted a study into mobile gamers and found that roughly half were female — and that 43 percent of female gamers played more than five days a week, compared to only 38 percent of their male counterparts. Despite that, only 24.8 percent of women working in the industry, according to Google, identify as female or transgender, and the result is that only 30 percent of female gamers feel that games were made for them.
When it comes to particular games that Google is highlighting, you will see a few popular titles — such as 80 Days, Zen Koi 2, Race for the Galaxy and more. You will also see some female creators highlighted on YouTube — Gloom, CyberNova, and more will all take to YouTube starting on Thursday, March 8, to share their stories on how they got into gaming.
It’s not just about gaming though — Google will highlight other apps, too. For example, the company is promoting Canva, a graphic design app, CastBox, a podcast curation app, and Habitica, an app that helps you turn your day-to-day tasks into a kind of game — which could help you be a little more productive.
When it comes to movies and TV shows, more and more are being released with strong female leads. For example, Google is highlighting the likes of Wonder Woman, Frida, Girls, and more.
In general, the tech industry is facing a shift. Companies like Google and Apple have been criticized for their lack of diversity over the past few years, but they have been launching initiatives to try and change that.
