What is
A methodological guide for designing more gender-inclusive game development education pathways. Based on research data, focus groups, and the experience of the European NuGamers project, the handbook provides guiding principles, strategies, and practical recommendations to address the main barriers that girls, women, and gender-diverse people face in educational and professional pathways related to gaming.
Designed to support the entire learner journey – from initial guidance and orientation to entry into the labor market – it integrates with the other outputs of the NuGamers project: the Fact Sheet and the Toolkit.
The handbook is structured into thematic sections addressing:
- the current context of girls, women, and gender-diverse people in gaming and game development;
- challenges related to guidance and the choice of study pathways;
- the design of inclusive educational environments and gender-aware curricula;
- support for the transition from education to work in the game industry;
- the development of transversal skills, awareness of rights, and self-representation capacities.
Each section combines analysis, concrete examples, and operational guidance, referring where appropriate to activities in the NuGamers Toolkit for possible practical application.
Who it is designed for
- School, VET (Vocational and Educational TRaining) and HE (Higher Education) staff in the gaming and creative tech sector (managers and programme leaders, teachers and trainers, guidance counsellors and orientation staff)
- Learners and early-career professionals (girls and women interested in or already studying game development, gender-diverse individuals navigating game-related education and work).
Credits
This handbook was developed within NuGamers, an Erasmus+ project co-funded by the European Union, developed by the partners Sineglossa (Italy), Futuregames (Sweden), All Digital (Belgium), XAMK South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Algebra University College (Croazia).
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
