Sony Online Entertainment decided to ease the path for young women who want to mix business with pleasure and develop a career in the online gaming industry. In collaboration with The Art Institutes, the leading online gaming company offers a new scholarship program for female arts students who'd consider integrating in the field of online games' development.
The unique scholarship SOE G.I.R.L. (Gamers in Real Life) was designed to encourage women that study creative and applied arts to develop a career in the online gaming industry. According to Torrie Dorrell of Sony Online Entertainment, studies show that the number of women online gamers is not smaller than the men counterparts. However, the number of women that design and develop games is far from being even, adds Dorrell.
On January 2008, Sony Online Entertainment held an online survey among The Art Institutes female students. 42% of the answerers said that they would like to see women playing more significant roles in online games, 35% answered that they want to specialize in creating more "womanly" games while 61% of the students announced that the male dominance in the online gaming industry hinders them from considering gaming development as a career option.
