Immersive, interactive exhibition celebrates women working in gaming

Despite women making up almost 50 per cent of game players, they account for less than 10 per cent of the games industry. Code Breakers, a new exhibition at the Orange Regional Museum, seeks to shatter stereotypes and celebrate the women who are breaking down barriers and building vibrant, creative careers within a global industry that is increasingly diverse.

Code Breakers, touring from Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is the first exhibition of its kind in Australia celebrating the achievements of women working in the games industry.

This free exhibition transforms Orange Regional Museum into an immersive and interactive game zone where visitors can get hands-on with an array of playable games – from indie through to commercial hits and new releases – all made by Australian and New Zealand women working in different capacities: as directors, programmers, developers, digital artists, writers, producers and designers.

From platformers and role-playing strategy digital board games through to graphical adventure and racing games, Code Breakers offers something for everyone at every skill level. Deliver pizzas and crush bullies in Ninja Pizza Girl, join an animal clan in Armello or race souped-up cars in Need For Speed: No Limits.

Code Breakers ponders important questions in a post Gamergate landscape: What does a more inclusive games industry look like? How do we encourage this diversity? In Code Breakers, each maker reflects on the sometimes challenging journey they’ve made into this male-dominated industry, revealing the human stories behind their games via a custom built exhibition audio tour.

"I think this exhibition is an excellent way to give Australians a peek behind the curtain of game development, and highlight that women are playing an integral role within the industry. I really hope it helps to inspire girls and women to begin making their own games," says Rebecca Fernandez, a games programmer who worked on recently released PS4/Steam titles Tricky Towers and Armello.

The game makers featured in the exhibition include: Lisy Kane, Producer at League of Geeks, co-founder of Girl Geek Academy and one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in the games category; Katharine Neil, independent Game Developer and director of the hugely controversial and influential game Escape From Woomera; Maru Nihoniho, Founder and Managing Director of Metia Interactive and recipient of a New Zealand Order of Merit for her service to the gaming industry; and Siobhan Reddy, Co-Founder and Studio Director of Media Molecule, named in Fortune's 10 most powerful women in gaming.

Code Breakers: Women in Games will show at Orange Regional Museum until 14 October 2020. The Museum is open from 9am to 4pm daily, and entry is free.

Staff will be cleaning game stations regularly, and disinfectant wipes and hand sanitiser will also be available for visitors to use, along with other measures outlined in Orange Regional Museum’s COVID safe plan.