On Wednesday, January 31st, the first biweekly meeting of Champlain’s new Women in Games Club will be held in CCM 221 at 6:00 PM. 

The club’s founder and interim president, Brandy Caterino is a first-year Game Studio student hoping to build a wide support team for other women and create a fun and welcoming environment full of opportunity.

Caterino described the kickoff event as an introduction to what members can look forward to every other week with an environment to meet new people, collaborate, create opportunities, and foster a safe space for women in games.

Caterino “In the first meeting, people can expect to connect with other students who all have an interest in games and the game industry. We also want to get feedback from students about what kind of club women want and what activities and resources they’d like to see provided by the club to foster a safe space,” Said Caterino.

Caterino said the goal of the club is to provide access to technology, conduct professional development workshops with keynote guest speakers, and promote the normalization of femme-identifying professionals and allies in games and the gaming industry.

“We want women to feel seen, heard, and included in these environments to bridge barriers within the industry,” said Caterino.

She added that there will be both fellow students and staff at the meeting with a seasoned history of supporting women in games. 

“On top of these things, we will be making tea and serving snacks with fun games for everyone to play!” Caterino added.

Caterino initially came up with the Women in Games Club while in her Game History Class. In an assignment about women in technology, she was prompted to consider how she could improve the environment for women, specifically at Champlain. When responding, she assumed the school already had a club in place for this.

There has been a Women in Games Club in the past. However, it faded away with many other clubs due to Covid.

“I knew I wanted to start this club back up again because, despite being a first year, I already have seen a need for a supportive group like this one here at Champlain College.” Said Caterino.

Caterino says anyone from any background is welcome to join, but especially female-identifying people who want to seek support and be involved in an inviting environment working on breaking barriers within the industry.

“I want to foster an environment where everyone feels welcome, and I strongly encourage anyone to check it out,”  Caterinio concluded.

For anyone interested in joining, there is a Discord server and an Instagram for the club, or else anyone is welcome to stop by a meeting.