Women in Games Initiative

Launched in 2017, The Strong’s Women in Games Initiative is guided by the overarching goal of inspiring girls, young women, and other under-represented people to confidently play games and pursue careers in the games industry. The Women in Games Initiative encompasses a world-class, one-of-a-kind archival collection, onsite and online exhibits, a nationally recognized annual celebration of Women in Games, and other educational programming.

Women in Games Events

The Strong’s first Women in Games celebration, “Women in Games: Inspire“, held in November 2018, was an unprecedented evening of dialog with female innovators and trailblazers in the video game industry. Each year, The Strong continues to host a Women in Games celebration, evolving to add new digital and virtual experiences to engage an even broader audience of young people. See previous Women in Games events.

Gaming for All: A Women in Games Celebration

Thursday, November 16, 2023
6–9 p.m.

Collections

The Strong’s collections include objects and archival materials that illuminate hundreds of years of women’s board game design, including the two best-selling games of the 19th century (Authors and Dr. Busby) and innovative 20th-century titles like Candy Land and The Landlord’s Game—the predecessor to Monopoly. These materials provide a foundation for The Strong’s unparalleled electronic games holdings that document women’s many contributions to the field, including iconic video games such as Centipede, River Raid, and Journey alongside one-of-a-kind archival records—prototypes, design documents, marketing materials, correspondences, photographs, oral histories, and other items—that illustrate the impact of women in the video game industry. Prominent among these are the Carol Shaw Collection, Ken and Roberta Williams Sierra-Online Collection, Her Interactive, Inc. Collection, and Atari Coin-Op Divisions Collection.

Exhibits

Explore ESL Digital Worlds: High Score and the contributions women have made to the video game industry. Take a virtual Women in Games tour (with the museum’s Bloomberg App) to learn about the contributions of women like Muriel Trammis and Carol Shaw to the industry, past and present.

Support Women in Games

The Strong encourages queries from individuals and organizations that want to engage with the initiative by donating historical materials, underwriting program development, or supporting the museum’s production of on-site and online exhibits. Please contact Lisa Feinstein at lfeinstein@museumofplay.org.