Girls play video games, and create them, too. To bring young women closer to gaming, the Girl Scouts has added video game development to its merit-based patch program.
The Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles has partnered with Women in Games International to create a new patch designed to get scouts interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), specifically video game development.
“Creating this badge will get young girls excited in technology and science and let them know that they, too, can have a career in the video game industry,†WIGI vice president Amy Allison told GirlGamer.
GSGLA Chief Executive Officer Lise Luttgens agrees that the partnership will continue to get more girls excited about tech
professions. “Girl Scouts has a long history of developing pioneers in the fields of science and technology, so we are excited about collaborating with Women in Games International to ignite girls’ interests in STEM-related subjects.â€The girl scouts will use Gamestar Mechanic, an educational tool that helps people learn game design and development, to earn the gaming patch, according to GirlGamer.
Although the video game patch is only being introduced in Los Angeles, the GSGLA hopes to bring it to other local chapters across the nation, according to NBC News. Since the merit recognition is local, it’s referred to as a patch as opposed to a badge.
While news of the patch comes after the Boy Scouts introduced a gaming badge, a representative from GSGLA told NBC News that the organization had been working with WIGI for over a year to introduce the new patch to the local California chapter.
The youth organization currently offers four official STEM-related badges; the only ones offered for older scouts are the “Science of Happiness and the “Science of Style†badges.