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June 28, 2024
This week, the US’s Black Collegiate Gaming Association’s (BCGA) Girls Got Game initiative kicked off a free summer and autumn after-school program at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles (BGCMLA). The program intends to bridge the gap between the esports and gaming industry – on track to be worth $321 billion by 2026 – and Black students and young women of color. The summer program is in collaboration with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and the BGCMLA, and will expand to Miami, Atlanta and New Orleans later this year.
A 2019 study on Gender and Gaming stated that 35% of the gamer population is women and girls, yet only 5% of that population are considered professional esports athletes. In 2006, only 38% of the gamers in the US were women. By 2022, it was 48%. That same year ESA gaming reported that 29% of gamers were people of color, and 13% of women gamers belonged to the LGBTQ+ community.
The BCGA Foundation was founded in 2020 by Keshia Walker, the first Black woman to enter collegiate gaming and esports. The Foundation provides education, access and career opportunities in the gaming and esports industry to both Black students and young women of color. It also supports students with interviews and the skills to be a part of the gaming industry, both on a competitive and corporate level.
Its programs include Women Got Game, offering curriculum, competitions and internships at a professional level, as well as Girls Got Game to empower middle and high school youth. The summer program builds on the following:
- Encouraging girls to stay in school, go to college and earn scholarships by playing the games they love
- Measuring the success of the programs based on metrics defined and approved by corporate partners
- Increasing the creative, critical thinking and motor skills of students
- Teaching girls how to secure jobs in the gaming and esports industry
- Increasing college enrollment rates with two-four year programs
- Reducing truancy and crime rates
“We are thrilled to join the BCGA for the Girls Got Game initiative. This community partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to empower and inspire young girls. By introducing black and brown girls at the Boys and Girls Club to the gaming industry, we are not only broadening their horizons but also fostering a new generation of leaders in tech and gaming,” said Natalie White, VP Community Relations for the Los Angeles Sparks. “We believe in the power of representation and opportunity, and we are proud to support this impactful program.”
High-school and middle-school girls in Los Angeles – no matter their gaming skill level – can register for a full schedule of activities and discussion groups while connecting with some of the biggest basketball names and gamers.
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