A screenshot from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015), CD Projekt Red
CD Projekt Red, the developer of The Witcher franchise, announced the fourth year of its scholarship program that excludes man.
A screenshot from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015), CD Projekt Red
On the Girls at Play website, CD Projekt Red announced “the 4th edition of the scholarship and mentoring program is starting, which creates a community of young women in the gamedev industry.”
The site states, “CD PROJEKT SA and the Perspektywy Educational Foundation announce the 4th edition of the scholarship and mentoring program for high school girls interested in the video game industry. Online recruitment for the program begins on September 9 and will last until October 31, 2024.”
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut (2008), CD Projekt Red
The site continues, “Girls in the Game! is a response to the gamedev industry’s demand for talented women. According to the latest IQS research published in the Game Story report, there are 17 million gamers in Poland, of which 47%, or 8 million, are women! Almost 2.3 million women declare that they play every day on a console or computer, and 22% of gamers say that gaming is their passion. However, among people working in gamedev, women constitute only 20%.”
It then provides specifics about the program, “The program is aimed at high school students of all types, with particular emphasis on candidates from smaller towns. The program consists of a year-long training cycle and individual mentoring from experts from CD PROJEKT RED. As part of the project, participants.”
Not only do females get a year long training program, but upon completing the program they also get access to “the Alumni group — a community of over 40 graduates for whom CD PROJEKT RED organizes additional initiatives such as dedicated workshops at the Women in Tech Summit.”
A screenshot from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015), CD Projekt Red
Agnieszka Szamałek-Michalska, CD Projekt Red’s Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Director, stated, “Three years after the program’s launch, we are proud to see the community of young women interested in the gamedev industry growing. It’s great to see how participants and graduates of our program get to know each other, create a support network, and even friendships!”
She added, “100% of our graduates declare their willingness to work in the gamedev industry, so I believe that their paths will cross on their professional path, and the contacts they establish at this stage will help them realize amazing projects.”
Screenshot from Cyberpunk 2077 (2020), CD Projekt Red
Dr. Bianka Siwińska, head of Perspektywy Women in Tech also stated, “Girls in the Game! proves how much artistic and technological potential lies in the young generation of women.”
“Real talents are maturing before our eyes, great ideas are germinating and innovative projects are being born,” she continued. “All it takes is a little support, inspiring mentoring and, above all, instilling self-confidence for the girls to start spreading their wings and crossing the boundaries imposed on them by school or the environment. It is wonderful to watch how boldly they enter the game for their professional future!”
The program is also listed on CD Projekt Red’s Diversity section of its website. It states, “We created a mentoring and scholarship program for high school girls to help them take their first steps in the video game industry.”
“Girls in the Game! participants have the opportunity to learn about many practical aspects of the video game industry, gain hands-on experience creating games, and receive financial support to cover the costs of additional classes, training, or hardware,” it adds. “They are also mentored by experienced specialists from CD PROJEKT RED who provide their expertise and support as the participants work on gaming-related projects.”
Cyberpunk 2077 (2020), CD Projekt Red
This program from CD Projekt Red that excludes men comes in the wake of Ubisoft having a similar program called Develop At Ubisoft. On Ubisoft’s official website the company promotes it, “At Ubisoft, we want to build the most creative, diverse and inclusive teams, and that’s exactly what Develop at Ubisoft is all about: empowering and supporting under-represented genders.”
It then clearly states, “The program provides mentorship opportunities for women and non-binary individuals (students or fresh graduates with less than 2 years of experience), interested in video games to develop their skill set in Game Design and Programming. We want to empower you to learn, grow, and become the very best developer that you can be.”
Screenshot of Develop at Ubisoft mentorship program
In a section labeled “Eligibility Criteria,” the first bullet point states that “to be eligible you must: Identify as a woman or a non-binary individual.”
Screenshot of Eligibility Criteria for Develop at Ubisoft mentorship program
Legal analyst Andrew Esquire reacted to Ubisoft’s program, which is offered to Americans rather than restricted to Poland like CD Projekt Red’s programs, shared his opinion that Ubisoft’s program “is illegal.”
He also shared, “So Ubisoft did something illegal. What I think is that somebody who is actually damaged by that, who is not picked for mentorship or leadership should bring a case. I think there’s law firms like the America First Legal team down in Texas that would be willing to take that. They’ve already taken the Disney case, why not take that one? Seems like it’d be a good case for them.”
